New Jersey sends Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command, Nico Daws and two draft picks to Winnipeg to end the goaltender's long trade saga.
Connor Hellebuyck is a Devil now. The three-time Vezina winner, who asked out of Winnipeg in the offseason, finally got his wish Friday when the Jets shipped him to New Jersey in a deal that cleaned out a chunk of the Devils' roster and prospect pool.
Winnipeg's return is substantial: center Dawson Mercer, forward Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Command, the No. 12 pick in the 2026 draft, is considered the centerpiece for the Jets, a big-upside center some see developing into a second-line player.
For New Jersey, it means pairing a goaltender who backstopped the United States to Olympic gold in February with Jack Hughes, another member of that gold medal team. The move is widely viewed as an immediate upgrade in net for a Devils team looking to become a legitimate contender, even with the risk that comes with surrendering that much talent for one player.
For the Jets, the drawn out standoff with their star goalie is finally over, closing a saga that had hung over the franchise for months.