The New Jersey Devils made the move everyone said Sunny Mehta would never make. They traded for Connor Hellebuyck. The now-former Winnipeg Jets goaltender was being held out after he was suspended for missing training camp. We learned last weekend that his suspension was actually ending on Friday, making a trade much more likely to happen.
Previously, we were told that Hellebuyck was sitting out and refusing to report to the Jets, but that’s not the case. However, it was clear the locker room wasn’t looking forward to their former league MVP and gold medal winner returning to the crease. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was in a place where his most valuable asset was in a time crunch.
Which almost makes the return he got surprising. The Devils traded former first-round pick and long-time lineup lock Dawson Mercer, goaltender Nico Daws, currently injured forward Nick Bjugstad, this spring’s first-round pick Alexander Command, and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 draft and a 2029 second-round pick for Connor Hellebuyck. It's possible another draft pick is going the other way.
The Devils essentially gave the Jets two roster players, including a goalie with starter’s upside and a former 27-goal scorer who is still just 24 years old, for a 33-year-old goalie who hasn’t suited up this year. It’s a risk, but it’s definitely a risk worth taking.
Hellebuyck’s playoff issues are well documented, but his performance in the Olympics shows that the moment isn’t too big for him if the team around him is stellar. He also watched his now-teammate Jack Hughes score the Golden Goal.
The price doesn’t hurt the Devils today, but it makes the future murky
The Devils aren’t losing much on the 2026-27 roster. Mercer is a good player, but they were in a roster crunch with Amadeus Lombardi playing so well but unable to get back into the lineup after Connor Brown and Luke Evangelista returned. This allows Sheldon Keefe to not have to worry about an Ironman streak when he considers his nightly lineup decisions.
However, this means the Devils will have no first-round prospect in the system for two years, but they still have two first-round picks next year. The pick is fine. Simon Nemec turning into parts of Evangelista and Hellebuyck is exactly what you want as a Devils fan, but this is still a very steep price.
The Devils got to keep some of their talented prospects, like defensemen Anton Silayev and Seamus Casey, and forwards Lenni Hameenaho and Shane Lachance, and even goalie Mikhail Yegorov, but the price is the price.
The Devils are clearly all in with this roster. They put themselves into a different conversation. After a week where they beat the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks, both playoff teams last year and one being the Presidents’ Trophy winners, it likely pushed Mehta to make a move.
Being a dominant analytics team that’s just 6-4-0 on the season also pushed the Devils to make a move. They are among the best in xGF%, up there with actual Stanley Cup contenders.
There may be more to come, and Pucks and Pitchforks will update you once we have confirmed any new information.
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