The Winnipeg Jets have traded goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils, ending a saga that began at the end of the 2025-26 NHL season.
In exchange for the 33-year-old Hellebuyck, the Devils sent goaltender Nico Daws, forwards Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad and Alexander Command, and two draft picks — a seventh-round pick in 2027 and a second-round pick in 2029 — to the Jets.
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The fear of trading Hellebuyck’s suspension, which cost him nearly $930,000, came to an end on Friday. The Jets also followed up with the Heritage Classic against the Canadiens on Sunday night and didn’t want to overshadow the game’s weather conditions.
Hellebuyck went public with a trade request in August, releasing a statement confirming he had privately requested the move months earlier and said moving from Winnipeg was “the best way forward for me and my family.”
Salaries are not used in the offseason. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff reportedly did not accept the offer, which would have been worthy of a report for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner.
“My commitment is to Winnipeg High School. I want to get this right,” Cheveldayoff told reporters at the start of training camp.
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Making the situation more difficult was the goaltender’s contract, which runs through the 2030-31 season with an $8.5 million salary cap, not moving the full clause, which he had to opt out of to facilitate a trade.
The Jets selected Hellebuyck in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Draft. The Liberty missed making the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and advanced beyond the second round once when moving from Atlanta to Winnipeg in 2011.
Along with his three Vezinas, Hellebuyck is an NHL first-team All-Starter and the 2024-25 Hart Trophy, the league’s first MVP winner, and sent the United States to the 2026 Winter Olympics with a gold medal.
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The Jets began the 2026-27 season with a 5-4-1 record, and Stuart Skinner, who signed with the team in free agency, was the No. 1 goaltender in Hellebuyck’s absence. Skinner is 3-1-3 in seven starts and has a .909 slugging percentage.
Hellebuyck will face his old team on Nov. 10 when the Devils travel to Winnipeg.