Eager Hellebuyck making Devils debut vs. Stars on Tuesday

Connor Hellebuyck will finally play hockey again on Tuesday night, making his New Jersey Devils debut against the Dallas Stars — four days after the blockbuster trade that ended his standoff with the Winnipeg Jets. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner has not played an NHL game this season.

The 33-year-old was suspended by the Jets for not reporting to training camp, forfeiting more than $900,000 in salary. During the suspension he skated five or six days a week in Michigan with free agents Robby Fabbri and Antonio Stranges, but both shoot left-handed and the goalposts were not drilled into the ice the way NHL posts are, so the sessions had their limits.

Hellebuyck says he is ready now. "If you're asking me, I'm ready today," he said Monday, adding that he does not make every decision. The Devils said they would check with their medical team after his first practice on Monday. His focus, he said, is readjusting to traffic in front of the net — "seeing some screens and reacting to some rebounds, and getting a feel for some righties" — after 11 seasons with Winnipeg.

New Jersey gave up forward Dawson Mercer, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command and two draft picks to get him, in the biggest move yet by first-year general manager Sunny Mehta, hired this summer from Florida's front office. Hellebuyck is in the third year of a seven-year deal he signed with the Jets in 2023.

He joins a Devils team riding a three-game winning streak at 7-4-0, opening a three-game road trip that also takes in Colorado and Vegas. Veteran Jake Allen is the only other goalie on the roster. "I'm just really excited to play hockey again," Hellebuyck said. "That was the hardest part about all of this, wanting to go back and not being able to."