Connor Hellebuyck is headed to the New Jersey Devils, who acquired the three-time Vezina Trophy winner from the Winnipeg Jets on Friday for four players and two draft picks.
The trade ends an offseason standoff that carried into the season, moving the 33-year-old goaltender on the day his suspension for missing training camp was scheduled to end.
Winnipeg receives Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad and the rights to Alexander Command, plus draft selections in 2027 and 2029, according to the Jets’ official announcement.
The draft compensation consists of New Jersey’s second-round pick in 2029 and seventh-rounder in 2027. Command, the 12th overall selection in June’s draft, provides another significant future asset.
For New Jersey, the deal changes the team’s goaltending structure immediately. Hellebuyck joins a roster that had been relying on Jake Allen and Daws before completing Friday’s transaction.
Hellebuyck had publicly confirmed his trade request in August after asking to leave privately months earlier, Yahoo Sports reported. A deal did not materialize before training camp opened.
Winnipeg suspended him September 16 after he failed to report. The move to New Jersey resolves that impasse without requiring him to return to the Jets’ lineup.
Hellebuyck is in year three of his seven-year contract, Field Level Media reported. New Jersey inherits five seasons at an annual cap hit of $8.5 million.
The agreement runs through the 2030-31 season and includes a full no-movement clause. Hellebuyck therefore had control over his destination as Winnipeg worked to find a trade partner.
His résumé gives the Devils a markedly different option in net. Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy in 2020, 2024 and 2025, establishing himself among the league’s leading goaltenders.
He also won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2025, when Winnipeg captured the Presidents’ Trophy. His 47 regular-season victories that year represented a career high.
Last season was difficult: Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and .895 save percentage. Winnipeg missed the playoffs, providing context for the uncertainty that followed.
The Devils are acquiring that uneven recent record alongside a much larger body of work. Hellebuyck recorded 345 wins during an NHL career spent entirely with Winnipeg before Friday.
The deal reunites Hellebuyck with Jack Hughes, his teammate on the United States’ Olympic gold-medal team. Hughes scored the overtime winner against Canada, the Associated Press reported.
Winnipeg’s return combines established NHL players with a prospect and future selections. Mercer, 24, has four assists in 10 games this season and 213 points across 420 career appearances.
Mercer has scored at least 20 goals in three seasons. His departure removes an established forward from New Jersey’s roster as the Devils invest heavily in their new goaltender.
Command, 18, has appeared for Orebro in Sweden’s top league and its junior team this season. Bjugstad, 34, is recovering from surgery, according to Winnipeg’s release confirming the acquisition.
Daws gives Winnipeg another goaltending option after the departure of its longtime starter. The Jets had already added Stuart Skinner in free agency and claimed Clay Stevenson on waivers.
Hellebuyck’s debut date was not immediately clear. He had been skating in Michigan during the standoff, and the Devils’ November 10 visit to Winnipeg now carries an additional storyline.
The trade closes Hellebuyck’s 11-season Winnipeg chapter while giving New Jersey a decorated goaltender under contract for years. His readiness and return to form become the next questions.
