On Monday morning, Connor Hellebuyck practiced with the New Jersey Devils for the first time since Friday's trade from the Winnipeg Jets — and although he's been a member of the team for only 72 hours, he's already itching to get between the pipes.

“If you're asking me, I'm ready today,” Hellebuyck told reporters, including NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale. “But I don't make every decision around here.”

Although Hellebuyck was suspended by the Jets and away from the team, he spent over a month skating in his native Michigan, taking shots from NHL-caliber players including current unrestricted free agent Robby Fabbri.

“I'm just really excited to play hockey again,” the 33-year-old added. “That was the hardest part about all of this, wanting to go back and not being able to. I'm just ready to do what I do best.”

Jake Allen was between the pipes for the Devils' 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, but he'll soon transition into the backup role as Hellebuyck prepares to take over the crease.

Once Hellebuyck gets up to speed, he should see the lion's share of starts for a New Jersey team looking to strengthen its Stanley Cup chances after acquiring one of the best goalies in the world.

It's unclear whether the Olympic gold medalist will start Tuesday night against the Stars in Dallas. If not, he could be between the pipes for the second half of the back-to-back against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Wednesday.

“I think the intent would be to get him involved in this trip,” head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters. “But we'll have to take it a day at a time.”

The road trip concludes against the Vegas Golden Knights on the Strip on Friday night.

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The Devils have turned things around after a slow start to the 2026-27 season, winning five of their last six games and outscoring their opponents 25-14 in that span.

Now 7-4-0, they're in third place in the Metropolitan Division, with two games in hand on the Carolina Hurricanes (9-2-2) and New York Rangers (7-5-1).

Devils general manager Sunny Mehta preserved his future first-round picks and biggest stars in the deal, sending Winnipeg forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, the rights to No. 12 overall pick Alexander Command, a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft and a seventh-rounder in 2027.

Hellebuyck should give the surging Devils another significant boost — and he sounds eager to get started after spending his first 11 NHL seasons with the Jets.