The Devils didn’t just make a splash Friday morning. They may have kicked over the board.
With Connor Hellebuyck now in New Jersey, the conversation has already shifted beyond the goalie deal itself and into what comes next. The move from GM Sunny Mehta, who landed Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets for Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad, a prospect, and two picks, tells everyone the same thing: the Devils are trying to contend right now. And once a team sends that message, the trade market starts looking different.
That’s why Dylan Larkin is suddenly part of the conversation.
Speaking on The FAN Hockey Show, Elliotte Friedman said Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has reportedly put the Devils on his preferred trade list, and he tied that to the ongoing Quinn Hughes situation as something to keep watching. Hellebuyck’s arrival only strengthens that connection. Larkin knows him well, and Friedman suggested the goalie deal could alter how Larkin views New Jersey.
One account even joked that he had just resubmitted his trade list, with the lone team on it being the Devils.
The bigger question now is whether Detroit is paying attention to the market the Hellebuyck deal created. Friedman said Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff did well in the circumstances, but also pointed out that the Jets did not land a first-round pick for the award-winning, gold medal-winning netminder. That detail matters because it opens the door to wondering what Larkin could bring back, and whether the Devils would be willing to go there.
Friedman said he’d “almost guarantee” the Minnesota Wild have already offered a good young player, a couple of roster players with decent salaries and perhaps a first-round pick for Larkin. If New Jersey can match that, or top it, then the Devils may have a path to step two of Mehta’s plan.
Michael Russo of The Athletic said the Hellebuyck deal would “absolutely” get Shawn Horcoff’s attention. If Hellebuyck fetched quantity more than quality, then Larkin’s value becomes the next major question.
Should the Red Wings move him now? Are they uneasy about waiting?
And if New Jersey enters the race with a strong enough offer, Detroit could be pushed into a decision.
Russo also said the Wild will keep pushing hard for Larkin, but the Devils may have just changed the shape of the competition. Some of the pieces that might have gone to Detroit in a Larkin deal have already been sent to Winnipeg. Even so, New Jersey still has something to work with.
On Morning Cuppa Hockey, Keith Kavanaugh laid out what he thinks a Devils offer would need to look like: “I have a feeling that if they were to make a move, it would probably have to be for a first-round pick, a pretty highly regarded prospect, and a young NHL roster player. You also have Mercer in like every trade rumor ever […] So, to me, it’s a player like that, right? A young roster player, probably a first-round pick, and then probably some sort of top-end prospect, like a Seamus Casey.”
Mercer is already gone in the Hellebuyck trade, which changes what New Jersey can put on the table. But the Devils did keep plenty of pieces, and enough may remain to make Detroit listen. After Friday morning, New Jersey looks like a far more plausible destination for Larkin than it did a few hours earlier.
In Other News...
Hellebuyck Era Ends After Jets Breakup Reaches Its Inevitable Finish
The Connor Hellebuyck chapter in Winnipeg has closed in the most familiar way a star-goalie breakup can: with a trade that sends him to the New Jersey Devils and gives both sides a clean reset. For the Jets, it ends a tense stretch around a player who still had five seasons left on his contract and was long expected to anchor the crease for years to come.
New Jersey gets the proven starter it needed, while Winnipeg moves on with a package of players and draft capital that changes the look of the roster immediately. Hellebuycks departure had been building toward this point for a while, and the deal finally gives the Jets a resolution to a situation that had become impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Devils May Be Closer Than Ever To A Massive Goalie Gamble
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is suddenly at the center of a trade conversation that could reshape the goalie market, with multiple insiders reporting that the Devils and Jets are close to finalizing a deal. The talks have been described as substantial, with significant assets in play and enough moving parts that the framework could stretch beyond a simple one-for-one swap.
New Jersey has emerged as the most likely destination, which would make this one of the biggest roster swings of the offseason if it comes together. There is still plenty to sort out, though, and the structure of the agreement is not settled yet, with the possibility of a three-team setup and Winnipeg looking for scoring help coming back as the negotiation continues. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Were Deeper In The Hellebuyck Chase Than Fans Knew
The Connor Hellebuyck trade chatter has only grown louder, and the latest reporting suggests the Winnipeg Jets are no longer just dealing with background noise around their star goalie. What started as another round of league-wide speculation now feels like a live negotiation, with the Devils reportedly in the middle of the push and the sense around the situation shifting toward something that could move quickly.
For the Jets, the timing matters as much as the return. Hellebuyck remains a franchise-level piece, but the longer the uncertainty hangs over the team, the more it complicates the picture around their roster and their immediate plans. Add in the way other Western Conference storylines are already swirling, from Edmonton losing Mattias Ekholm for at least a week to Brock Boesers frustration in Vancouver stirring more trade talk, and Winnipegs goalie situation stands out as one of the leagues biggest unresolved threads. [Read more 🡒]