Jets GM Cheveldayoff says team ‘very comfortable what we accomplished’ with Hellebuyck trade

The hockey world is still in shock over the blockbuster deal that finally ended the Connor Hellebuyck era in Winnipeg. Yet, the big boss man in Manitoba is pleased with how things came to a close.

When speaking to the media on Friday, Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff opened up about the process that led the team to trade Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils.

“When you go through the process like we did and the time that we went through, we certainly looked at all the different options that were out there and talked to a lot of different teams,” Cheveldayoff said. “The goalie market is a little bit of a different market. You find out who has legitimate interest. 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.”

The Jets gave Hellebuyck to the Devils in exchange for forwards Nick Bjugstad, Dawson Mercer and Alexander Command, goaltender Nico Daws, and a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder. It ended a long saga that was spurred on by a trade request from the Hart Trophy winner earlier this summer that ultimately bled into the start of the 2026-27 season.

Cheveldayoff stated that he’s happy with the result, but wishes it happened a little bit sooner.

“We’re very comfortable with what we accomplished here over the period of time,” Cheveldayoff said. “Certainly wish I could have done it 4-5 months ago when the opportunity first started, but here we are today.”

Hellebuyck was suspended by the Jets for not reporting to training camp next month. The 33-year-old’s ban was expected to be lifted Friday, meaning the Jets would’ve had to pay the goaltender even if he wasn’t joining the team.

Cheveldayoff was asked whether there was a chance Hellebuyck could’ve been traded at the NHL Draft, as Winnipeg held the eighth-overall pick in the first round. The veteran executive admitted that he had his mind set on who he wanted to select in Buffalo.

“People can talk about you know hypothetical deals and different… and what we talked about with different teams at different points in time,” Cheveldayoff said. “I do know the reality of things, that we’d be sitting here certainly with the one player that we have right now, regardless of what position we picked at the draft. That would have been Viggo Bjorck, regardless of where I was going to be drafting, if he was available.”

On top of the hurdles of dealing a player of Hellebuyck’s caliber, along with his high cap hit, Cheveldayoff noted that simply trading someone at Hellebuyck’s position provided some roadblocks.

“I think the biggest challenge is, and I think I alluded to it at one point in time, is that this wasn’t about necessarily the no-move list,” Cheveldayoff said. “This was about who had the legitimate needs. And when you get into a situation like that, that’s the group you’re dealing with, and you can’t manufacture it.

“It’s funny, ironic, I guess. A lot of the teams that had their No. 1 goalies locked in or heard from a lot of their managers said, ‘Hang in there, I feel for you, buddy.’ That was the sentiment of what you got from some of my counterparts that were sleeping easy at night as opposed to wasting away a summer.”

The Jets (4-3-3) have been doing alright without Hellebuyck. Stuart Skinner has given them some good games, with waiver pick Clay Stevenson trying to make the most of his opportunity in the NHL.