Summary
- The Winnipeg Jets traded Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
- Winnipeg received Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command's rights and two draft picks.
- The deal became official on the scheduled end date of Hellebuyck's suspension for failing to report to training camp.
A drawn-out separation becomes official
Connor Hellebuyck's 11-season run with the Winnipeg Jets is over. The club traded the 33-year-old goaltender to the New Jersey Devils on Friday, Oct. 23, closing a standoff that began with his offseason trade request and continued into the opening weeks of the NHL season. The timing was striking: the deal came on the scheduled end date of the team-imposed suspension he received after failing to report to training camp. Hellebuyck will head to Newark, while Winnipeg turns the page on the most accomplished goalie in franchise history. [1] [2]
What Winnipeg gets
The Jets' return is a package of four players and two future picks: forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, the rights to unsigned forward Alexander Command, New Jersey's second-round selection in 2029 and its seventh-rounder in 2027. Command was the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Bjugstad has not played this season because of an upper-body injury. Mercer, 24, arrives after scoring 20 goals and 42 points in 82 games last season; Daws, 25, leaves a Devils goalie tandem that also included Jake Allen. [1] [2]
An elite resume, a recent dip
Hellebuyck brings a rare combination of individual honors and high-end experience. He has won the Vezina Trophy three times and took home the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player in 2024-25, when he posted a 47-12-3 record, a 2.00 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. He also helped the United States win Olympic gold in 2026. His latest NHL season was less dominant: he went 23-23-11 with a .895 save percentage as Winnipeg missed the playoffs. He is in the third year of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract. [1] [2]
New Jersey's immediate question
The Devils were using Allen and Daws in goal, and their team save percentage stood at .876, tied for 23rd in the league, according to NHL.com. Hellebuyck gives them a proven starter, but his first game in a New Jersey uniform has not been announced. The trade also reconnects him with the club's Olympic-winning American contingent, including Jack Hughes. For Winnipeg, the question shifts from whether its franchise goalie would return to camp to how the new assets fit a team that began the day 4-3-3 without him. The Jets' next game is Sunday's Heritage Classic against Montreal. [1]
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