Jets trade Connor Hellebuyck to Devils for Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command and picks

The Connor Hellebuyck standoff is over. The Winnipeg Jets traded the three-time Vezina Trophy winner to the New Jersey Devils on Friday, Oct. 23, ending months of speculation about one of the NHL’s best goaltenders and a suspension that kept him away from the team since training camp.

The deal landed on the same day Hellebuyck’s suspension was scheduled to end and he was expected to report to Winnipeg, NHL.com reported. Instead, he’s headed to New Jersey.

What did the Jets get for Hellebuyck?

According to both teams’ announcements, Winnipeg received:

Devils general manager Sunny Mehta announced the move for New Jersey.

Mercer is the biggest piece going to Winnipeg. The Jets said the Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador, native has 213 points (103 goals, 110 assists) in 420 career NHL games across six seasons, all with New Jersey, which drafted him 18th overall in 2020.

Why did Hellebuyck want out of Winnipeg?

Hellebuyck asked for a trade during the offseason and confirmed it publicly before training camp. “I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options,” he said Aug. 27 in a statement released by his agent, Ray Petkau, per NHL.com. “My position has not changed. I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.”

When he didn’t report to camp, the Jets suspended him starting Sept. 16. The Associated Press reported the trade also follows a failed bid to move him in June.

The trade request came after a down year. The Jets missed the playoffs last season, and Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage, the lowest save percentage of his 11 NHL seasons, according to NHL.com.

How good is Connor Hellebuyck?

Very. NHL.com and the Devils list a résumé few active goalies can match:

• Three Vezina Trophies as the league’s top goalie (2019-20, 2023-24, 2024-25)
• Hart Trophy as league MVP for 2024-25, when he went 47-12-3 with a 2.00 GAA, .925 save percentage and eight shutouts and led Winnipeg to the Presidents’ Trophy
• Olympic gold: He went 5-0 with a 1.18 GAA and .956 save percentage at the 2026 Winter Olympics, helping Team USA win its first Olympic men’s hockey gold in 46 years, the Devils said
• Career numbers: 345-208-55 with a 2.58 GAA, .916 save percentage and 45 shutouts in 625 regular-season games

The Michigan native, 33, is in the third season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) that runs through 2030-31.

What does this mean for the Devils?

New Jersey is betting that an elite, workhorse goalie can push its roster over the top. Since his 2015-16 rookie season, Hellebuyck ranks first among NHL goalies in minutes played and shutouts, according to the Devils. His playoff record is the main question mark: he is 24-34 with a 2.90 GAA in 58 postseason games, though he backstopped Winnipeg to the 2018 Western Conference Final.

The price is real depth. Mercer, a former first-round pick, had spent his entire six-season NHL career in New Jersey, and the Devils also gave up a young goalie in Daws, who has a 26-26-1 career record, per the Jets.

What happens next for the Jets?

Winnipeg has been fine without him so far, starting 4-3-3. Stuart Skinner is 3-1-3 with a .912 save percentage, and waiver pickup Clay Stevenson is 1-2-0, NHL.com reported. The Jets play the Montreal Canadiens outdoors in the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg on Sunday.

“Obviously, it’s a big piece in our lineup missing, whether it’s assets or whether it’s the player himself,” Jets captain Adam Lowry said Oct. 17, per NHL.com. “But this is what we have.”

FAQ