Devils Land Three-Time Vezina Winner Connor Hellebuyck in Blockbuster Trade With Jets

The Connor Hellebuyck saga is over. The Winnipeg Jets traded the three-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender to the New Jersey Devils on Friday, ending months of speculation and a tense standoff that required the involvement of the league and the Players' Association.

New Jersey sent center Dawson Mercer, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, veteran forward Nick Bjugstad, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Winnipeg for Hellebuyck, with insiders Darren Dreger and Elliotte Friedman confirming the deal as the trade call completed Friday afternoon.

The 33-year-old leaves Winnipeg after spending his entire 11-year career there, just weeks after backstopping the United States to Olympic gold at the Milan-Cortina Games in February. Hellebuyck was the NHL's 2024-25 MVP and had made a trade request public before camp, only for the Jets to suspend him without pay when he failed to report. That suspension lifted Friday, forfeiting a reported $927,835.05 in salary over 24 days.

Hellebuyck now joins a Devils team crying out for stability in net: Jake Allen and Daws combined for an .880 save percentage this season, ranking 23rd among 32 teams. He has five seasons remaining on a seven-year contract carrying an $8.5 million cap hit and has been skating in his home state of Michigan while talks unfolded. It was not immediately clear how soon he will debut for New Jersey, but the Devils instantly move closer to being a Stanley Cup contender.