Connor Hellebuyck makes Devils home debut vs. Oilers tonight

The new paint came out first, before anyone even knew if he was playing. It is a Devils mask, finally, after a decade of wearing Winnipeg's colors.

Anthony Corona

@ACoronaNJD

Connor Hellebuyck new Devils mask. Courtesy of @Eyecandyair #NJDevils

Don't get too attached to this one. Hellebuyck has already said this mask was the rushed version, which makes sense when you were traded on October 23 and had to get a painter turned around in a matter of days. The real one is still coming, and by his own description it's going to be a lot.

Anthony Corona

@ACoronaNJD

I asked about the mask last week, Hellebuyck said this one was going to be more simplistic because it was hurried along. He also added that there is a second one coming that'll be "a little crazy". 👀 #NJDevils

Anthony Corona

@ACoronaNJD

Connor Hellebuyck new Devils mask. Courtesy of @Eyecandyair #NJDevils t.co/NAp6hYb4m5

"A little crazy" from a guy whose whole brand is being the calmest man in any building is a pretty good tease. Mask No. 1 is simple on purpose, and he's openly saying No. 2 is where he goes for it. Then the mask hit the ice at morning skate, on the guy standing in the starter's crease.

Amanda Stein

@amandacstein

Connor Hellebuyck is in the #NJDevils starters net...! Expect him to make his Prudential Center debut tonight against the Oilers!

It's a fun little sideshow, but the bigger story is how the trade got here. Hellebuyck went public in August with a request to leave Winnipeg, saying a move was "the best path forward for me and my family," and the saga finally ended with the Jets sending him to New Jersey for Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, Nico Daws, the rights to Alexander Command and picks in 2027 and 2029. He's on an $8.5 million cap hit through 2030-31, and he had to waive a full no-move clause to make it happen.

So far, so good. Hellebuyck is 2-0 as a Devil with wins over Dallas and Vegas, allowing 3 goals on 39 shots for a.923 save percentage and a 1.50 GAA. Those are both real teams, and he barely had to stand on his head against either one. Coach Sheldon Keefe told NHL.com he's "just stepped right in like he's been here all along."

Tonight is a different animal. McDavid has a point in all 15 of Edmonton's games, 39 points total, and 15 of them have come on the power play. He just became the fastest player ever to 30 assists, beating Wayne Gretzky's 1984-85 pace. He's also owned Hellebuyck for years: 51 points in 32 career games against him, and Hellebuyck has stopped just 87 of McDavid's 98 shots, an.888 save percentage. That's not a good matchup for the goalie, and the Devils need to stay out of the box.

Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET in Newark. If Hellebuyck gets through his home debut without McDavid running up the score on him, New Jersey fans will feel a lot better about this trade, and then he heads to Winnipeg on November 10 to face his old team. That sounds like the right night to break out the crazy mask.