Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck traded from Winnipeg to New Jersey — The Guardian

Three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck has been traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the New Jersey Devils. The Guardian reports that the New Jersey club gave up center Dawson Mercer, goaltender Nico Daws, young player Alexander Komanda, forward Nick Bjugstad, a second-round pick in the 2029 draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 draft for the goaltender.

End of the standoff

The trade ended months of speculation about the future of the 33-year-old hockey player. In June, the Jets were unable to trade him to another club. Later, the team suspended Hellebuyck after he failed to report to training camp; the NHL and the Players' Association became involved in resolving the situation.

Hellebuyck spent all 11 years of his career with the Winnipeg Jets. He was the NHL's most valuable player in the 2024–25 season and helped the United States national team win Olympic gold at the Milan–Cortina Games in February.

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Situation in New Jersey

With the Devils, Hellebuyck will play alongside Jack Hughes, who scored the overtime goal in the Olympic final against Canada. At the start of training camp, New Jersey's new general manager Sunny Mehta said he was satisfied with the goaltending situation. At the same time, Jake Allen and Nico Daws combined for an 88% save percentage, which ranked 23rd among the league's 32 teams.

It is currently unknown when Hellebuyck will be able to make his debut for his new club. During the negotiations, he trained in his home state of Michigan. The goaltender has five seasons remaining on a seven-year contract with an average annual salary-cap hit of $8.5 million.