New Jersey Devils give bewildering explanation for benching Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg return

· Yahoo Sports

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Star New Jersey Devils goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is set to make his highly anticipated return to Winnipeg on Tuesday after a messy divorce with the team he spent his first 11 NHL seasons with was finalized last month. But Jets fans that were planning to let Hellebuyck hear how they really feel will not get the opportunity to do so.

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In one of the more bizarre statements ever released by a major professional sports franchise, New Jersey Devils GM Sunny Mehta informed the public that Hellebuyck will not play in the Devils’ game against Winnipeg on Tuesday because his participation “would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability.”

Here’s the statement in full:

This has been an organizational decision for us that we’ve debated at length. Connor Hellebuyck was adamant that he felt a duty to play on Tuesday in Winnipeg. However, in our estimation, playing in this game would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability. Even though Connor isn’t playing, at his request, we will coordinate a media availability after Tuesday’s morning skate at Canada Life Centre.

There is not a lot of precedent to hold a player out of competition in these circumstances. Sports fans see players return to play in their former cities all the time. Those instances can often be hostile, but that’s part of the entertainment value of professional sports.

For a team to determine that an environment might be so hostile that they’re better off starting that player’s replacement because the crowd would be too much for the player to handle is something you don’t really see. And even if it did happen, the team would be much better off saying the player had a minor injury or illness. Fans would still draw the same conclusions, but you don’t have to admit that you’re scared that an away crowd could negatively impact your player’s performance.

Hellebuyck weighed in on the decision following the Devils’ win over the Maple Leafs on Sunday.

“I’m disappointed, but I understand. Selfishly, I want to play. But when you’re looking at the team and what’s best for the team, I understand where they’re coming from,” Hellebuyck said. “I love Winnipeg, and playing there again and just facing the music and seeing the reaction, it’d be nice. But it’s out of my hands.”

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