The Jets' Return for a Three-Time Vezina Winner: Four Players and Two Picks
Connor Hellebuyck asked for a trade at the end of last season, with five years still left on a seven-year contract. He is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and the 2025 league MVP. He has been traded to New Jersey following a drawn-out spat with the team that drafted him in 2012.
In exchange, the Jets acquired forwards Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command and Nick Bjugstad, and goalie Nico Daws. They also got New Jersey's second-round pick in the 2029 NHL draft and a seventh-round pick in 2027.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
The trade looks less like a haul than a salvage operation. Marek said the Jets were in no position to win it: goalies don't go for big prices, and a distressed asset everyone knows wants out leaves no leverage.
Fans may not care about the ledger. Gord Walters said he was glad Hellebuyck was gone, and that while he was a good goalie, it was time for a change.