Hellebuyck becomes a Devil

Connor Hellebuyck finally got his wish. Kevin Cheveldayoff finally got an offer he couldn’t refuse. And a long-running sports soap opera has finally ended.

The Winnipeg Jets pulled off a blockbuster deal Friday morning, shipping their disgruntled franchise goaltender to the New Jersey Devils for a package including four players and two draft picks.

Although they liked the return, nobody within the organization was popping champagne. This was, in many ways, a dark but necessary day.

“It certainly hasn’t been fun. There’s no question about it. But at the end of the day, Connor made his choice. And, as an organization, we had to act accordingly and we did,” the general manager said during an afternoon news conference inside Canada Life Centre.

The Jets received forward Dawson Mercer, forward Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws and prospect Alexander Command — a centre from Sweden who was selected 12th-overall in the NHL draft this past June. Winnipeg will also net a couple draft picks: a seventh-round lottery ticket in 2027 and a second-round selection in 2029.

“I feel that we addressed some needs that we had in our forward group here right now,” said Cheveldayoff.

“We added depth to the organization. We added assets that I can use now either for drafting or at the trade deadline. And at the end of the day, that’s the goal that I set out to to try to accomplish here moving forward.”

Hellebuyck — who is in the third year of a seven-year contract extension he signed with the Jets in 2023 — informed the organization of his trade request at the end of last season, then refused to report to training camp last month when it hadn’t been honoured.

Although he never explicitly stated his reason, a desire to leave Canada and play in his home country, coupled with concerns about Winnipeg’s championship window, are believed to be factors.

The 33-year-old Michigan product, who has won three Vezina Trophies, one Hart Trophy and an Olympic gold medal, was suspended by the Jets on Sept. 16. That was set to expire Friday — after costing Hellebuyck nearly US$1 million in forfeited salary — which really upped the urgency to get something done.

Hellebuyck had no actual interest in returning to play for Winnipeg, and it’s clear his looming presence was going to become a major distraction based on strong words from his now-former teammates.

The Jets are 4-3-3 so far this year but have just one win in the last six games (1-3-2), with a lack of offensive production being a major issue.

The hope is that Mercer can provide immediate help in that department. The 24-year-old from Newfoundland was the 18th-overall pick in 2020 and is a right-shot centre who can also play the wing. He has 213 points (103 goals, 110 assists) in 420 NHL games, all with New Jersey.

Mercer’s best season came in 2022-23 when he had 27 goals and 29 assists. He has just four assists in 10 games so far this year, which has been primarily spent on the third line with the Devils.

“The role he’s going to play for us is not the role that he’s been playing this last year,” said Cheveldayoff.

“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.”

Mercer — who makes US$4 million this year and is a restricted free agent next summer — is expected to make his debut on Sunday evening when the Jets host the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.

The prized return may actually turn out to be Command, which means judging the real value of this deal could take years. The 18-year-old was selected by the Devils just four picks after Winnipeg took his good friend and countryman, Viggo Bjorck, at No. 8.

He’s someone the Jets scouted heavily, came away impressed with during interviews and might have ultimately drafted themselves had Bjorck not been available in their slot. Cheveldayoff described the forward as “a very serious no-nonsense type of competitor” at Friday’s presser.

Command has 12 points (7G, 5A) in six games with Örebro HK of the top Swedish junior league, where he will remain for the rest of this year. He joins other Swedish youngsters, including defenceman Alfons Freij (currently with the Manitoba Moose) and defenceman Sascha Boumedienne (currently with Ohio State).

“I think there’s some great synergy with a lot of our young prospects coming up,” said Cheveldayoff.

The other forward in this trade, Bjugstad, was simply a salary dump by the Devils to balance out the money. The 34-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent making US$1.75 million who was on injured reserve after undergoing surgery last month for a torn pectoral muscle. He’s not expected to be ready until January at the earliest, and possibly as late as March.

Bjugstad, a Minneapolis native who is six-foot-six and 210 pounds, has played 821 games for eight different organizations, racking up 339 points (163G, 176A). He could either join the Jets down the stretch, or perhaps be flipped at the trade deadline to a contender if Winnipeg is not in the playoff mix.

The puzzling add to the trade was Daws, making for a crowded Winnipeg crease. The 25-year-old from Germany has played in 59 NHL games with a 2.94 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage. He is signed for one more season at US$1.1 million.

Winnipeg’s new No. 1 masked man is Stuart Skinner, who has been stellar so far this season with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 SV% in seven starts. Clay Stevenson was plucked off waivers from the Washington Capitals to serve as Skinner’s backup and has a 3.08 GAA and .893 SV% in three games.

The Jets are now carrying three goaltenders on their 23-man roster — but for how long? Could another deal eventually be done?

“We’ll evaluate here,” said Cheveldayoff. “Still pretty fresh in terms of the deal coming together like it did and some of the things that went into it. We’ll see where it goes.”

Plenty of teams were rumoured to be in the mix for Hellebuyck, but it was ultimately the Devils who came to the table on Thursday night and finally got this trade across the finish line. The same Devils, we should point out, will visit Canada Life Centre on Nov. 10 in what has immediately become the hottest ticket in town.

“Constant contact with a lot of them. Sporadic contact with some. Kicking tires on a regular basis with some,” Cheveldayoff said of trade talks with teams over the last few months.

“When (Devils GM) Sunny (Mehta) got serious, he got serious real quick. It was a real treat to deal with him. There was no beating around the bush with each other. We kind of laid our cards on the table and said, ‘This is what it was going to take.’”

There will be many who view Hellebuyck’s departure as a sign Winnipeg’s “win now” mentality has changed.

“We live in the moment and we tend to stress over the future. We had some pretty damn good teams here over the last couple of years. We’ve been a very competitive hockey team, and we are still a very competitive hockey team,” said Cheveldayoff, who insisted his mindset hasn’t shifted.

“I care deeply about this city, I care deeply about its fans, and about this organization. I feel like, collectively, I’m trying to make these right moves for everybody. For the friends I see at my coffee shop in the morning when I go, for the players that I see every day when I come into the room.”

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