A long standoff ends in Newark
Connor Hellebuyck has a new team at last. The Winnipeg Jets granted the three-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender's trade request on Friday, sending him to the New Jersey Devils and closing a saga that had dragged on since the summer. Winnipeg receives center Dawson Mercer, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, forward Nick Bjugstad, a second-round pick in 2029 and a seventh-round selection in 2027.[S1][S2]
The path to the deal was turbulent. Hellebuyck went public with his request to leave in September, and the Jets suspended him for failing to report to training camp, a disciplinary measure that carried into the season and left him unpaid. According to one report, the suspension cost him close to $39,000 a day, more than $920,000 in total. The league and the NHL Players' Association became involved in determining how long the ban could run.[S1][S2]
Winnipeg had already tried to move him in June and was criticized for not completing a deal then, when clubs had more room to maneuver under the salary cap. Buffalo was among the teams that showed interest and was preparing a package that would have involved swapping first-round picks, with the Sabres holding the fourth selection and the Jets the eighth. Finding a partner later in the calendar proved harder, given Hellebuyck's age, his contract and a playoff record that has not matched his regular-season success.[S1]
What New Jersey is getting
Hellebuyck, 33, spent his entire 11-year career in Winnipeg. He has five seasons remaining on a seven-year contract that carries an annual cap charge of $8.5 million. His regular-season résumé is formidable: a 345-208-55 record, 27th on the NHL's all-time wins list and fifth among American-born goaltenders, with a .916 save percentage and a 2.58 goals-against average among US-born netminders who have made at least 300 starts.[S1][S2]
He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2023-24 after a career-best 47 wins and a Presidents' Trophy with Winnipeg, and he has taken the Vezina three times, in 2019-20, 2023-24 and 2024-25. In February he backstopped the United States to Olympic gold at the Milan-Cortina Games, the country's first hockey gold in 46 years, and earned tournament honors for the best goals-against average at 1.18 and the best save percentage at .956, along with Best Goaltender and a place on the Olympic All-Star Team.[S1][S2]
The postseason has been a different story. After going 9-8 while leading Winnipeg to the Western Conference finals in his playoff debut in 2018, Hellebuyck has posted a 15-26 record since, with the Jets reaching the second round only twice in their next six appearances. In four first-round exits he went a combined 5-15. Last season followed the same pattern: 47 wins and the Hart Trophy, then a 6-7 playoff mark as Dallas eliminated Winnipeg in the second round.[S1]
A crowded Metropolitan Division gets stronger
New Jersey sits at 6-4-0 and has won two straight, over Colorado and Anaheim. Jake Allen, 36, has handled most of the goaltending and performed above expectations, but Hellebuyck represents a significant upgrade, with Allen moving to a backup role. General manager Sunny Mehta had faced criticism in the offseason for not pursuing big names aggressively enough, including Minnesota defenseman Quinn Hughes; his patience has now delivered an elite goaltender to the Tri-State area.[S2]
When camp opened, Mehta said he felt very comfortable with his goaltending. Since then, Daws and Allen have combined for an .880 save percentage, 23rd among the league's 32 teams. The Metropolitan Division, already regarded as the NHL's deepest, becomes tougher still with Hellebuyck in it. Washington, at 5-4-0, sits just behind New Jersey in the standings but has won the teams' head-to-head meeting. Nearby rivals already feature Ilya Sorokin and the currently injured Igor Shesterkin.[S1][S2]
Winnipeg had prepared for this outcome over the summer, signing Stuart Skinner in free agency and claiming Clay Stevenson off waivers before the season. The pair's combined .907 save percentage ranks seventh in the NHL. Hellebuyck had been skating in his home state of Michigan while talks continued, and it was not immediately clear how soon he would be ready to play. He becomes the latest prominent American to leave Canada, following Brady Tkachuk's move from Ottawa to Florida in June and Quinn Hughes's trade from Vancouver to Minnesota last December.[S1]
