Sports · Hellebuyck tradeHellebuyck Devils trade: Winnipeg gets six assets for its longtime goalieAired October 25, 2026 at 12:54 AM UTCWritten October 25, 2026 at 1:04 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07The Devils acquired Connor Hellebike for six assets.0:10Winnipeg parts with its long-time cornerstone and goal, ending a months-long0:14standoff.0:15New Jersey gives up NHL players a prospect's rights and future picks.0:19What does each club now have to build with?0:21The Jets traded the 33-year-old goaltender on October 23rd, 2026.0:25Dawson Mercer and Alexander Command were the headline pieces, but Winnipeg's return0:29reaches well beyond those two names.0:31Both clubs announced the same package, giving the Jets players for the present and0:35assets reaching into future drafts.0:36Winnipeg gets Dawson Mercer, Nick Bujstad, and Nico Dawes, plus Alexander Command's0:42draft rights.0:43It also gets New Jersey's own second-round pick in 2029 and seventh-round pick in0:482027.0:49New Jersey gets Hellebike.0:50Mercer supplies an NHL forward who can play center.0:53Bukstad adds another forward, while Dawes brings a goaltender into an organization0:58losing its long-standing presence in net.1:00Winnipeg now controls a broader collection of players and picks.1:03How much that collection delivers depends on how the Jets develop and use it.1:07New Jersey selected Alexander Command 12th overall in the 2026 draft.1:12He's an unsigned Swedish center whose development had been expected to continue in1:16Sweden.1:17Winnipeg acquired the right to sign him, with his contribution still dependent on1:20that development.1:21Winnipeg says the deal addresses needs among its forwards and adds organizational1:25depth.1:26The Jets also see assets they could use in the draft or at the trade deadline that1:30gives them several ways to reshape the roster after a dispute that had stretched1:34from the offseason into the regular season.1:36Hellebike's trade request was public by August 27th after he'd asked privately1:41several months earlier.1:42He then didn't report to training camp, and Winnipeg suspended him in September.1:47That suspension was set to end on the day the clubs completed the trade.1:51A Jets representative denied that a recent four-game losing streak drove the timing.1:56Winnipeg stood at four wins, three regulation losses and three overtime or shootout2:00losses when the deal happened.2:02The club's explanation centered on roster needs and assets it could use now or2:06later.2:06Winnipeg had committed $59.5 million to Hellebike over seven years, averaging $8.52:12million a season.2:13The extension began in 2024-25 and runs through 2030-31.2:18He leaves just over three years after the Jets announced that commitment.2:22Hellebike built that career over many years.2:24Back in 2011-12, he won both goaltender of the year and rookie of the year in the2:29North American Hockey League.2:30By his first season as a full-time NHL starter, he was already giving one of2:34Winnipeg's divisional rivals repeated trouble.2:37Hellebike leaves the Central Division for New Jersey, which plays in Newark.2:41Chicago loses a familiar divisional obstacle.2:44His move changes that competitive setting, although the Blackhawks can still face2:48him when they play the Devils.2:49In 2016-17, Hellebike beat Chicago in four consecutive meetings between November and2:55January.2:55The Blackhawks finally beat him in February.2:58Those four defeats accounted for four of Chicago's 23 regulation losses that season.3:02and the matchup continued to favor him over the years that followed.3:05Across 32 career matchups with Chicago, Hellebike reportedly posted a 23 date one3:11record, a 0.921 safe percentage, and a 2.25 goals against average.3:17That's a long history of difficult nights for the Blackhawks, whose own roster still3:21determines their progress.3:22New Jersey now has the established goaltender.3:25It paid that package to acquire.3:27Winnipeg has NHL players, a prospect signing rights, and two future selections to3:31work with.3:32The standoff is over.3:33The lasting return depends on Hellebike's performance for the Devils and what the3:37Jets turn those six assets into.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗
