Julian McKenzie just questioned why the Devils are suddenly being careful with Connor Hellebuyck, and the timing looks awkward.
New Jersey won 4-0 in Toronto tonight for its fifth straight win and sits at 13-5-0. Yet the goalie conversation is the one that won't go away, and now a prominent voice is asking whether the Devils' messaging holds together.
McKenzie noted that Hellebuyck basically jumped into the Devils lineup after weeks of not playing, so being careful now makes no sense to him.
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The caution McKenzie is questioning comes from Sunny Mehta's statement on Hellebuyck's Winnipeg return. The Devils announced Hellebuyck will not play Tuesday in the building where he spent his career, and the GM addressed the decision publicly.
The numbers frame McKenzie's point. Hellebuyck has appeared in just 4 games this season, so the idea of a goalie being eased in is hard to square with how quickly he was thrown into the lineup, at least the way McKenzie sees it.
There is another wrinkle. Devils coach Sheldon Keefe just said Hellebuyck is expected to play both games against the Capitals when New Jersey gets back.
So the goalie who sits in Winnipeg is slated to play twice against Washington. That is the part fans will have trouble reconciling.
Do the Devils owe fans a clearer Hellebuyck answer?
Yes, and soon. Hellebuyck's return to Winnipeg was always going to be an emotional event, and he had already written an open letter to Jets fans explaining why he asked out. The story was sensitive before the Devils added a lineup decision to it.
Whether the explanation was incomplete or just poorly timed, the optics are bad. When a team says it is being careful with a goalie it was previously rolling out after a long layoff, people will ask what the real reason is.
I'd put the Devils on the spot here. A team winning five straight with a 9-1-0 record over its last 10 doesn't need a distraction, and this one is self-inflicted.
New Jersey visits the Jets on Tuesday, November 10, and the question of who is in the crease will follow the team there.
Quick hits
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Cutter Gauthier scored another hat trick tonight, and the Penguins fell 5-2 to the Ducks in Anaheim on Sunday night. It also happened to be Muse's 100th game. Nobody in Pittsburgh will enjoy rewatching that one.
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ANAHEIM DUCKS: Evgeni Malkin says the Penguins' 1:37 of 5-on-3 in Anaheim could have been a game changer. The Ducks' power play decided it instead. That is a big swing from a long two-man advantage.
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CALGARY FLAMES: Joel Farabee scored a shorthanded goal against his old team to tie the Flames and Flyers 3-3 at the Saddledome. Revenge goals on the penalty kill are the best kind.
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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Kevin Kurz summed up the Flyers' 4-3 overtime loss in Calgary by saying Daniel Vladar was the only reason they walked away with a point. That is a rough review of the team in front of him.
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WINNIPEG JETS: Mark Scheifele won it for the Jets with a buzzer-beater, 0.3 seconds left, to beat the Lightning 4-3 tonight. You can't script a finish much closer than that.
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Are the Devils being straight with fans about Connor Hellebuyck's Winnipeg plan?
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