Jets GM Cheveldayoff 'comfortable' with Hellebuyck trade to Devils

WINNIPEG -- Kevin Cheveldayoff said he can get some sleep again after the Winnipeg Jets general manager completed a trade that sent star goalie Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. 

“I’m very comfortable (with) what we accomplished here over the period of time,” Cheveldayoff said. “I certainly wish we could have done it four months ago, or whatever, when the opportunity started and we were looking (for a trade), but here we are here today.”

Winnipeg acquired forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goalie Nico Daws, the rights to forward Alexander Command, a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. 

The trade ended the saga that started with Hellebuyck requesting a trade out of Winnipeg during the offseason. He was going into the third season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) he signed on Oct. 9, 2023. 

“We want to thank Connor Hellebuyck on behalf of the fans of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Jets,” Cheveldayoff said. “We had lots of good memories, and I choose to remember those as we continue to move forward. That’s what I talked to Connor about today when I called him and wished him all the best. So, thank you very much to him and all his family.”

The Jets suspended Hellebuyck on Sept. 16 for not reporting to training camp. The suspension was scheduled to end Friday.

The trade came with the Jets getting ready to play the Montreal Canadiens outdoors in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium here on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX).

Hellebuyck was selected by Winnipeg in the fifth round (No. 130) of the 2012 NHL Draft and has played all 11 of his NHL seasons for the Jets. The 33-year-old has won the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the League three times (2019-20, 2023-24, 2024-25), and the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP in 2024-25. He also won the gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

Hellebuyck is 345-208-55 with a 2.58 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and 45 shutouts in 625 regular-season games (615 starts). He is 24-34 with a 2.90 GAA, a .903 save percentage and five shutouts in 58 Stanley Cup Playoff games (all starts).

Winnipeg is 4-3-3 this season without Hellebuyck. 

The Jets added goalie Stuart Skinner by signing him to a two-year, $7.5 million contract ($3.75 million AAV) on July 1 and claimed Clay Stevenson off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Sept. 28. 

Skinner is 3-1-3 with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 save percentage in seven games (all starts) this season, and Stevenson is 1-2-0 with a 3.08 GAA and a .893 save percentage in three games (all starts).

Daws will give Winnipeg a third option in net. The 25-year-old was 2-2-0 with a 2.78 GAA and a .872 save percentage in four games (all starts) with New Jersey this season.

“Obviously this is a new development, and three quality goaltenders is something that we haven’t necessarily employed over the past,” Cheveldayoff said. “Obviously our goaltending situation has changed, 133 percent, or whatever you want to call it now from wherever it was before. 

“We’ll evaluate it here. It’s still pretty fresh as the deal came together like it did and some of the things that went into it, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Mercer and Daws are expected fly to Winnipeg on Friday evening. Bjugstad, 34, has not played this season after having surgery last month for a torn left pectoral muscle. He was expected to be out 4-to-6 months. 

Mercer had four assists in 10 games for New Jersey this season. The 24-year-old forward, who was selected by the Devils in the first round (No. 18) of the 2020 NHL Draft, has scored at least 20 goals three times in his first five full NHL seasons. He had 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) in 82 games last season.

“Dawson actually gives us a lot of different options in the sense that when he broke in, he broke in as a center, so he has that ability should we need or desire that at some point in time,” Cheveldayoff said. “He’s always got that flexibility. But he’s a younger player still in the sense that there’s lots of runway in front of him and I think he fits into this group. And I think him being around a Kyle Connor and being around a Mark Scheifele is really going to help a player like that with his type of game.”

Command, who was 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. The 18-year-old does not have a point in six games with Orebro's team in the Swedish Hockey League.

Cheveldayoff said that if forward Viggo Bjorck had not been available with the No. 8 pick at the 2026 draft, the Jets likely would have traded down to select Command. 

“When you get to know Command a little bit better, you’ll get that same sense as well in terms of the type of player he is,” Cheveldayoff said. “He’s a very serious no-nonsense type of competitor. He’s probably a throwback North American playing in Sweden right now. That’s what he’s going to bring to the table.”