Jets trade Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey Devils for multiple assets

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff confirmed that the club has completed a trade sending goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils. The deal includes forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, a 2027 seventh-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick.

Hellebuyck, 33, had indicated his desire to leave Winnipeg after the 2024-25 season, despite having five years remaining on a seven-year, $59.1 million contract signed in October 2023. Cheveldayoff said he was “comfortable” with the package received and emphasized that the trade was intended to help the Jets both now and in the future.

“When we met and he [Hellebuyck] asked for a trade just after the season ended in his exit physicals, that set in motion the wheels for me,” Cheveldayoff told TSN 1050’s OverDrive. “We had a goal to help the current team and also build for the future, because you’re never going to get a one-for-one type of deal for a player like Connor Hellebuyck.”

The Jets had placed Hellebuyck on an unpaid suspension after he missed training camp, resulting in a forfeiture of roughly $930,000 of his $7.5 million salary for the season. The team, now 4-4-3, credited its players for maintaining competitiveness after a disappointing 2025-26 campaign.

“The real credit is to the current players on this team that came back from a tough season last year,” Cheveldayoff said. “They all came back to training camp saying they wanted to prove something different.”

Hellebuyck will return to Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre as a member of the Devils on Nov. 10, with the game broadcast on TSN3, TSN.ca and the TSN app.

Cheveldayoff, the NHL’s longest-tenured general manager, noted the broader trend of American players moving from Canadian markets, referencing recent trades involving Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk, all of whom were part of the United States team that won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.