Now the Jets. In August, Hellebuyck went public with a trade request, and it turned into an unpaid suspension when he skipped camp. Winnipeg finally moved him to the Devils for center Dawson Mercer, goalie Nico Daws, 18-year-old prospect Alexander Command, Nick Bjugstad and 2 draft picks. The part people miss is that Hellebuyck hadn't played a minute this season. The 4-3-3 record was built without him, so the trade adds a 24-year-old two-way forward to the lineup and doesn't take a goalie out of it.
That record has gone sideways lately. As of the trade, Winnipeg had lost 4 straight, and 3 of those were 1-goal games: 3-4 in Chicago, 2-3 at home to Carolina and 2-3 in Dallas. A 2-1 loss in St. Louis rounded out the skid. This team isn't getting blown out. It just isn't scoring, with 8 goals in those 4 losses.
There's one big variable before puck drop. The Jets play Montreal in the Heritage Classic first, with Mercer expected in the lineup for his debut. That game decides whether Winnipeg brings a skid or a fresh start into Tuesday, and it will show how quickly Mercer slots in. It also costs the Jets an outdoor game's worth of energy 2 days before Florida arrives. Treat Winnipeg's form above as a snapshot, not the team that will take the ice.
The Jets' injury list has its own weight. Josh Morrissey went on IR with a wrist injury, which takes their No. 1 defenseman off the back end. Vladislav Namestnikov is also out, and so is Bjugstad, who arrived hurt and isn't expected back until at least January. Florida's absences are the bigger names, but Morrissey's matters most for a team that can't afford to give up extra chances in 1-goal games.
So the game sets a battered contender riding a backup goalie against a Jets team that just turned the page on its biggest distraction. Puck drop at Canada Life Centre is 7:00 PM CT. If Schmid keeps stealing 3rd periods, Florida flies home with something. If the Jets' Mercer reset is real, their run of 1-goal losses is the kind of thing that turns around in a hurry.