NEW YORK — The New Jersey Devils confounded fans with their explanation for why star goalie Connor Hellebuyck won’t play Tuesday in his tense return to Winnipeg, claiming it “would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability.”
The bizarre statement came from general manager Sunny Mehta, who said Sunday night that the team debated the “organizational decision” at length.
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“Connor Hellebuyck was adamant that he felt a duty to play on Tuesday in Winnipeg,” said Mehta, who previously served as the Devils’ director of hockey analytics.
“However, in our estimation, playing in this game would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability.”
The Devils acquired Hellebuyck — the 2024-25 NHL MVP and a four-time All-Star — from the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 23 after he demanded a trade.
The Jets had suspended Hellebuyck after he didn’t report to training camp, with the contentious saga drawing the ire of Winnipeg fans.
Tuesday’s game in Winnipeg was thus expected to be fraught with acrimony, yet Hellebuyck made it clear that he wanted to play.
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“But when you’re looking at what’s best for the team, I understand where they’re coming from,” Hellebuyck said Sunday. “I love Winnipeg. Playing there again, just facing the music, seeing the reaction, it’d be nice. But it’s out of my hands.”
Perhaps even more than their decision to sit Hellebuyck, the Devils’ wordy and overly analytical statement didn’t sit well with NHL fans — at all.
One social media user wrote that Mehta’s reference to expected win probability “nearly ruined hockey for me.”
“This might be one of [the] most embarrassing things i’ve ever seen a sports team say,” posted another.
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A third wrote, “I’m not positive but i think this statement just set [the] NHL back like 35 years.”
Hellebuyck, 33, played his first 11 NHL seasons with Winnipeg. He had four years remaining on his seven-year contract when the Jets sent him to Newark.
The Devils are 5-0-0 in games started by Hellebuyck, who made 23 saves in Sunday’s 4-0 win in Toronto.
Hellebuyck is scheduled to address the media Tuesday, and he said he will explain his trade demand then.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
