Connor Hellebuyck's Training Camp Holdout Just Handed the Devils a Perfect Salary Cap Loophole

There is salary cap gymnastics, and then there is whatever the New Jersey Devils just pulled off with Connor Hellebuyck.

Hellebuyck demanded a trade out of Winnipeg in late August, skipped training camp, and got suspended by the Jets. You would think that kind of drama ruins a team's financial planning. Instead, it just handed New Jersey a perfect mathematical loophole.

"PuckPedia reported that the Devils will have sufficient space to lift Hellebuyck's suspension without requiring a roster move."

Because he missed camp without permission, Hellebuyck’s cap hit for this season was reduced to $8.1 million. According to PuckPedia, the Devils currently have exactly $8.2 million in available cap space. That means when his suspension is officially lifted, New Jersey can activate him without making a single corresponding roster move.

For context, $100,000 in NHL cap space is basically the equivalent of finding a crumpled five-dollar bill in your winter coat. It is practically nothing, but it is exactly enough to keep the front office from having to waive a fourth-liner or attach a draft pick to a bad contract just to make the math work.

The Devils are already playing solid hockey, coming off a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks and gearing up to host the Los Angeles Kings. Dropping one of the best goaltenders on the planet into that mix without sacrificing a single roster piece is a nightmare scenario for the rest of the Metropolitan Division.

Oddsmakers are going to have a field day adjusting New Jersey's futures once Hellebuyck officially takes the crease. Until then, the Devils get to enjoy the fact that a player refusing to show up to his old job is exactly what allowed them to afford him at his new one.