The long saga between Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets is over. He has officially been traded to the New Jersey Devils and has been reinstated from the suspension that his former team had imposed on him.
Hellebuyck had let the Jets know during the offseason that he wanted to be traded by the team and was willing to waive his no-trade contract. However, when the team still hadn't moved him before the start of Winnipeg's training camp in September, he refused to report. As a result, the dispute between the goaltender and the Jets went public. Hellebuyck was suspended when he didn't show up at training camp.
Since he has not been with any team until this point, he will need to get into game shape before the Devils can activate him and put him in the lineup. His goal is to get into game shape quickly and help the Devils win a Stanley Cup.
Goaltending has not been a strength for the Devils to this point. Jake Allen and Nico Daws, who was involved in the trade to Winnipeg, had been stopping 88 percent of the shots they had face in the early part of the season. That ranked 23rd among goaltending tandems.
Hellebuyck is one of the most accomplished regular-season goaltenders in the NHL. He has won three Vezina Trophies and a Hart Trophy as the league MVP. He also led the United States to a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but his playoff record has not been as good.