The Winnipeg Jets have traded star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils.
In exchange for the goaltender, the team received the Devils’ second-round pick in the 2029 draft and their seventh-round pick for the 2027 draft. The Jets also acquired three forwards, Alexander Command, Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, in addition to goaltender Nico Daws.
Hellebuyck went public with a trade request in August and was suspended by the team after he chose not to attend training camp. The netminder played on the Jets for his entire NHL career until the team dealt him to the Devils Friday.
Kevin Cheveldayoff, the general manager of the Winnipeg Jets spoke with the media on Friday afternoon, hours after the team announced Hellebuyck was traded.
“At the end of the day, Connor made his choice to do (this) how he chose to do it. And as an organization, we just had to act accordingly, and we did,” Cheveldayoff told reporters.
“Each manager is going to choose to deal with their own set of challenges in their own way. I know how I operate and, again, I know my beliefs. I believe in organization. I believe in our ownership. I think we have an ultra-competitive group in that room of players.”
Cheveldayoff began Friday’s news conference by thanking Hellebuyck for his contributions to the team.
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“He was a big part of our family. We accomplished some pretty good things. We obviously didn’t accomplish the end-all goal that we all wanted,” he said.
Command, 18, was the Devils’ first-round pick in the 2026 draft. He was chosen 12th overall and represented Sweden at the 2026 World U-18 Championships, winning gold.
Mercer had four assists for New Jersey in 10 games. He’s been a Devil for six seasons, playing 420 career games, scoring 213 points and 120 penalty minutes.
The third forward acquired by the Jets, Bjugstad, is recovering from surgery. Last season he played 61 games with nine points scored. He will be on the Jets’ injury reserve, the team said.
The Jets’ newly-obtained goaltender, Daws, played four games as a Devil this season and posted a 2-2-0 record with a .874 save percentage. In the 59 career NHL games.
“We addressed some needs that we had in our forward group here right now. We added depth to the organization, we added assets that I can use now – either for drafting or at the trade deadline. And at the end of the day, that’s the goal that I set out to try to accomplish here,” the Jets GM said.
Command was high on the Jets’ list heading into this year’s NHL draft, he said, adding that the forward is already texting with his new teammates.
“I think there’s some great synergy with a lot our young prospects coming up,” he continued.
The Jets and Devils will meet at the Canada Life Centre on Nov. 10. They will also face off in Newark, New Jersey weeks later on Nov. 28.
Kelly Moore, sports director at 680 CJOB and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame media inductee for 2024, told Global News that the Jets trading the goaltender was a long time coming. He said the move will help the jets in seasons to come.
“This will help the Winnipeg Jets in the present and for sure in the future, getting a young prospect like Alexander Command,” Moore said, describing the 18-year-old as “a complete player.”
Mercer will be ready to step into the lineup and make his presence known, the analyst added. He said the Jets have been looking for a player to fill the role Mercer is expected to take on since talks of trading Hellebuyck began.
“For Winnipeg Jets fans, the saga is over,” Moore said. “(And) the Jets get a player that they have been long interested in, Dawson Mercer. And they also get a great young prospect in Alexander Commander.”
Looking to the rest of the Jets’ season, Moore praised current goalie, Stuart Skinner’s, recent performances. He said the acquisition of Daws will further bolster the team’s goaltending.
In his time as a Jet, Hellebuyck won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, three Vezina Trophies as the top goaltender and the Olympic Gold for Team USA in the 2026 games.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
It’s about time. The bum American goes where he belongs.
Good job Chevy.
No one wants to play in the worst crime ridden city in canada,Jacob truba,Tyler Myers,big buff,ehlers,laine.hellebuck,and it will be a never ending story.wpg has turned into a real dump
When are they going to fire cheveldayoff?