Jets trade disgruntled star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey

WINNIPEG — Winnipeg has traded star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils, ending a standoff that has overshadowed the start of the Jets’ season.

The team announced Friday that it will receive forwards Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command and Nick Bjugstad, as well as goaltender Nico Daws, a 2027 seventh-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick, in exchange for the disgruntled netminder, once considered the face of the franchise.

The move comes after Hellebuyck made a public request for a trade, and then was suspended by the Jets for not showing up to training camp. The suspension was set to end on Friday.

Hellebuyck is under contract through 2031 at a salary cap hit of US$8.5 million after he signed an seven-year, $59.5 million extension with Winnipeg in October 2023.

A three-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top netminder, Hellebuyck will get a fresh start following a difficult, playoff-less campaign in the Manitoba capital after the club won the Presidents’ Trophy for registering the league’s best record in 2024-25.

The 33-year-old went 23-23-11 last season, including four shutouts, with an .895 save percentage and a 2.86 goals-against average, but also backstopped the United States to a gold-medal victory over Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Hellebuyck, who won the Hart Trophy as league MVP two seasons ago, owns a career record of 354-208-55 across 625 regular-season games with a .916 save percentage, 2.58 GAA and 45 shutouts.

The 130th pick at the 2012 NHL draft from Commerce, Mich., is 24-34 in the playoffs with a .903 save percentage, 2.90 GAA and five shutouts.

Since entering the league in 2015-16, Hellebuyck has faced 1,438 more shots than the next closest goaltender.

His best statistical season came back in that banner 2024-25 season when he went 47-12-3 with a .925 save percentage, a 2.00 GAA and an NHL-best eight shutouts.

The Jets are 4-3-3 without Hellebuyck so far this season after dropping their fourth game in a row Thursday night in a 3-2 overtime defeat at Dallas. All four losses have been by one goal.

Former Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner has carried the bulk of the load in goal for the Jets this season. He has a 3-1-3 record with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Backup Clay Stevenson has posted a 1-2-0 record with a 3.08 GAA and .893 save percentage.

Mercer has four assists in 10 games this season. The 24-year-old from Carbonear, N.L., was selected 18th overall by New Jersey at the 2020 NHL draft and recorded 213 points (103 goals, 110 assists) in 420 regular-season games.

He helped Canada win gold at the 2020 world junior championship and silver at the 2021 world juniors and 2022 world championship.

Command, 18, was New Jersey’s first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2026 draft, and he has played six games for Orebro HK in the Swedish League this season.

The Stockholm native won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2026 world U-18 championship, where he had three goals and four assists in seven games.

Daws, 25, has played four games for the Devils this season and posted a 2-2-0 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and .874 save percentage.

The native of Munich, Germany, was New Jersey’s third-round pick (84th overall) in 2020 and has a 26-26-1 record with a shutout in 59 career NHL games.

Daws represents Canada internationally and was a teammate of Mercer’s on the 2020 world junior team.

Bjugstad, 34, is currently recovering from pectoral surgery in September, with a recovery time of four to six months. The well-travelled veteran from Blaine, Minn., has 339 points (163 goals, 176 assists) and 377 penalty minutes over 821 career games with Florida, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Arizona, Edmonton, Utah, St. Louis and New Jersey.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2036.

The Canadian Press