Jets won Connor Hellebuyck trade with Devils

Jets Got a Sweet Package For a Disgruntled Player

In exchange for Hellebuyck, who has five years left (including this one) at an $8.5 million cap hit, the Devils traded the following package to the Jets:

• F Dawson Mercer
• F Nick Bjugstad
• F Alexander Command
• G Nico Daws
• 2029 2nd-round pick
• 2027 7th-round pick

None of these players are likely ever to be as successful in the NHL as Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s best goalie and a former Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the league’s MVP.

But I do think this is a trade where the Jets got five quarters in exchange for a dollar, and ultimately, I think they are going to win the deal.

Mercer, who is just 24 years old, is a very underrated player who has averaged over 20 goals per season during the first five seasons of his NHL career.

I expect him to do even better in Winnipeg and potentially hit the 30-goal mark with the Jets.

The 34-year-old Bjugstad, a veteran player, is only in the deal to make the cap work, but the Jets may be able to flip him close to the trade deadline for a draft pick, or they can keep him as forward depth for a playoff run.

Daws, 25, is a German goalie prospect who didn’t pan out for New Jersey, but he’ll be given every opportunity to win the backup goaltending job in Winnipeg.

The team also got two picks, a second- and a seventh-round pick, which can be used to draft players or as assets in a subsequent trade.

But the crown jewel of the trade is surely Command, an 18-year-old Swedish prospect who was taken 12th overall in June’s draft.

I think Command is going to have a really good NHL career, and I love that the Jets got him in the deal, as I think he’s going to be the best player of the bunch that Winnipeg got.

Overall, I really like this trade for Winnipeg, and I think as the years go on, we are going to see that they won the trade and that Cheveldayoff did a fantastic job waiting for a good offer from the Devils instead of being rushed to make a trade in the summer when Hellebuyck asked out.

Hellebuyck Upgrades Devils Goaltending

For the Devils, it’s clear why GM Sunny Mehta made this deal.

Mehta, who is in his first year as the Devils’ front-office leader, wanted to make a big splash with New Jersey, and so he went out there and acquired an elite goaltender in Hellebuyck, who has proven he is one of the best goalies in the world during his 11 years in the NHL.

Hellebuyck is one of the best goalies in the league, and he will upgrade the Devils’ net, which was very average before this trade, with Daws and Jake Allen running it.

But I do have my concerns.

For one, Hellebuyck is already 33 and still has five more years left on his deal, so he’ll be 38 when the deal is over, meaning the Devils will be paying him $8.5 million for quite some time.

For an NHL goalie, that’s a lot of money — he’s the third-highest paid goalie in the league right now at a position where teams typically try to save money.

He was also terrible last season for Winnipeg, though I won’t blame him completely for that, as the team in front of him was bad, too.

Two, Hellebuyck hasn’t played yet this season, and he missed training camp, so I am significantly concerned about rust this year, as I don’t think he’ll be ready for game action for another couple of weeks.

And third, I’m worried that the Devils traded too much away for a goalie, a position that generally doesn’t return much in trade value in the NHL.

I get why the Devils did this trade, because they needed an upgrade in net, and they got one.

But at the same time, given how much they gave up for Hellebuyck, and the concerns I have about him this year and going forward, I don’t think this trade is as much of a slam-dunk winner for the Devils as some think, and overall, I think the Jets were actually the ones who won this trade.