Negotiations are usually a grind. They are two mammoth personalities trying to get the best of each other. It’s trying to make a trade that works for a team and a fanbase.
Kevin Chevaldayoff is going into Friday in an interesting place. Connor Hellebuyck’s suspension is ending, and they are trying to celebrate a Heritage Classic for the ages. And a saga that is months in the making is finally over. One would think his focus would mostly be on the team moving forward, but he spent a moment to talk about Sunny Mehta. And his words were surprising.
Hellebuyck went public with a trade request in August, then didn’t report to camp and was suspended. As recently as last weekend, the Jets were reportedly underwhelmed by the offers they’d received, and Chevy had already reportedly walked away from a Buffalo package that included the fourth-overall pick (but required to trade their own top-10 pick).
Sunny Mehta was always considered a straight shooter. He treats his interviews like a new-age politician and treats the team like the poker table. And we learned that he comes to the negotiating table with all his chips clear as day.
Lou Lamoriello used to discuss negotiations like a chance to make everyone win. GMs will continue to pick up your calls if you’re looking for common ground. Mehta showed up to a negotiation where everyone was trying to lowball the Jets and gave fair value for one of the best goalies in the league, but also one of the biggest risks. And Chevaldayoff appreciated that.
Cheveldayoff: “When Sunny [Mehta] got serious, he got serious real quick. It was a real treat to deal with him, he’s very straight forward. There was no beating around the bush.” #NJDevils
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) October 23, 2026
Winnipeg gets Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Alexander Command, Nick Bjugstad, a 2029 second-rounder and a 2027 seventh. That’s a lot of bodies and not much sizzle for a Hart and Vezina winner. Mercer is the headliner, a 24-year-old center the Jets have wanted for a while. Daws is the goalie of the future, Command is an 18-year-old lottery ticket, and Bjugstad is, well, there. Winnipeg is 5-4-1 with Stuart Skinner as the No. 1 goalie, and someone has to explain this to the fanbase before Sunday’s Heritage Classic against Montreal.
Truthfully, similar to the Timo Meier trade in 2023, the Devils traded volume over stars. Mercer is a nice middle-six piece who has 30-goal upside, but he has not lived up to the hype he had in 2023. Command is a first-round pick that many (including us) weren’t particularly high on in terms of upside, but he was picked 12th overall for a reason. Daws is a guy we really liked, but he hasn’t shown enough to be confident this season.
And yet, Chevaldayoff appreciated the addition of Mehta to the negotiations. This is also going to go far in terms of future negotiations. Mehta is the type of guy who is never going to stop. He talked about how often he called the Nashville Predators when it came to acquiring Luke Evangelista. He is relentless, but in a respectful way.
The Devils are in good hands with Mehta, and now they hope they are in good hands with Hellebuyck.
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