Connor Hellebuyck Gets His Wish as Jets Send Star Goalie to Devils

The Winnipeg Jets have finally ended the most public, awkward standoff in hockey, shipping Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils.

Hellebuyck refusing to show up to training camp and getting suspended was the NHL equivalent of leaving your read receipts on and ignoring your boss's texts. Now, he gets exactly what he wanted.

"Kevin Weekes reported the trade details on X, noting the return includes Daws, Mercer, picks, and another forward."

According to Kevin Weekes, Winnipeg is sending their franchise goalie to New Jersey for Nico Daws, Dawson Mercer, two future picks, and a mystery forward to be named later.

This was always ending in a trade. Hellebuyck’s agent essentially posted a public breakup letter back in August, and the Jets suspended the goalie indefinitely in September when he flat-out ghosted training camp. Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had all the negotiating leverage of a guy selling a car with no engine.

For the Devils, this is a terrifying upgrade. New Jersey is already stacking wins, recently handling the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks. Now they get to drop an elite netminder behind a core of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt.

If you are holding New Jersey Stanley Cup futures tickets, your weekend just started early. Adding a goalie of this caliber instantly warps the championship math in the Eastern Conference.

The only real red flag for the Devils is the medical chart. Hellebuyck missed a dozen games last season after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in November 2025. If the knee holds up, New Jersey just bought a parade.

The Devils host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. Hellebuyck probably will not be in the crease just yet, but the energy in Newark is going to be completely unhinged. Meanwhile, the Jets have to figure out how to sell a roster reset to a fanbase that just watched their best player successfully force his way out of town.