NY Islanders Are Losers in Connor Hellebuyck Trade to Devils

The New York Islanders weren’t involved in any of the rumors that swirled around Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck after he made a public request to be traded.

However, they are going to feel the effects of that deal because the Jets have pulled the trigger on a trade. The Olympic gold medalist is reportedly being traded to the New Jersey Devils in a blockbuster deal.

The price to acquire the star goaltender was not cheap. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and RDS Hockey Insider, the Jets will acquire forward Dawson Mercer, goalie Nico Daws, center Alexander Command (the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft) and center Nick Bjugstad.

Two draft picks are also involved, with a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft included in the package.

Connor Hellebuyck trade to Devils is bad news for Islanders

This is a massive trade, and one that will impact the Islanders moving forward. Not because they missed out on acquiring an elite talent; they are set at goalie with Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov. But because their path to a playoff spot just got a whole lot more difficult.

New Jersey goaltenders had a combined .880 save percentage this season to go along with a 3.00 goals-against average. Daws, the goalie reportedly in the trade package, is 55th in the NHL with a Goals Saved Above Expected of -2.9.

Their other goalie, Jake Allen, was even worse. He was ranked 59th with a GSAx of -3.5. He will move into a backup role now that Hellebuyck is on his way to town, as he provides the team with a massive upgrade in net.

The Devils’ ceiling is a lot higher now that they have Hellebuyck in the mix. Once he is up to speed and ready to go, they are going to be a much tougher team to play against, since goaltending was their biggest weakness currently.

Despite the lackluster performance in net, New Jersey still has 12 points through 10 games played. They are right in the thick of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference in the early going and should remain there now that they have upgraded their goaltending situation.

That is where the Islanders held their biggest advantage over the Devils. Sorokin and Varlamov were a much stronger duo than Daws and Allen, but that gap has disappeared with Hellebuyck, one of the top-rated goalies in the league, now part of the equation.

In the third year of a seven-year extension that pays $8.5 million annually, there is going to be a lot of excellent goaltending in the Metro area with Hellebuyck now joining Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.