The New Jersey Devils made news this week in the National Hockey League.
They acquired Tyler Toffoli for Yegor Sharangovich and followed it up by signing Timo Meier to an eight-year, $70.4 million deal.
The message is clear: They are in the business of winning the Stanley Cup.
After a taste of postseason success this spring by advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals after dispatching the Rangers in seven games in the first round, the Devils want more.
They are good enough to be a Stanley Cup contender, but if they want to play in the Stanley Cup Final next year, they need a goaltender who can steal games and win on his own if the Devils' offense has a rough night. As good as Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid were in the postseason, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff had to play goaltender roulette and hope for the best by either goalie he selected.
Mike Keenan once believed rotating goalies can help him win a championship, but the reality is it doesn’t work. A head coach can only be so lucky for that long.
The Devils need a goaltender who will give them the best chance of winning the cup, and that would be Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who is on the trade block since he is entering the final year of his contract. He wants an expensive extension, and the Jets don’t seem interested in giving him one, so he will be a well-sought-after asset for teams that want to take the next step toward winning in the playoffs.
The Devils are in a position where they really have to get him after going all out to help Jack Hughes to achieve success. It’s not just Hughes that makes them great. Meier, Toffoli, Dawson Mercer, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier are part of the forwards that can elevate them on a given night which should make other teams envious.
With a talent like Hughes, they can’t afford to waste his greatness by settling for average goaltending. It's on Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald to do whatever it takes to get the Jets star.
Hellebuyck gives the Devils a better chance to be in the Stanley Cup Final and win it all next season than Vanecek and Schmid. This is a goaltender who recently was a Vezina Trophy finalist this season. This is a one-time Vezina Trophy winner.
How good is he? He was why the Jets found their way to the final wild-card spot in the second-to-last game of the season by making 13 consecutive starts.
The Jets goaltender is coming off a good campaign this season by posting a 37-25-2 record, 2.49 goals against average, .920 save percentage and four shutouts in 64 games.
Yeah, he struggled against the Vegas Golden Knights. Guess what? So many goaltenders struggled in the playoffs against that team. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup for a reason. They got a great offense that is relentless with the forecheck.
This should not deter the Devils from acquiring Hellebuyck. If they believe he can be the difference between being a paper tiger and a Stanley Cup contender, they should do whatever it takes to get him if the opportunity arises, no matter the cost. It’s on the front office to be creative and make sure his likely extension or just his current contract fits the salary cap.
Even if he is just a rental, the Devils have to make this move.
The time has to be now to get it done. The Devils can’t wait two or three years from now to grow and be a Stanley Cup contender. By making recent moves and not going after Hellebuyck, that’s like going half-in and hoping for the best. That’s not a bold strategy to win a championship.
It’s great the Devils have gone for it by acquiring Meier weeks before the trade deadline and acquiring Toffoli. Now they have to finish the job and address one last need to justify the trajectory they are in.
The Devils' fanbase will have high expectations next season, and understandably so. Like the team, they want more. They got the taste of winning hockey and know a Stanley Cup team when they see one. This team has that. Grinders can be found anywhere, but getting a goaltender of Hellebuyck’s caliber doesn’t come often.
If the Florida Panthers can make it to the Stanley Cup Final out of nowhere this season as a No. 8 seed, why not the Devils? Like the Panthers, they boast a lot of young talent that are coming into their own, and they play an aggressive forecheck style well-suited to today’s hockey.
Ownership and management must do the right thing in rewarding the players by getting that one guy who can take them to the highest plateau in hockey.
If not now, when?
There’s nothing worse than waiting for next year or waiting for five years. No one wins a championship with that approach. That’s a euphemism for we are not really that interested in winning a championship now by waiting for a few years.
The Devils are not rebuilding anymore. There’s no timeline. Their play and their recent moves spoke for themselves.
Now, it’s time to finish the job once in for all.
Hellebuyck or bust. Cap be damned.
You can read Leslie's Jersey Sporting News columns on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
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