The Connor Hellebuyck era is over in Winnipeg after the Jets traded the all-star goalie on Friday.
The 33-year-old from Michigan is headed to the New Jersey Devils.
It ends a long, sometimes fractious drama that began when Hellebuyck told the team during exit interviews at the end of last season that he wanted to be moved.
“It certainly hasn’t been fun, there’s no question about it. But at the end of day, Connor made his choice to do how he chose to do it, and as an organization, we had to act accordingly,” said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
Now that the trade is in the rear view, he will endeavour to forget that stretch and focus on the good time, he said.
“He was a big part of our family, and we accomplished some pretty good things. We obviously didn’t accomplish the end-all goal that we all wanted [winning the Stanley Cup], but those [other] memories are always going to stay,” Cheveldayoff told reporters Friday, shortly after the blockbuster trade sent the all-star to the Devils for six players.
“That’s what I talked to Connor about today when I called him and wished him all the best.”
Coming to Winnipeg in exchange for Hellebuyck are forwards Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command and Nick Bjugstad and goaltender Nico Daws. The Jets also get New Jersey’s second-round pick in the 2029 NHL draft and seventh-round pick in the 2027 draft. (Winnipeg Jets)
In return for Hellebuyck, the Jets have acquired forwards Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command and Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, and New Jersey’s second-round pick in the 2029 NHL draft and seventh-round pick in the 2027 draft.
Hellebuyck will return to Winnipeg with his new team on Nov. 10, when the Jets will host the Devils at Canada Life Centre.
Cheveldayoff expects it to be an emotional night for fans.
“But we all should appreciate what he has accomplished. We drafted Connor Hellebuyck [and] we took a chance on a young, gangly guy … but he’s earned his way.”
A jet has been sent for the new players and Cheveldayoff expects them to arrive Friday night. Whether any will be in the lineup for Sunday’s Heritage Classic outdoor game remains to be determined.
WATCH | Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff talks to reporters about Connor Hellebuyck’s departure:
Jets general manager speaks about Hellebuyck
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff speaks about blockbuster trade of goalie Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey for 6 players
Mercer, 24, was New Jersey’s first-round pick (18th overall) in the 2020 draft, while Daws, 25, was New Jersey’s third-round pick (84th overall) in the 2020 draft. They were teammates on Canada’s 2020 gold-medal-winning junior team.
Command, 18, was New Jersey’s first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2026 draft and is currently playing in the Swedish league.
Bjugstad, 34, was the Florida Panthers’ first-round pick (19th overall) in the 2010 draft. He’s currently on the long-term injured reserve, recovering from a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery.
Cheveldayoff said he’s “very comfortable” with his end of the deal, particularly snagging Command, who was a player the Jets considered choosing in the 2026 draft had Viggo Björck not been available.
Mercer, who has averaged 20-plus goals a year, has a style that will fit in nicely with the Jets and he “has lots of runway in front of him” at just 24, Cheveldayoff said.
“We addressed some needs that we had in our forward group here right now. We added depth to the organization and we added assets that I can use now either for drafting or at the trade deadline,” he said.
“And at the end of the day, that’s the goal I set out to try to accomplish. I certainly wished we could have done it five or four months ago, whatever … but here we are.”
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff says he ‘can now have some sleep’ after the six-month saga of Connor Hellebuyck’s future has been resolved. (Justin Fraser/CBC)
While he took care of one goalie issue, he has another. There are three “quality” netminders on the roster, and that will need to be evaluated, Cheveldayoff said.
“It’s still pretty fresh as far as, you know, the deal coming together. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll carry three for right now.”
Hellebuyck lands in New Jersey with an impressive resume as a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, 2025 Hart Trophy winner, five-time all-star and a gold medal after backstopping the U.S. men’s hockey team to an Olympic championship in February.
He still had five years left on a seven-year contract when he requested his trade and there was speculation it was because he and his family were targets of online harassment after the Olympics.
Not only did he beat Canada, he and several teammates visited the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump gave Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom while anti-American sentiment was soaring in Canada due to tariffs and references to making Canada the 51st state.
Cheveldayoff told reporters in September the harassment had escalated to the point where team security and local police were involved, with increased monitoring around Hellebuyck’s Winnipeg residence.
Others speculated Hellebuyck’s trade demands were prompted by the Jets’ poor performance last season.
When the Jets re-signed him in 2023, it was seen as a commitment to build a squad that would consistently compete for the Stanley Cup.
Then the Jets missed the playoffs in 2025-26 for the first time in four seasons, after winning the President’s Trophy for the league’s best regular-season record in 2024-25.
Hellebuyck voiced strong frustration.
“What we did was unacceptable, and no one wants to be a part of that,” he said.
Cheveldayoff said last month that the team was respecting Hellebuyck’s request to keep the trade request quiet and was caught off guard when Hellebuyck went public on Aug. 27.
When he was a no-show for training camp in September, the Jets suspended him.
Hellebuyck notified the team on Oct. 2 that he planned to end his absence, but the Jets chose to enforce the full three-week suspension rather than immediately reintegrate him.
That suspension was set to expire on Friday.
Cheveldayoff said last month that he was in no rush to make a trade, choosing instead to wait for the right offer.
He told reporters he didn’t want “future assets” that may or may not work out. He wanted players who could offer immediate production to support those who had committed to the team.
He reiterated that on Friday, saying, “We weren’t going to take a [draft] pick and a prospect.”
People might think putting a goalie of Hellebuyck’s calibre on the market would create a flood of offers, but it’s not such an easy task, said Cheveldayoff, who talked to a lot of teams, and many who had a locked-in No. 1 goaltender offered nothing but sympathy.
“They said, ‘Hang in there. I feel for you, buddy.’ That’s the sentiment I got from a lot of my counterparts who were sleeping easy at night, as opposed to wasting away a summer,” Cheveldayoff said.
He said he told Hellebuyck’s agent many times, “I can’t force other teams to make offers or decide when they’re going to make offers.
“Fortunately, I can now have some sleep.”