It seems there’s always one player in the NHL that dominates the headlines and rumors for a while. For much of the offseason and into October, that player was Connor Hellebuyck. The long-running drama between him and the Jets came to a close Friday with a trade to the Devils that sent six assets back to Winnipeg.
Here’s the obvious thing: Hellebuyck is a massive upgrade in goal for the Devils. Jake Allen is a fine goalie but shouldn’t be a starter on a contender. Hellebuyck is also a tier or two ahead of Jacob Markstrom, who was the previous solution to the Devils’ goaltending woes. It’s not hard to say that Hellebuyck is the best goalie the Devils have had since Martin Brodeur.
On the surface, this makes a ton of sense. Hellebuyck could be the missing piece — the Devils have a good defense and a quality core group of forwards. Health has been the biggest question for the team over the years, and that’s something that won’t change, but Hellebuyck raises the team’s overall floor. It’s also not a rental move — he’s going to be around for four more years after this one. That gives general manager Sunny Mehta more time to retool if the current mix of skaters isn’t right.
Jets-Devils Blockbuster Trade Breakdown and Key Players Involved
However, this wasn’t a cheap trade. Dawson Mercer, an iron man forward who plays well in a supporting role, headlined the return. Mercer has topped the 40-point mark in three of five NHL seasons, but at just 24 years old, he could benefit from the change of scenery. It remains to be seen if he’ll be just a middle-six forward, but there’s a little more room for him to work his way into more prominent usage for the Jets. I’ll be keeping an eye on how he adjusts to his new team.
Nico Daws is the other big piece. He’s sticking around in the NHL for now, but that creates a three-headed monster in goal with Stuart Skinner as the starter and Clay Stevenson also in the mix for backup duties. It’s safe to assume either of Daws or Stevenson would get claimed if they were waived. That said, neither is going to be a full-time starter this year unless Skinner gets hurt or traded.
Rounding out the deal are Nick Bjugstad (pectoral), who will be out until the second half of the season, and Alexander Command, who the Devils selected 12th overall in 2026, as well as a pair of draft picks. Command projects as a hard-working middle-six center — perhaps the Jets were getting a head start on eventually replacing Adam Lowry with Command’s inclusion in this deal.
The one other question here is how Skinner performs now that he’s the clear No. 1 in Winnipeg. Hellebuyck only carried the Jets to the Western Conference Finals once in his tenure (seven playoff runs). Skinner has twice gotten the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals. That’s not to say Skinner is anywhere near as good as Hellebuyck. It’s just an observation that Skinner has experience with deep playoff runs. In the end, the blockbuster trade could very well turn out to be a win-win situation, though the Jets certainly have more to work with to make it pay off.
Fantasy managers looking to upgrade their teams might benefit from adding Mercer if he takes off with the Jets, but the rest of the players involved and affected by the trade are either already rostered or non-factors in redraft leagues. Let’s see who can make a difference for your teams right now.
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I’ve been patient in waiting to see if Arseny Gritsyuk‘s performance will stick. I think a five-game goal streak answers that question pretty well. He has seven total points in that span, and he’s at nine points over 11 contests on the year. Gritsyuk has secured a top-six role alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, so go ahead and buy in now. If Gritsyuk stays there, he’ll easily surpass his rookie-year total of 31 points in 66 games.
Jake Neighbours hasn’t really popped yet this season, and a lot of that comes down to a third-line role. He enters the week on a five-game goal drought, but he has three assists, nine shots and 21 hits in that span. Neighbours’ best-case scenario is finding his way into a top-six spot where he’ll do a little less hitting and a little more scoring. It’ll take an injury for that to happen, though Neighbours remains involved on the power play to help raise his floor.
It’s getting hard to ignore what Kailer Yamamoto is doing on the Mammoth’s third line. He didn’t even enter the lineup until Oct. 10, but he’s racked up three goals and four assists over his seven games since then. Yamamoto also has 20 shots on net and 15 hits. Typically, he’s not a physical player, but he may be adapting to that role to stick in the lineup. He’s also getting power-play time, but limit your expectations for the 28-year-old to offense only. Consider him a streaming option for now.
A couple of young Bruins could be just what your fantasy team needs. Take Fraser Minten, who has eight points over his last seven games. He’s up to 10 points in 12 outings overall, and he’s added some grit with 11 hits, 16 PIM and five blocked shots. Minten is shaping up as a nice all-around center, and while he’s on the second line with Morgan Geekie and Marat Khusnutdinov, everything is clicking fairly well for Boston early in the year.
For a little more skill, give James Hagens a look. Hagens had a fine start to the year, but he’s upped his game with two goals and three assists over his last five outings. He’s just 19 years old and in a third-line role, but that doesn’t look to be a problem. Playing alongside a veteran center in Elias Lindholm certainly helps. Hagens has plenty of upward potential — he’s someone you can get at a bargain now and ride the wave if he ends up in the top six later this season.
On the blue line, it’s worth considering Charle-Edouard D’Astous. The latest in a line of late-blooming hidden gems, D’Astous could be on track for a Darren Raddysh-esque breakout. D’Astous is getting power-play time and has been even before Victor Hedman (lower body) exited the lineup. John Carlson hasn’t exactly taken the Lightning by storm so far. D’Astous isn’t Raddysh — the former is more physical and not as prolific on offense. D’Astous is on a four-game point streak (one goal, four assists). The Lightning have often gone to dressing seven defensemen to make room for him, but he has potential to improve as the season progresses.
Sometimes, it’s not all about offense in fantasy. Especially in deeper leagues, where you can afford to target a category specialist. To that end, check out Will Borgen if you need a boost in plus-minus rating. Borgen is already plus-15 this year while adding four points, 33 hits and 16 blocked shots. The physicality certainly helps, especially in banger leagues, but he looks like a good fit for the Bruins, who have plugged him into the top four. There are too many question marks farther down the defense to put Borgen at risk of losing playing time — he’ll be a steady non-scoring contributor as long as the team around him keeps playing well.
Sean Walker is also worth a look on the blue line. He won’t stand out in any one area, but he’s playing top-four minutes on a strong team. He scored Saturday versus the Blues and has seven points over 13 contests on the year, as well as 24 shots on net, 25 blocked shots, 14 hits, 12 PIM and a plus-4 rating. That’s depth-level production, but the non-scoring areas are steady and his role is secure.
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It’s a big gamble to trust a Calgary netminder this year, but Devin Cooley had quite a good week. He has won his last three starts, including games against the Hurricanes and Wild, who are never each matchups. In that span, he allowed just four goals on 102 shots. Both Cooley and Dustin Wolf struggled to start the season, but Cooley has gotten on track. He’s easiest to roster in formats that focus more on racking up saves without too much of a penalty for goals against — his recent level of play won’t hold. He’s worth chasing for playing time until Wolf rights the ship.
When the Flyers started the year poorly, I cut some shares of Dan Vladar. He’s rebounded since then, albeit in a straight alternating timeshare with Joseph Woll. Vladar has allowed just four goals on 85 shots over his last three games, going 2-0-1 in that span. Vladar can be a targeted option in good matchups, but the alternating pattern in the Flyers’ crease is a good thing — it makes his workload predictable. If you don’t want him full-time just yet, he’s likely to start Tuesday versus the Blue Jackets, which is a good streaming spot.
Who’s going to be the next player that attracts all the rumors? The safe bet would be to take a look at Detroit. Dylan Larkin‘s trade request is still active, and he’s expanded his list of destinations to 10 teams, all of whom are contenders. There’s a good chance that once he’s on the move, he’ll be downgraded to a No. 2 center with his new team. There’s also Simon Edvinsson, a young do-it-all blueliner who wants to get away from the Red Wings. Edvinsson doesn’t have a ton of fantasy value, and it might be better to hold off on considering him until next year. Amid some of the uncertainty around the league, Alexander Nikishin finally reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Hurricanes on Sunday, so he should make his season debut sooner rather than later. Trade talk doesn’t really get sizzling until February, but there’s still potential for a few big deals to go down before the holidays.
In fantasy, this is the time of the year where you might want to consider a blockbuster deal of your own. You should know what you’ve got and what you need, so find a partner and go dancing. It might take a little bargaining, but it shouldn’t be hard to improve your roster, and you’ve got plenty of time to get a deal done and still make an impact. With that, good luck this week, and I’ll be back with more next Monday.