Connor Hellebuyck Thrown Right Into the Fire for Devils Debut in Dallas

The Connor Hellebuyck couch-surfing era is officially over, and the New Jersey Devils are wasting zero time throwing their shiny new toy into the fire.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Hellebuyck will make his Devils debut tonight on the road against the Dallas Stars, according to Elliotte Friedman.

"NJ coach Sheldon Keefe says Connor Hellebuyck starts tonight in Dallas (via Elliotte Friedman)"

After sitting out training camp and the first three weeks of the season waiting for the Winnipeg Jets to finally trade him, Hellebuyck is back in a crease. Going from a voluntary holdout to facing a loaded Dallas roster on a Tuesday night is the NHL equivalent of waking up from a nap and immediately having to defuse a bomb.

New Jersey just acquired the veteran netminder on Friday after a rapid-fire negotiation between the Jets and Devils GM Sunny Mehta. The Devils are coming off a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, but adding a true franchise goalie completely changes the math for a team trying to survive the Metropolitan Division.

For anyone staring at the betting markets tonight, this completely scrambles the board. You have to weigh the adrenaline of a highly anticipated debut against the very real possibility of a guy shaking off a month of game rust.

We will find out quickly if Hellebuyck spent his holdout taking shots from local beer leaguers or actually staying in elite shape. If he stands on his head tonight in Texas, the Devils might have just saved their season before Halloween.