The Connor Hellebuyck saga came to a close Friday as the Winnipeg Jets dealt the best goalie in franchise history to the New Jersey Devils in a seven-piece trade.
The move ends a prolonged stalemate between the Jets and Hellebuyck. He was suspended for not reporting to training camp after demanding a trade, and he forfeited nearly $1 million in salary as his team-imposed ban lingered into the regular season.
There is plenty to unpack, and we've got it all covered with trade grades for both teams below.
Jets
While the return isn't perfect, Winnipeg made out well in a bad situation.
Mercer, soon to turn 25 years old, has been an established NHLer for six seasons. Despite his experience, it's hard to forecast his future with the Jets.
The Newfoundland native looked like he was blossoming into a potential first-liner when he notched 27 goals and 56 points at 21 years old in 2022-23. But Mercer has failed to reach those heights since, logging seasons of 33, 36, and 42 points. He's done so mainly as a winger, struggling to stick as a center.
Winnipeg will need Mercer to be a top-six mainstay, not just a good third-liner.
Last season, the Jets' top forward in goals after their potent first line was Alex Iafallo with 13. Mercer has reached the 20-goal mark three times in the past four seasons, and his one miss was a 19-goal campaign. He improves the team's depth scoring immediately.
Winnipeg could experiment with Mercer down the middle. Centers come at a premium, and the Jets have lacked depth behind top pivot Mark Scheifele for years. Despite Mercer's lackluster results at center in New Jersey, there's no harm in giving him another opportunity at the position.
Mercer is a restricted free agent at season's end and is eligible for unrestricted free agency beginning in 2028. It's imperative for Winnipeg to lock him up long term.
Command is the other key piece of this deal. The 12th overall pick in June's draft, Command is a sturdy, competitive center with an exciting shot. He has second-line potential, and the Jets likely need him to reach that potential in order to feel really good about this trade years down the road. Command could form a fun future duo with Winnipeg's eighth overall pick, fellow Swede Viggo Bjorck.
The Jets needed to get a goaltender back in a Hellebuyck deal, and Daws checks that box. He turns 26 in December and has yet to play a full season in the NHL. He appears to be a fine backup option and likely not much more.
Bjugstad is essentially a nonfactor. He's out for months after sustaining a torn pectoral muscle in September. He'd provide fine fourth-line depth if he comes back late in the year.
Obviously, it would've been ideal for the Jets to net a first-round pick. The 2029 second-rounder is an important asset, but the draft compensation here leaves something to be desired.
It's hard to be upset with this return. Although the lack of a true needle-mover hurts, Winnipeg gets immediate help in addition to long-term pieces.
Grade: B
Devils
Most of the Hellebuyck chatter focused on the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Utah Mammoth, and, most recently, the Los Angeles Kings. The Devils seemingly came out of left field, but Hellebuyck always made sense for New Jersey, even after new general manager Sunny Mehta said the randomness of goaltending made him reluctant to invest heavily in the position. It's safe to say he was bluffing all along.
New Jersey is off to a quality 6-4-0 start. The club owns the league's top five-on-five expected goals share at 63.74% and sits third in expected goals against. Arguably the only thing holding the Devils back from contender status in the Metropolitan Division was their 24th-ranked team save percentage. To patch that issue, they've added arguably the top goaltender of his generation, and they didn't give much up in the process.
The Devils still have two first-round picks in 2027, and Command is likely multiple years from being an impactful NHL contributor. Mercer was logging third-line minutes before the trade, and Daws is yet to prove he's a reliable option in goal. The quantity of assets New Jersey surrendered is eye-catching, but the quality of those assets isn't particularly impressive.
Hellebuyck's pedigree alone trumps the potential of Command and the rest of the futures sent to Winnipeg. The netminder is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and a former MVP who owns a lifetime .916 save percentage. He's coming off a down year, but he showed he's still elite at the Olympics, and it's fair to assume the first poor campaign of his 11-year NHL tenure was an anomaly. Whether Hellebuyck can catch up to game speed after missing training camp and the first month of the season is a legitimate concern, but even if things don't pan out right away, he's under contract for four more seasons at a palatable $8.5-million cap hit.
The long-term impact of adding Hellebuyck fans the flames of a potential Hughes brothers reunion in New Jersey, too. Jack and Quinn haven't hidden their desire to play together someday, and the latter's future with the Minnesota Wild remains unresolved. The Devils still have the premium assets required to orchestrate a trade for the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, and if he reaches free agency, it's pretty obvious New Jersey will be the betting favorite to sign him.
This trade makes the Devils better immediately while also setting them up to become a destination for players down the road. Acquiring Hellebuyck without subtracting a significant piece of the core is an impressive piece of business from Mehta as he puts his stamp on the organization.
Grade: A
