Macon MFA Agri Services

10/23 15:35 CDT Devils acquire U.S. Olympic goalie Connor Hellebuyck in a trade with the Jets Devils acquire U.S. Olympic goalie Connor Hellebuyck in a trade with the Jets By JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writers A deal with the Devils ended the lingering saga of Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg. Hellebuyck finally has a new home with New Jersey after the Jets granted the three-time Vezina Trophy winning goaltender's trade request on Friday. The Devils sent forward Dawson Mercer, goalie Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick, a 2027 seventh-rounder and long-term injured forward Nick Bjugstad to Winnipeg for Hellebuyck. "It really does come down to what teams are willing to do and willing to pay," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said at a news conference in Winnipeg. "It's not necessarily what I got. It was more like what other teams were willing to pay." The long-awaited, blockbuster trade ends months of speculation, a failed bid to move the U.S. Olympic gold medal winner and 2024-25 NHL MVP in June, and the Jets' suspension of Hellebuyck for failing to report to training camp in a standoff that required the involvement of the league and the Players' Association. "It certainly hasn't been fun," Cheveldayoff said. "Connor made his choice to do how he chose to do it. And, as an organization, we had to act accordingly and we did. He asked for a trade. We told him we would do our best to make it happen. And if it happens whatever months ago when he first asked, we would have done it then. Unfortunately it took to this time now." The 33-year-old Hellebuyck, who backstopped the U.S. to Olympic gold at the Milan-Cortina Games in February, leaves Winnipeg after spending his entire 11-year career there. Hellebuyck joins Jack Hughes, who scored in overtime of the final to defeat Canada, with the Devils and immediately puts them closer to being a Stanley Cup contender. When training camp opened, new Devils general manager Sunny Mehta said he was very comfortable with the team's goaltending situation. Since then, Daws and Jake Allen combined for an .880 save percentage, which ranks 23rd among 32 teams. "When Sunny got serious, he got serious real quick," Cheveldayoff said. "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's going to take." It was not immediately clear how soon Hellebuyck might be ready to play for his new team. He has been skating in his home state of Michigan while trade talks were ongoing. Hellebuyck has five seasons left on a seven-year contact with an annual salary cap hit of $8.5 million. He leaves the Central Division for the Metropolitan, much to the delight of rivals who will see him less often moving forward. "I don't mind," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "You knew he was getting traded at some point. You just didn't know where. To see him go to Jersey doesn't hurt my feelings." He becomes the latest high-profile American to depart Canada for the United States. In June, Ottawa dealt captain Brady Tkachuk to Florida, where he joined his brother Matthew. In December, Vancouver traded star defenseman Quinn Hughes, a brother of Jake and teammate Luke, to Minnesota. The process to trade Hellebuyck became messy, especially after the goalie went public with his request to leave Winnipeg in September. The Jets suspended the goalie for failing to report for camp in a disciplinary move that extended into the season with Hellebuyck not getting paid. The length of suspension became an issue with the league and union determining Hellebuyck would be allowed to rejoin the Jets on Friday. Instead, a move to New Jersey materialized ahead of Winnipeg hosting the outdoor Heritage Classic this weekend. "Certainly wish I could have done it five or four months ago --- whatever when the opportunity first started," Cheveldayoff said. "We were looking, but here we are." The post-Hellebuyck plans went into motion over the summer, signing Stuart Skinner in free agency. The Jets claimed Clay Stevenson off waivers before the season began, and their combined .907 save percentage is seventh-best in the NHL. Cheveldayoff said the plan is to carry three goaltenders for now. The Jets were second-guessed for not dealing Hellebuyck in June, when teams had more options to prioritize salary cap space to make room to acquire the goalie. The Sabres were among the teams expressing interest in Hellebuyck, and were preparing to package a deal that included swapping first-round draft picks --- Buffalo had the No. 4 selection, and Winnipeg had the eighth. The challenge for Winnipeg became finding a willing trade partner to acquire a goalie with a high price tag and a lengthy contract well after most teams had set their rosters and had little salary cap space to work with. "A goalie market is a little bit of a different market," Cheveldayoff said. "You find out who has legitimate interests. You find out who has legitimate needs. You go through the process of what assets they have within their organization, and more importantly, what assets they are willing to move." Another question mark involved Hellebuyck's age and track record of following regular-season success with a spotty playoff record. After Hellebuyck went 9-8 in leading the Jets to the Western Conference finals in his playoff debut in 2018, he has gone 15-26 since since, with the Jets advancing to the second round just twice in their next six playoff appearances. In four first-round exits, Hellebuyck had a combined 5-15 record. The disparity of regular season vs. postseason success was evident in 2024-25. Leading Winnipeg to the Presidents' Trophy and winning the Hart Trophy as MVP, Hellebuyck recorded a career-best 47 wins, then went 6-7 in the playoffs as the Jets were eliminated in Dallas in the second round. With a 345-208-55 regular-season record, Hellebuyck ranks 27th in career wins on the NHL list, and fifth among U.S.-born players. Among U.S.-born goalies with 300 or more career starts, his .916 save percentage ranks fourth and 2.58 goals-against average ranks sixth. ___ AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report. ___ See AP's full NHL coverage here

	Copyright DTN. All rights reserved. Disclaimer.