The New Jersey Devils have a new goaltender, and he comes with a Hart Trophy and three Vezinas on his résumé. New Jersey acquired Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, sending forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, a 2027 seventh-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick back to Winnipeg in return.
The trade, confirmed by Reuters, closes out an increasingly messy chapter in Winnipeg that began when Hellebuyck requested a trade out of town. Command, the centerpiece prospect heading back to Winnipeg, was New Jersey's own first-round selection, taken 12th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, according to NHL.com. Hellebuyck will now join the Devils in New Jersey.
A Trade Request Months in the Making
Hellebuyck privately asked Winnipeg to move him months before Friday's deal, saying in a statement dated Aug. 27 that he believed moving on was the best path forward for him and his family. The goaltender, who grew up in Michigan, then failed to report to the Jets' training camp, and the team responded by suspending him on Sept. 16. Per the same NHL.com report, that suspension was scheduled to come to an end on the very day the trade was finalized, bringing his 11-season run with Winnipeg to a close.
Hellebuyck also holds a full no-movement clause, giving him control over any potential destination, according to the Reuters report. He's entering the third season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract that carries an $8.5 million average annual value, the NHL.com report notes.
From Hart Trophy Season to a Career-Worst Year
It's a steep contrast from where Hellebuyck stood just last season. In 2024-25, he went 47-12-3 with a league-best 2.00 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and eight shutouts en route to winning both the Hart and Vezina trophies, his third Vezina overall. He later helped Team USA capture gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, making 41 saves as the Americans beat Canada 2-1 in overtime in the final.
But 2025-26 told a different story. Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a career-worst .895 save percentage in 57 games, as TSN reported. Winnipeg finished that season 35-35-12 and missed the playoffs entirely, a sharp fall for a team that had won the Presidents' Trophy the year before, per the same TSN account. For his career, Hellebuyck carries a 345-208-55 record, a 2.58 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage across 625 games.
Fixing a Longstanding Hole in Net
The move addresses a problem New Jersey has been staring at since opening night. The Devils began the season with a goaltending tandem of Daws and Jake Allen, and that pairing struggled badly: the Guardian reported Daws and Allen combined for an .880 save percentage, ranking 23rd among 32 teams, while NHL.com put the Devils at .876 in team save percentage, tied for 23rd. Either way, the numbers made clear New Jersey needed an upgrade between the pipes.
As TSN has noted, the Devils have made the playoffs just three times and advanced past the first round only once since their last trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. Landing a goaltender of Hellebuyck's pedigree is a direct swing at that drought, even though his playoff track record itself has lagged behind his regular-season dominance. The Guardian reported that after going 9-8 in his 2018 playoff debut, Hellebuyck has gone 15-26 in the postseason since.
Winnipeg Moves On Without Its Star
Winnipeg, meanwhile, has already shown it can get by without him. The Jets started the season 4-3-3 during Hellebuyck's trade-related absence, according to NHL.com, with replacement goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson posting a combined save percentage ranked seventh-best in the league. That performance likely gave Winnipeg's front office the confidence to finally pull the trigger on a deal that had been building since late summer.
For New Jersey, the bet is straightforward: a proven, if recently inconsistent, Vezina-caliber goaltender gives a roster that has flirted with contention for years a real chance to finally get past the first round. Whether Hellebuyck can recapture his 2024-25 form in a new sweater remains the open question hanging over the Devils' season.
