What a time to be alive. The New Jersey Devils humiliated themselves in truly unbelievable fashion and I get the golden opportunity to pile on. Some topics practically write themselves, and this set of circumstances is a true gift.
It all started with a statement explaining why Connor Hellebuyck would sit out his return to Winnipeg. It came from the galaxy-brained, I’m-better-than-you, analytic overload of a general manager, Sunny Mehta. I’ll link the statement below, simply because if I typed it out, you’d think it’s AI.
“…potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability.” Potentially? Potentially??? What an absurd way to phrase a statement like this. It reads as if it was posted by one of those troll parody accounts like ‘Fronk’ Seravalli. Is Sunny Mehta a troll? I’m genuinely asking.
A few more questions. In what world does Jake Allen in net give you a better chance to win than Hellebuyck? And you’re openly admitting to going against the wishes of the star goalie you moved mountains to acquire? Don’t you think he has the right to dictate the conversation after three Vezina Trophies and a heroic performance to win USA gold at the Olympics?
Let’s also acknowledge the context here. It’s no secret that beloved superstars turned enemies returning to the scene of the crime has been a theme to start this year. You had Quinn Hughes returning to Vancouver, where he was booed every time he touched the puck.
You had Brady Tkachuk returning to Ottawa, with hate and vitriol rivaling John Tavares’ return to Long Island in 2019.
Dylan Larkin’s return to Detroit, whenever he’s traded, will bring similar fireworks.
Is it uncomfortable for the player? Sure. But the bright side is there’s closure for everyone involved. More importantly, as a competitor, you get a chance to face the music and stick it to your former club.
If there were legitimate threats against Hellebuyck or his family for his return, I’d understand the caution. No reports suggest that.
To be fair though, the anger from Canadians in Winnipeg and beyond following USA’s gold medal victory was part of why he left. NHL players sign up for a lot of things, but they don’t sign up for their families to be threatened. Hellebuyck isn’t a Sean Avery type of player either, he’s quite literally quiet and respectful.
At the end of the day, he gave Winnipeg 11 years, made Canada home for more than a decade and earned the right to pursue another opportunity. He’s American, and wanting to come home at this point in his career shouldn’t be shocking or controversial to anyone.
I’m not buying the theory that this was 4D chess by Mehta, either. Stop it. If Hellebuyck privately asked to sit, the plan to take the heat off him backfired, because Hellebuyck is forced to keep answering the same questions and Mehta comes off as a pretentious clown.
In this same calendar year, Hellebuyck handled a Canada vs. USA gold medal game by being far and away the best player on the ice. He can handle a hostile Tuesday night in Winnipeg with loud chants and nasty posters. If he told the media he would’ve preferred to play, I take him at his word.
What’s ironic is none of this noise goes away by making this decision. It simply creates more dialogue, more scrutiny and feeds the flame of this narrative until his eventual return to Winnipeg. It’s cowardly, short-sighted and, above all, an oversimplification of how analytics should be used in hockey, one that completely disregards the human element of the game.
I’m not sure I believe in “hockey gods”, but I definitely believe in karma, and it was served up to the Devils on a silver platter Tuesday night in Winnipeg. None other than Dawson Mercer, the young winger who struggled to break out in Jersey and was sent to Winnipeg in the Hellebuyck deal, not only opened the scoring but added another goal to put the Jets ahead for good in the third period, 3-2.
That go-ahead goal is exactly the type of confident deke and seeing-eye wrister New Jersey was hoping would be a staple of their offense, and instead it burned them in a critical spot. Thunderous chants of “DAWSON MERCER!” and “MERCER’S BETTER!” rained down from the Canada Life Centre crowd to close the game. Chef’s kiss. Former Devil Nico Daws was solid in net too, turning aside 19 of 21 shots.
The Jets’ social media team understood the assignment and clapped back with their own advanced analytics assessment after the game, Dawson Mercer front and center. Hang it in the Louvre.
Devils fans will say the jury is still out on Mehta’s decision. If they win the important home and home games coming up against another contender in Washington with Hellebuyck in net, this is all less of a blow. Pure copium in my expert opinion, but I’d be remiss not to mention what Devils fans will cling to with dear life.
Either way, I’ll never pass up a chance to point and laugh at New Jersey. Somewhere in the depths of the Prudential Center, a fancy computer model concluded that Jake Allen gives the Devils the best chance to win. Unfortunately, it didn’t account for karma, the human element of sports, or Dawson Mercer. Potentially an oversight.
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