Suggested Blockbuster Trade Sees Devils Land Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck – The Hockey Writers –

The Connor Hellebuyck trade speculation has been running wild since his surprise trade request became public recently, with fans wondering which contending team will end up landing him.

There are several solid fits for Hellebuyck around the league, including the San Jose Sharks, Utah Mammoth, and Buffalo Sabres, just to name a few, but a new team should be added to the mix.

The New Jersey Devils made a move, acquiring Luke Evangelista from the Nashville Predators a couple of days ago, adding firepower to their forward group. Now, they seem to be one goaltending upgrade away from being considered a true championship contender. Realistically, they should be considered frontrunners for Hellebuyck.

In this article, we will take a look at a mock trade that sends Hellebuyck to the Devils. Keep in mind that while there is an expectation that Hellebuyck will be traded, there is no indication these two teams have had any conversations, and no reason to believe a move is imminent. This is simply a hypothetical trade.

Devils’ Roster Could Convince Hellebuyck to Join Them

New general manager Sunny Mehta has done a good job adding some depth to the Devils’ lineup, bringing in both Evangelista and Anthony Mantha, and with their lineup already being decent heading into the offseason, they seem poised to make a good playoff push.

Hellebuyck, seeing that he could be the final piece of the puzzle, could convince him to join the Devils, considering his no-movement clause gives him full control over where he gets moved.

They still would have some trouble against the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals in the postseason, but if Hellebuyck finds a way to kill the narrative that he isn’t a playoff goalie and gives the Devils a chance to win on a nightly basis, there is a world they could be a dark horse championship contender this season.

Devils Land Star Goalie, Jets Receive Decent Haul in Return

Hellebuyck is arguably the best goaltender in the league, so the Jets won’t be giving him away for free, even if his public trade request took away some leverage.

The Devils would also have to make another move to clear cap space, making trading Nick Bjugstad for a mid-round pick somewhere, but they have the assets to make something work.

The Jets likely won’t want to retain any of Hellebuyck’s $8.5 million cap hit, meaning the Devils would have to move a contract out at the same time, and not someone who would just be a cap dump.

Realistically, a deal could look like this:

• Devils Receive: G Connor Hellebuyck
• Jets Receive: C/RW Dawson Mercer, G Nico Daws, D Seamus Casey, Devils’ own first-round pick

Daws joins the Jets as a backup to Stuart Skinner, since bringing in Hellebuyck gives him no real chance at making a full-time jump to the NHL with the Devils.

Mercer is a young forward who contributes well offensively, having scored 20 goals and adding 22 assists for 42 points through 82 games last season, and notching 209 points through 410 career games.

Casey is a right-shot defender who seems ready to make the jump to the NHL and would get that opportunity with the Jets. He only has 16 games of NHL experience under his belt, but has scored four goals and added four assists for eight points during that time.

The Devils have plenty of first-round picks to choose from, so whether they trade their own pick in 2027 or 2028 is up to them. They could bank on themselves and give up their 2027 first-round pick, or make it conditional on their own success, which could move it up a year.

There is likely a ton of interest in Hellebuyck, and the Devils seem like a solid fit for him. We will see if they are the team that ends up landing him, but it wouldn’t come as a shock if they did, and this package was similar to what they would be giving up.

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