Sports
Winnipeg Jets Trade Star Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey Devils
The blockbuster agreement ends a bitter months-long standoff between the franchise and its disgruntled former most valuable player.
By Headlinne · Compiled from reporting by Sportsnet.ca, Globe and Mail, Daily Faceoff and 1 other
The Winnipeg Jets traded star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday in a blockbuster deal that ends a months-long contract standoff and brings immediate roster help back to Manitoba.
Winnipeg received a package featuring 24-year-old forward Dawson Mercer, veteran Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws and 2026 first-round draft pick Alexander Command, according to Sportsnet.ca and The Globe and Mail.
The return also included a second-round pick in 2029 and a seventh-round selection in 2027.
Hellebuyck is in the third season of a seven-year contract extension signed in 2023 that carries an 8.5 million dollar annual cap hit.
The trade concludes a turbulent period for the franchise after Hellebuyck demanded a trade in late August and subsequently failed to report to training camp.
The refusal to report triggered a team suspension that lasted until the trade was finalized.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff addressed reporters at the Canada Life Centre after brokering the transaction.
"We drafted Connor Hellebuyck," said Kevin Cheveldayoff, the Jets general manager. "We took a chance on some gangly guy out of Odessa."
Cheveldayoff defended the organization against criticism regarding the trade return and dismissed outside narratives about the club's leverage.
"It certainly hasn't been fun. There's no question about it," Cheveldayoff said.
The veteran goaltender won three Vezina Trophies and a Hart Trophy during his 11 seasons in Winnipeg, establishing himself as a franchise cornerstone.
New Jersey general manager Sonny Mehta pursued the deal to solidify the team's goaltending position for the remainder of the season.
"You want to bet on a person that has a large sample size of excellent results, who's on a good cap hit," said Sonny Mehta, the Devils general manager.
Hellebuyck spoke to media members in Newark after waiving his no-trade clause to join his new club.
"Sitting at home for so long was getting to me," said Connor Hellebuyck, the goaltender. "I'm just really excited to play hockey again and join a really skilled group."
Hellebuyck deferred comments regarding Winnipeg fans until a later date out of respect for the upcoming Heritage Classic.
The goaltender is scheduled to return to Winnipeg on November 10 when the Devils visit the Jets.
Reporting from
- Sportsnet.caNot politically framed
End of Hellebuyck era brings relief for Jets, Cheveldayoff
- The Globe and Mail
No longer resolute, Jets got burned by trading Hellebuyck to New Jersey
- Daily FaceoffNot politically framed
Grading the Hellebuyck trade: Devils (finally) get their goalie as Jets head for uncertain future
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘I hope they know I care about them,’ Connor Hellebuyck says to Jets fans after trade
How this article was made: Headlinne wrote it with AI from the 4 reports listed above. Direct quotes are checked word for word against those reports, every number appears in at least one of them, and no other sentence is copied from one. Photos are from those reports and credited to them. Each report’s page on Headlinne links to the outlet’s original.