Overview
- The New Jersey Devils announced Monday they would start Jake Allen instead of newly acquired Connor Hellebuyck for New Jersey’s first game back in Winnipeg.
- Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said the move robbed fans of closure, called Hellebuyck’s departure a case of him having “gave up on us,” and warned the matter will now “linger.”
- Jets winger Kyle Connor said he was surprised by the decision and that he and teammates had hoped to face Hellebuyck in what they expected to be a closing chapter.
- The Devils justified the choice by citing a reduction in their expected win probability if Hellebuyck started, a rationale that Arniel questioned given Allen’s past struggles against Winnipeg.
- Hellebuyck was traded to New Jersey in late October after 11 seasons in Winnipeg, and reports about family concerns and alleged harassment have fed the public tensions that the benching has now extended.