The trade comes on the day Hellebuyck’s suspension, which began Sept. 16, was scheduled to come to an end and the goalie was expected to report to the team.
That will now not happen with Hellebuyck on his way to New Jersey.
Hellebuyck became the eighth goalie to win the Hart Trophy along with the Vezina, when Winnipeg won the Presidents' Trophy as the League's top regular-season team in 2024-25. He went 47-12-3 with a 2.00 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and eight shutouts in 63 games (62 starts), leading the League in wins, GAA and shutouts. Then last season he helped Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, going 5-0 with a 1.18 GAA and .956 save percentage in five games (five starts).
But the Jets missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, finishing seventh in the Central Division and eight points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card in the Western Conference. Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage in 57 games (57 starts). The save percentage was the lowest of his 11 NHL seasons, and he had no shutouts for the first time.
Entering the third season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) that he signed with Winnipeg on Oct. 9, 2023, the 33-year-old revealed before the start of training camp that he had asked for a trade during the offseason.
"I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options," Hellebuyck said Aug. 27 in a statement released by agent Ray Petkau. "With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request. My position has not changed. I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family."
Winnipeg is off to a 4-3-3 start without Hellebuyck. Stuart Skinner, who signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract ($3.75 million average annual value) on July 1, is 3-1-3 with a 2.67 GAA and .912 save percentage in seven games (seven starts). Clay Stevenson, who was claimed on waivers from the Washington Capitals on Sept. 28, is 1-2-0 with a 3.08 GAA and .893 save percentage in three games (three starts).
Then Jets next play outdoors in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic against the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX).
"We focus on the group we have here," Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry said Oct. 17. "Guys are excited to be here. Guys are excited to play for the Jets. We come with a mindset that we want to get better every day. We want to win a Stanley Cup here. We want to improve. So we don’t really focus on the stuff that’s out of our control.
"Obviously, it's a big piece in our lineup missing, whether it's assets or whether it's the player himself. But this is what we have. This is what we have to make do (with). You have to put your best foot forward regardless of the situation you're thrown in. I think we've done a really good job with that."
Coach Scott Arniel said Oct. 17 that he would face Hellebuyck's return when it happened.
"At the end of the day for me, I've got 23 guys and all they care about is winning hockey games," he said. "My preparation, my thoughts, are on that. I'm not worried about who is here and who is not here."
Hellebuyck is the all-time leader for the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise in games played (625), games started (615), wins (345) and shutouts (45). His .916 save percentage and 2.58 GAA are the best among goalies to play at least 80 games for the franchise.
The Heritage Classic will be the second NHL outdoor game in Winnipeg. Hellebuyck made 29 saves for the Jets in a 3-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the same event in the same venue, then known as Investors Group Field, on Oct. 23, 2016.
It's unclear when Hellebuyck will make his debut for the Devils. New Jersey will play in Winnipeg on Nov. 10.
The Devils (6-4-0) had been using a tandem of Jake Allen, who is 4-2-0 with a 3.15 goals-against average and .883 save percentage, and Daws, who is 2-2-0 with a 2.78 GAA and .872 save percentage in four games (four starts).
The Devils selected the 25-year-old in the third round (No. 84) of the 2020 NHL Draft, and he is 26-26-1 with a 2.94 GAA, .897 save percentage and one shutout in 59 games (54 starts) in five seasons.
Mercer has four assists in 10 games. The 24-year-old center has scored at least 20 goals three times in his first five NHL seasons, including last season, when had 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) in 82 games. He has not missed a game in his six NHL seasons, and has 213 points (103 goals, 110 assists) in 420 games. The Devils selected Mercer in the first round (No. 18) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Bjugstad has not played this season because of an upper-body injury. The 34-year-old had nine points (six goals, three assists) in 61 games last season with the St. Louis Blues and Devils, who acquired him in a trade Feb. 4. In 14 NHL seasons with the Devils, Blues, Utah Mammoth, Arizona Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers, he has 339 points (163 goals, 176 assists) in 821 games.
Command, selected by the Devils with the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in six games with Orebro's team in Sweden's junior league, and does not have a point in six games with Orebro's team in the Swedish Hockey League.
