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The Winnipeg Jets have put an end to the Connor Hellebuyck trade saga. Winnipeg has traded the former MVP to the New Jersey Devils. In return, the Jets received four players and two draft picks.
Winnipeg acquired forwards Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, and Alexander Command; goalie Nico Daws; and the aforementioned draft picks. For the first time since 2015-16, the Jets do not have Hellebuyck on their roster. For general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, he is fine with how things turned out.
“I’m very comfortable (with) what we accomplished here over the period of time,” Cheveldayoff said, via NHL.com. “I certainly wish we could have done it four months ago, or whatever, when the opportunity started and we were looking (for a trade), but here we are here today.”
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Hellebuyck is the best goaltender of this generation. He is one of eight goaltenders to ever win the Hart Trophy as league MVP. He is also one of three goalies to win it after the turn of the century.
However, the Jets largely never truly contended for a Stanley Cup. They made one Western Conference Finals appearance during his time in Winnipeg. But that ended in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018.
Hellebuyck has a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup in New Jersey. Meanwhile, the Jets can now focus entirely on hockey. Stuart Skinner is the undisputed starter, and this is his crease. It will be interesting to see how all parties are affected by this trade moving forward.
The Jets are in action again on October 25 against the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic.
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