Connor Hellebuyck trade could open Devils' Stanley Cup window

The New Jersey Devils' trade for goalie Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets on Friday afternoon is a potential game-changer for the organization's long-term outlook, and perhaps the playoff landscape in the Eastern Conference for the next few years.

It not only helped the Devils fill their biggest need by landing one of the NHL's best goalies, but it is just one major move in a series of moves (and potential moves) that could be cracking open a new window for Stanley Cup contention.

Why the Connor Hellebuyck trade could help open window of contention for New Jersey Devils

Since the peak of their glory days in the early-to-mid-2000s, the Devils have been one of the NHL's forgotten powerhouse franchises.

Since the start of the 2010-11 season, they have made the playoffs just four times in 16 years, advancing beyond the first round just twice during that stretch. It's been a rough stretch for an organization that dominated the NHL's Eastern Conference for more than a decade, and it's largely sunk them into irrelevance. 

You probably haven't been paying much attention to them.

You are going to need to start paying attention again, because the Devils have rapidly turned themselves into a sneaky contender in the Eastern Conference and could still have better days ahead.

Despite the lack of recent success, the Devils still have a handful of high-level players on their roster, including two at one of the league's most important positions.

Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier help form one of the league's best center duos, and both are not only still in the prime of their careers, but they are both signed long-term to what should be very team-friendly contracts.

First-year general manager Sunny Mehta then spent his first summer running the team by helping to fix the its depth, adding forwards Evan Rodrigues, Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista to the roster.

The early-season result has been a team that has started to play like a contender.

Entering play on Friday, the Devils are one of the NHL's best teams in terms of out-changing and out-shooting their opponents, while posting advanced defensive metrics that place them among the league's best teams. 

Their 60.8% expected goal share (via MoneyPuck) is the best in the NHL.

They have allowed the fifth-fewest expected goals and are one of the best in terms of expected goals against per 60 minutes.

Despite the territorial edge and defensive dominance, they are closer to the bottom of the league in actual goals against, largely due to the fact their goalie duo of Nico Daws (traded to Winnipeg as part of the Hellebuyck trade) and Jake Allen has not played well enough. Between the two of them, they are minus-6 in goals saved above expected, which is one of the worst marks of any goalie duo in the league. 

Now they have one of the league's best goalies, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and an Olympic gold medalist to sure things up. 

But that's only another piece of the Devils' puzzle.

There is perhaps another piece waiting to join them next season.

The anticipation for more than a year now is that defenseman Quinn Hughes (currently with the Minnesota Wild) will eventually join the Devils in unrestricted free agency so he can play alongside his brothers, Jake and Luke Hughes. 

If they pull that off and add him to a team that already has his brothers, Hischier, Hellebuyck and a solid supporting cast led by Jesper Bratt and some good young talent, the Devils are going to have a chance to win. Not just a lot of games, but potentially the whole thing. It might not happen this season, but the window is open for future seasons.