Avalanche Hellebuyck Trade Price Makes Colorado’s Miss Easier to Accept

The Colorado Avalanche’s missed chance to acquire Connor Hellebuyck looks easier to accept after the reported return came into focus. New Jersey sent Winnipeg a young center, a first-round pick, a goaltender, a veteran forward and two more picks for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner. Colorado would have struggled to match that package without surrendering assets it may need elsewhere.

The deal, reported as complete Friday, sent Hellebuyck to the Devils. PuckPedia listed the return as center Dawson Mercer, goaltender Nico Daws, forward Nick Bjugstad, first-round pick Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. The salary figures in its breakdown put Hellebuyck in the third year of a seven-year contract with an $8.5 million cap hit. New Jersey took on a net $1.65 million in cap hit, according to the same report.

PuckPedia’s trade breakdown identifies Mercer’s cap hit as $4 million, Daws’ as $1.1 million and Bjugstad’s as $1.75 million. Mercer is a restricted free agent after his current deal, PuckPedia reported. Those details underline that the exchange was about more than adding a proven goalie: Winnipeg received several roster and future assets in return.

Colorado’s package would have come up short

Mercer is the most difficult piece for Colorado to replicate. He may not have met every expectation in New Jersey, but the source describes him as a capable top-six forward at 24. A team considering a goalie of Hellebuyck’s standing could value that kind of young center for his current role and remaining development runway. The Avalanche don’t appear to have an obvious equivalent to offer.

Nic Roy might have been among Colorado’s closest options at center, but the source frames him as a lesser match for Mercer. That distinction matters in a deal built around a major goaltending upgrade. Winnipeg was able to bring back a younger forward who could contribute up front, rather than relying only on draft picks or depth players to balance the exchange.

Alexander Command, selected 12th overall in the draft, added another premium asset to Winnipeg’s return. Colorado’s prospect pool, as described in the source, didn’t contain a comparable player. Beckett Hamilton is raised as a possible name that might have interested Winnipeg, but there’s no indication he would have been enough to anchor a package of this size. Colorado also faces a challenge assembling a first-round selection that could have matched the value of Command.

Bjugstad would likely have been the easiest piece for the Avalanche to replace or accommodate. The source says Colorado had depth forwards available, making a veteran forward less of a barrier than Mercer or the first-round pick. But removing one manageable part from the deal doesn’t solve the larger problem: the Avalanche would still have needed to match Winnipeg’s young center, prospect and goaltending value.

The goalie comparison cuts both ways

Daws is an intriguing part of the return. At 25, he was once viewed as a possible long-term answer in New Jersey’s crease; this move sends him to Winnipeg instead. Colorado could perhaps have offered Ilya Nabokov in a similar role. Yet the comparison raises a difficult question for the Avalanche: would giving up Nabokov for roughly three years of Hellebuyck’s current contract have made sense?

Hellebuyck would have been a substantial upgrade in goal, but the reported price would have reached beyond a goaltender prospect. Colorado would have had to consider the cap commitment and the value of the other assets it might surrender. The source offers no evidence that the Avalanche made a formal offer, or that discussions advanced beyond an initial conversation. Claims that Colorado was close to landing him would go further than the available information supports.

The fit also matters. A star goalie can change a team’s outlook, but an acquisition of this scale asks what the club gives up across its lineup and pipeline. The original analysis argues that Colorado had other roster priorities, including adding power-play scoring, and suggests that a forward such as Patrik Laine could address that need. That’s a proposed direction, not a reported move or confirmed target.

For the Avalanche, the trade’s significance may be less about losing Hellebuyck than about seeing what it took to acquire him. Colorado could have benefited from his goaltending, but matching New Jersey’s return would likely have forced a painful choice among young forwards, prospects and future picks. With Hellebuyck now in the Eastern Conference, the teams could meet in the Stanley Cup Final; otherwise, Colorado’s immediate task is to find a roster fit that doesn’t require a package this expensive.