Jets deal Connor Hellebuyck to Devils, ending trade-request saga

Connor Hellebuyck is getting his wish.

The Winnipeg Jets traded the three-time Vezina Trophy winner to the New Jersey Devils for prospect Alexander Command, goalie Nico Daws, forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick, the teams announced on Friday.

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said the organization explored multiple options before finding a deal that met its needs, acknowledging the challenges of trading an elite goaltender.

“When you go through a process like we did and the time that we went through, we certainly looked at all the different options that were out there and talked to a lot of different teams,” Cheveldayoff said.

Hellebuyck's move to New Jersey ends a saga that dates back to the goalie's trade request after last season.

The veteran netminder confirmed the request in August, then did not show up to training camp, prompting an unpaid suspension from the team that was set to end Friday, two days before Winnipeg hosts the Heritage Classic against the Montreal Canadiens.

Instead, Hellebuyck will head to a Devils team that sits 6-4-0 through 10 games this season.

Hellebuyck won't have to wait long to face his former team — the Devils visit the Jets on Nov. 10.

Cheveldayoff added that the goaltending market presented unique challenges but said he was “very comfortable with what we accomplished here over the period of time.”

“Certainly wish I could have done it four or five months ago, whatever, when the opportunity first started where we were looking. But here we are today,” Cheveldayoff said.

The prize of Winnipeg's return may be Command, the Swedish forward who was selected 12th overall by New Jersey at the draft in June. The 18-year-old is off to a fast start in the junior Swedish Hockey League this season, posting seven goals and five assists in six games for Orebro HK Jr., though he's been held off the scoresheet in six games at the senior level.

Mercer, 24, has scored between 17 and 27 goals in each of his first five seasons, playing all 82 games in each instance. He has not scored yet this season, though he does have four assists.

Cheveldayoff believes Mercer can help the Jets remain competitive immediately, rather than simply adding future assets to the organization.

“We weren't going to take a pick and a prospect deal and say, you know, at the end of the day, like, look what we did to the organization,” Cheveldayoff said.

The Jets GM pointed to Mercer's scoring history and versatility, noting that the forward can play centre if needed and will have an opportunity to take on a different role in Winnipeg.

“The role that he's going to play for us is not the role that he's been playing this last year,” Cheveldayoff said. “It'll be more akin to the roles that he's had over the first courses of his years.”

Daws, 25, has appeared in 59 NHL games (including four this year) with a career .897 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average. The native of Munich, Germany, was New Jersey’s third-round pick (84th overall) in 2020 and has a 26-26-1 record with a shutout.

Daws represents Canada internationally and was a teammate of Mercer’s on the 2020 world junior team.

Bjugstad, 34, is currently recovering from pectoral surgery in September, with a recovery time of four to six months. The well-travelled veteran from Blaine, Minn., has 339 points (163 goals, 176 assists) and 377 penalty minutes over 821 career games with Florida, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Arizona, Edmonton, Utah, St. Louis and New Jersey.

Hellebuyck has been one of the most accomplished goaltenders of his generation, although playoff success eluded him in Winnipeg. Over his 11-year career, he has three Vezina Trophies, one Hart Trophy and an Olympic gold medal to go with a 345-208-55 record and 45 shutouts. Only Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy has more wins in that time.

Despite that success, the Jets have made just one Western Conference Final appearance with Hellebuyck. Winnipeg won the Presidents' Trophy in 2025 but took a big step back last season, dropping from 116 points to 82.

Cheveldayoff acknowledged the disappointment surrounding Hellebuyck's departure but said the organization would not forget what the goaltender helped accomplish during his time with the Jets.

“He was a big part of our family, and we accomplished some pretty, pretty good things,” Cheveldayoff said. “We obviously didn't accomplish the end-all goal that we all wanted, and those memories are always going to stay there.”

The Jets GM also accepted responsibility for the circumstances that led to the trade when asked about Hellebuyck's departure after previously expressing a desire to remain with Winnipeg for his entire career.

“I'm the general manager. I bear responsibility for everything,” Cheveldayoff said.

Since entering the league in 2015-16, Hellebuyck has faced 1,438 more shots than the next closest goaltender.

His best statistical season came back in a banner 2024-25 season when he went 47-12-3 with a .925 save percentage, a 2.00 GAA and an NHL-best eight shutouts.

Hellebuyck is entering the third season of a seven-year contract that carries a cap hit of $8.5 million. However, by missing training camp without permission, his cap hit is reduced to $8.1 million this season, and the Devils have $8.2 million of cap space, meaning they won't require a roster move when Hellebuyck joins the team.

A Michigan native, Hellebuyck joins a growing trend of American superstars being traded away from Canadian NHL teams. That list includes Matthew Tkachuk going from the Flames to the Panthers in 2022, Quinn Hughes being traded from the Canucks to the Wild last December and, most recently, Brady Tkachuk being moved from the Senators to join his brother in Florida.

The Jets are 4-3-3 without Hellebuyck so far this season after dropping their fourth game in a row Thursday night in a 3-2 overtime defeat at Dallas. All four losses have been by one goal.

Former Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner has carried the bulk of the load in goal for the Jets this season. He has a 3-1-3 record with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Backup Clay Stevenson has posted a 1-2-0 record with a 3.08 GAA and .893 save percentage.


With the trade complete, Cheveldayoff said the organization was ready to move on from the situation and focus on the roster moving forward.

“Connor made his choice to do how he chose to do it. And as an organization, we just had to act accordingly and we did,” Cheveldayoff said.

He added that Winnipeg had agreed to do its best to accommodate Hellebuyck's request, although the process took longer than hoped.

“If it could happen four or five months ago when he first asked, we would have done it then,” Cheveldayoff said.

“Our chapter — this is onward now. This is the Winnipeg Jets and the 23 guys that are going to be in that locker room. That's all we care about.”

--with files from The Canadian Press