Connor Hellebuyck Has Finally Been Traded!

After months of intense drama and bad blood it is finally over, the Winnipeg Jets have now officially traded away once beloved goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

On Friday, the Jets traded Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils in a monster trade, one that will no doubt go down as one of the biggest trades we will see during the course of the 2026-27 National Hockey League season.

Here is the full breakdown:

Winnipeg Jets Receive:

Prospect Alexander Command (12th overall 2026 NHL Entry Draft)
Forward Dawson Mercer (18th overall 2020 NHL Entry Draft)
Goaltender Nico Daws (84th overall 2020 NHL Entry Draft)
Forward Nick Bjugstad (19th overall 2010 NHL Entry Draft)
Second Round Pick (2029 NHL Entry Draft)
Seventh Round Pick (2027 NHL Entry Draft)

The Jets are obviously the lynch pins of this trade deal, with the most important player in the trade coming from the Jets, and as a result they get the biggest return as well.

New Jersey Devils Receive:

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (130th overall 2015 NHL Entry Draft)

The Devils get the best player in the deal, they'll be happy with that return without a doubt.

The move comes after Hellebuyck effectively forced the Jets into making a trade after he privately requested a trade before going public with that request over the summer. Hellebuyck did so despite only entering the 3rd year of a 7 year contract he signed with the Jets, a fact that I believe has fueled much of the fierce animosity we have seen directed at Hellebuyck from Jets fans and even hinted at by some of the Jets' players with their recent comments on the topic.

What makes this so interesting is that Hellebuyck is coming off of what was his worst statistical season in the NHL last year. The veteran goaltender recorded a 2.86 goals against average and a .895 save percentage over 57 games and the Jets failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That being said Hellebuyck did have a standout performance for Team USA who went on to win the Gold Medal during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, so it was a mixed bag for Hellebuyck last season.

His reputation for struggling in the biggest games of the season each year, the Stanley Cup playoffs, will also no doubt be called into question if those same struggles appear again on a brand new team.