The Connor Hellebuyck saga is at an end in Winnipeg.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports the Winnipeg Jets have traded the disgruntled netminder to the New Jersey Devils.

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports forward Dawson Mercer and goaltender Nico Daws are a part of the package going to Winnipeg.

Mercer is in his sixth NHL season and has four assists through 10 games after 20 goals and 42 points in 82 games last season. The 24-year-old was selected 18th overall in 2020 and has 103 goals and 110 assists in 420 career games. He is scheduled for restricted free agency in July and carries a cap hit of $4 million this season.

The Devils are set to be in Winnipeg on Nov. 10, which could mark Hellebuyck’s return, though it is unclear when he will be ready to make his first start since April.

Hellebuyck dealt as suspension ends

The trade ends months of speculation about the netminder’s future after he initially expressed frustrations with the team’s direction in April and formally requested a trade over the summer. That turned into an unpaid suspension when Hellebuyck did not report to training camp last month.

It also comes on the same day Hellebuyck’s suspension was set to end. It was revealed last week that the netminder informed the Jets he planned to report ahead of their opening game and was then given a three-week disciplinary suspension for skipping camp.

The development also arrives after it was speculated Thursday that things could go on hold until after the weekend to allow the Jets to keep their focus on Saturday’s Heritage Classic against the Montreal Canadiens.

Dreger had reported that the Jets kept their focus on trading Hellebuyck rather than have him return to the team. Hellebuyck forfeited just under $40,000 a day while he was suspended, surrendering just under $930,000 of his yearly $7.5 million salary this season.

The Jets have opened the season with a 5-4-1 record with Stuart Skinner going 3-1-3 as the team’s new starter after signing a two-year contract in the off-season. Skinner has a .912 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average while sitting ahead of September waiver-claim Clay Stevenson (1-2-0 this season) on the depth chart.

Devils get much-needed help in net

The Devils will be counting on Hellebuyck to steady their net with Jake Allen and Daws combining for an .880 save percentage through 10 games this season.

Allen is 4-2 with a .883 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average, while Daws is 2-2-0 with a .874 save percentage and a 2.78 GAA.

The 25-year-old Daws is signed through 2027-28 at an affordable $1.1 million cap hit. He was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft and has a 26-26-1 record over five seasons with the Devils.

Allen, 36, is signed through the 2029-30 season at a cap hit of $1.8 million as part of a five-year deal signed in July 2025.

Hellebuyck’s request granted at last

The 33-year-old Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 with the Jets last season with a 2.86 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage. Winnipeg took a step backward, going from Presidents’ Trophy winners the year before in 2024-25 to missing the playoffs.

He went public with his trade request in August in hopes of spurring a move. The Sabres and Jets discussed a Hellebuyck trade before the first round of the draft in June, but were unable to reach a deal and the off-season went quiet from there.

“Winnipeg has been my home for my entire NHL career, and I will always be grateful for my time there,” a statement released by his agent read. “I have never forgotten June 23, 2012. That’s the day Winnipeg took a chance on a goalie playing in Odessa, TX. I gave everything I had from that moment to prove that the Jets made the right decision.

“Several months ago, I privately requested a trade. I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options.

“With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request. My position has not changed, and I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.

“I appreciate everything Winnipeg Jets fans have meant to me throughout my career and hope a resolution can be reached soon.”

The 6-foot-4 netminder is in the third season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $8.5 million. He holds a full no-move clause as part of the contract through next July, when it will switch to a 10-team approved trade list.

Hellebuyck enjoyed some glory this past season as he backstopped the United States to their first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980, going 5-0 with a 1.18 GAA and .956 save percentage. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom following his 41-save performance in the gold-medal win overtime win against Canada.

“For me, it’s winning a Stanley Cup – that’s my goal, and that’s all I have left, and that’s what I want on my resumé,” Hellebuyck said after the season ended in April. “I don’t play this game for the money, I don’t play it for the fame. I do it for my own personal fun and, you know, part of that is winning a Cup. So for me, I’m just looking at how can I get that? How can I get there?”

Hellebuyck is just a year removed from being the runaway winner of the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy in 2024-25, putting up a 47-12-3 record with a 2.00 GAA and .925 save percentage.

Drafted 130th overall by the Jets in the 2012 draft, Hellebuyck has a career 345-208-55 record with a 2.58 GAA and .916 save percentage.