Devils GM Mehta Takes Calculated Risk In Hellebuyck Trade With Jets

It turns out that Sunny Mehta was playing some four-dimensional chess.

Back in September, he told NHL.com, "Goaltending has changed dramatically during the past 20 years... Because there is randomness at the position, I'm reluctant to invest significant assets there instead of in areas where the results may be more predictable."

Now, some may say that means he was lying, but what it really means is he was negotiating through the media.

We know now that in giving up Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, 2026 first-round pick Alexander Command, currently-on-LTIR Nick Bjugstad, and a couple of picks outside the first round, he was willing to give up a lot of assets to acquire Connor Hellebuyck after all.

But now that this trade is over, we need to have a conversation about whether any of these, individually, constitute "significant" assets.

Before that, we have to talk about what Hellebuyck brings to the table.

First and foremost, it instantly gives the Devils significant credibility in what looks like a wide-open division, and moreover show that the team is dead serious about competing at a time when they are being dogged by rumors that Jack Hughes wants out, or that other American stars like Quinn Hughes or Dylan Larkin may be eyeing them as a potential future destination.

But there's an obvious risk here. Hellebuyck is 33, coming off a down season in which he was hampered by a knee injury, has a lot of miles on his body, and missed both training camp and the first few weeks of the season.

Maybe that doesn't matter to Mehta because Jake Allen and Daws haven't been very good (a combined 6 goals allowed above expected, according to MoneyPuck) in the first 10 games, and that's after Allen stole one the other night against Colorado.

Given the average age of the team's best players and the open window to at least get to the second round of the playoffs, at a bare minimum, the Hellebuyck acquisition makes sense. Why wait around when a potentially world-class goalie — who was connected to Carolina (in-division) and Buffalo (competing with New Jersey for a Wild Card spot) — is available.

This trade not only helps the Devils, it also hinders the competition, and could be the potential edge in a playoff scenario.

The price was eminently reasonable, as well, because Winnipeg was facing down the prospect of paying Hellebuyck a lot of money to sit at home, starting today. The Jets didn't get ripped off, but this package is significantly worse than the reported offers they could have gotten from Buffalo or Florida around the time of the draft.

Mercer, for example, was long heralded as a potential first-line center, which he's never really shown that apart from one very good season in 2022-23. Just days before his 25th birthday, it doesn't seem like he's going to fulfill that potential. With Hughes and Nico Hischier being a better 1-2 punch than most teams have up the middle (when healthy), Mercer was effectively blocked from achieving that too-lofty goal, anyway.

One of the Jets' biggest problems over the last few years has been the lack of center depth.This addresses that, and now Mercer has to grow into that role if Kevin Cheveldayoff is going to be able to say he saved some face at the end of this lengthy saga.

The rest of the package really hinges on Command, a versatile longer-term project who is still only 18 but also hasn't even come to North America yet, along with the second-round pick.

If Bjugstad can be a contributor when he gets back to full health, that's great, but he had nine points in 61 games last season, so don't hold your breath. Daws is a mediocre backup, and a 2027 seventh is hardly anything.

The fact that Mehta got out of there without giving up either of the first-round picks he controls for the 2027 draft, or more than one of his top prospects, tells you a lot about the efficacy of pretending you don't want to make a trade you actually do want to make, and how poorly Cheveldayoff handled this whole thing.

The Jets aren't worse than they were yesterday, because obviously Hellebuyck hasn't played a game for them this year, but are they significantly better at a time when they say they want to be competitive?

Mercer is the only difference-maker coming back to them and he produces like a middle-six forward who has never even finished a season with a career faceoff percentage of 39. This year, he's averaging 15:06 a game. 

If this is the lynchpin of a trade involving the best player in franchise history, then you better hope Command is NHL-ready and can forge some chemistry with Viggo Bjorck in the near future.

This was never going to end well for Winnipeg, but Cheveldayoff's steadfastness ensured that it ended worse, and months later, than it should have. Meanwhile, Mehta is, by his own admission, taking on some serious reputational risk if Hellebuyck doesn't perform well this season.

But he got the best player in the trade by a mile, showed he's a very serious gambler as a new GM, and took a potential difference-maker off the trade boards of some conference and division rivals.

Plus, with more good assets to trade, almost $17 million in cap space for 2027-28, and this new declaration that the Devils are trying to fashion themselves into a real destination, he might not be done dealing.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.