Grading the Devils’ Blockbuster Trade for Jets’ Hellebuyck

The Connor Hellebuyck saga has ended. Earlier today, the Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils linked up for a blockbuster trade involving Hellebuyck. Here are the full details:

Devils receive:

• Hellebuyck

Jets receive:

• Dawson Mercer
• Alexander Command
• Nick Bjugstad (LTIR)
• Nico Daws
• 2029 Second-Round Pick
• 2027 Seventh-Round Pick

The Devils seemed like an afterthought in the Hellebuyck sweepstakes, with teams like the Utah Mammoth and Buffalo Sabres thought to be frontrunners. But Devils GM Sunny Mehta seems to operate in the shadows. As for the Jets, they didn’t get fleeced, but their return may seem a bit underwhelming.

Devils Need Saves

What has plagued the Devils early this season? Goaltending. Jake Allen and Daws had struggled before the trade. Their numbers rank in the bottom five of the NHL in terms of goals saved above expected. It was one thing that could hold the Devils back from being legit contenders in the Eastern Conference.

That should change with Hellebuyck. Even though he had a down season in 2025-26, he still saved one goal above expected and was a league-average netminder. That’s a down season for him, and injuries may have been a factor. He did miss a few weeks with a knee injury before the Olympics.

One would expect Hellebuyck to rebound once he takes the ice for the Devils, even if he doesn’t reach an elite level. He should be better than what the team has gotten in net this season, and it moves Allen into a more suitable backup role. He’s thrived as a 1B over the last couple of seasons.

The Devils also did not give up any of their top assets to acquire Hellebuyck. Command looks like a good prospect with middle-six potential, while Mercer is already a capable middle-six winger. But Mehta still kept Anton Silaev, Mikhail Yegorov, Lenni Hämeenaho, and all of their first-round picks. That’s a tidy bit of business and gives the Devils flexibility to make other trades down the road.

Hellebuyck should turn the Devils into a major player in the East. They’ve been one of the best five-on-five teams in the NHL through ten games, and getting just average goaltending will be a welcome change. That’s just the minimum they should get with Hellebuyck, too. They didn’t fleece the Jets. They gave up a top prospect in Command and a decent NHLer in Mercer, but it was worth the price. It changes the team’s ceiling for this season and most likely beyond.

Devils Grade: A-

Jets Receive Quantity, But Did They Acquire Quality?

The Jets got quantity in their return for Hellebuyck, but how much quality did they get? The centerpiece is Command. The Devils just drafted him 12th overall in the 2026 draft, so he’s a young prospect with plenty of runway to develop. What he becomes will determine how good a return the Jets received, but that will take a couple of years to find out.

Mercer is an interesting case. He finished with nearly 30 goals and 60 points in 2022-23, but his progress has stagnated since. Can the Jets find a way to get more out of him? Even if they can’t, he’s capable of 20 goals and 40 points; those were nearly his exact totals last season. He’s a fine player and gives the Jets some more scoring upside.

Daws is also an interesting case. He was a 2020 draft pick of the Devils, but has played in the NHL on and off over the last four to five seasons. He could be a good complement for Stuart Skinner, but the jury is out on him as an NHL regular.

The Jets did well to not retain any salary on the remainder of Hellebuyck’s contract, but it is a bit disappointing they didn’t net a first-round pick. The Devils have two firsts in 2027, their own and the Vegas Golden Knights’, as well as their own in 2028. But the highest pick the Jets obtained is a 2029 second.

The Jets had to trade Hellebuyck. There’s no question about that, but did they hold out for too long? It’s fair to wonder if they would have gotten a better return for Hellebuyck around the draft from a team like the Sabres or the Mammoth. They received quantity, and some pieces have potential, specifically Command, but it feels more like quantity than quality. Time will tell.

Jets Grade: C+

Advanced stats from Hockey Stats