Welcome back! I had last Friday off work and figured it would be the perfect day to grab a coffee with my wife while pushing our newborn around in a stroller. That’s when the bat signal from my league chat went off: Connor Hellebuyck was being traded.

For about 30 minutes, nobody seemed to know where he was headed. My first thought was, “The Dodgers have done it again.” Eventually, the details emerged, and it was the New Jersey Devils who landed him. I immediately told my league this was always going to be the trade: a player named Command going to the Jets and a player nicknamed Helle going to the Devils. Thanks for taking my call; I’ll hang up and listen.

There’s plenty to unpack here. The Hellebuyck saga, drama, or whatever you’d like to call it has finally come to an end. Player movement has been a hot topic in my league chat, and I want to touch on it briefly and carefully here. I’ve seen plenty of proposed “solutions” to situations like this, much like the endless ideas people have had for fixing NBA tanking. Everyone has a suggestion, but only a fraction of them make sense. Fear not, fantasy friends. If I’m ever named NHL Czar, my first order of business will be a simple rule: if a player with a no-movement clause demands a trade, the team holding his rights can waive that protection. The second order would be fixing the NHL schedule. It's 1A and 1B.

The Trade

The Devils acquire Connor Hellebuyck (33, G, $8.4M) from the Jets in exchange for Dawson Mercer (24, C, $4M), Nick Bjugstad (34, C, $1.75M), Alexander Command (18, C), Nico Daws (25, G, $1M), a 2029 second-round pick, and a 2027 seventh-round pick.

I can’t say I’ve ever typed out a seventh-round pick before, but here we are. That’s the package that sent a two-time Vezina Trophy winner and former Hart Trophy winner to New Jersey. Let’s start with Hellebuyck before looking at Winnipeg’s return.

My first takeaway is that New Jersey may not be finished making moves. Even after this trade, they still have plenty of assets at their disposal. Statistically, Hellebuyck wasn’t quite the goalie we’re accustomed to seeing last season, finishing with a .895 save percentage. However, I thought he looked strong early in the year. What really hurt his numbers was the 11 overtime losses. Even if his save percentage doesn’t climb back to the .915 range we’ve come to expect, he’s still a significant upgrade over any goaltending option the Devils had before this deal.

From a fantasy perspective, that $8.5 million cap hit is finally active again. In many cap leagues, suspended players can’t be placed on IR, making him dead salary on your roster. That’s no longer the case. Hellebuyck has already picked up his first win as a Devil, and he will receive the bulk of the starts moving forward.

There may have been better offers available to the Jets at some point, just as many fantasy managers likely discussed trading for Hellebuyck despite the uncertainty surrounding his return. If you’ve been patient enough to keep him on your roster, you no longer have to carry that cap hit as dead weight and can once again enjoy elite-level goaltending.

Winnipeg’s Return

Let’s start with Dawson Mercer. If you’re a hockey fan, Mercer is easy to love. Through six NHL seasons, he hasn’t missed a game and brings the type of reliability you have to tip your cap and appreciate. In real hockey, that’s valuable. In fantasy hockey, however, it’s a bit different. There are plenty of players across the league who can provide similar production. In most dynasty formats with limited keeper spots, Mercer is either a difficult keep or a player you hold while rebuilding.

I’d project him as a mid-to-upper 30-point producer, though much will depend on how Winnipeg uses him. There’s a noticeable difference between playing alongside Timo Meier and Nico Hischier versus skating with Alex Iafallo and, eventually, Vladislav Namestnikov.

Nick Bjugstad, the other NHL forward in the deal, is currently on IR. If he’s on your fantasy roster, I’m guessing you’re in a league similar to mine with 20-plus managers. His Fantrax roster rate sits at just 2%, which tells the story.

The goaltender heading back to Winnipeg is Nico Daws. For some reason, I initially assumed the Jets would immediately waive or flip him elsewhere, but that clearly wasn’t the plan. While I don’t see Daws challenging Stuart Skinner for the starting role, he could quickly move into the backup position, potentially without even dressing yet. Current backup Clay Stevenson has struggled out of the gate with a 1-3-0 record, creating an opportunity for Daws to establish himself as the Jets' backup. I don’t expect him to be a regular starter this season, but he could see occasional spot starts.

In dynasty formats, Daws remains an intriguing asset. His .908 save percentage in limited action last season showed he can play at the NHL level. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he has the physical profile you like to see for my netminder, and increased playing time could eventually translate into meaningful fantasy value.

Now let’s get to the centerpiece of this trade: Alexander Command, the 12th overall pick in last summer’s draft.

I love following drafts and prospect development, and Command is a player I’m particularly high on. I think he has the potential to become a legitimate shutdown second-line center at the NHL level. An interesting connection here is that he’s a former teammate of Viggo Björck in the Swedish Elite League, whom the Jets selected just four picks before Command in the same draft.

From a dynasty perspective, I don’t see any reason to move on from him, even with his slow start in Sweden this season. Prospects develop at different rates, and nothing about his early production changes my long-term outlook. Since he hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet, he won’t carry a salary on Fantrax, so there’s no cap hit to worry about.

I don’t expect Command to make the jump to North America this season, but he’s exactly the type of prospect I’d be happy to have stashed in my pipeline. The upside may not be flashy, but I think there’s a real NHL player here, and one who could become an important piece of your club's future.

For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.