Empty Netters Podcast - Connor Hellebuyck Is A New Jersey Devil

Episode Date: October 23, 2026

BREAKING NEWS! The Devils pull off a massive blockbuster trade acquiring Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils sent Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad, prospect Alexander Command, a 2029 2nd round pick, and a 2027 7th round pick to Winnipeg. This trade is MASSIVE for the Devils and makes them a top team in the east. What does this mean for the Detroit Red Wings and Dylan Larkin? Perhaps even bigger, does this mean Quinn Hughes is now 100% coming to New Jersey as well? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emergency Breaking News episode of the Empty Netters podcast right here, brought to you by BetMGM. Guys, subscribe to the page so you can see stuff like this. Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe, send it to your parents, send it to your siblings. Get them to subscribe. Like the video, follow along. Here we go. Connor Hellabuck has been traded to the New Jersey Devils. It's about damn time.

It is about damn time. The return is Dawson Mercer, Nico Dawes, Alexander Command, Nick Buchstad, a second in 2029 and a seventh in 27. Lots to say. Lots to break down. But before we get into anything, I have a question for UCP. Do I have your permission to be a little bit

spicy? Oh yeah, dude. This is an emergency rip job. This is an emergency band-aid rip. You can spice it up. Get the Texas Pete. Get the Louisiana. Get the Kentucky. I don't know if they have good hot sauce, but it feels like they do. Pour it all over everything. I know that this

is a fun show. We like joking around. We're primarily a comedy, fun time hang show. But I am going to be a little spicy today because this season has been a little bit annoying with certain people in the mentions when we talk about these trades, this yellow buck situation, this Larkin situation. And we always talk about the overvaluing of your own asset. And the amount of fucking times that I have said online and on this show, guys, you need to understand when a player wants out. And they have a no move. They have all the leverage and your team's probably going to get fucked. I'm not saying the Jets got fucked here.

But when we talk about these two players, Larkin and Hellebuck, and we've got people going, they're going to need at least two first round picks and a high-end prospect. And I have been like this. Don't be surprised if that's not the case. And every now and then I'll see some fucking bot clown. Be like this. These idiots have no idea what they're talking about. Dude, it's always this. Watch hockey for once.

Dude, do you guys even watch hockey? Go shit. I should watch hockey. Here's my message to that. Folks, don't test us. Don't test me. Like, I am, I am a goof. I am a, I'm a, I'm a fun time clown, and I'm here to entertain you. I have big floppy shoes and a nose. But do not make the mistake of thinking that we don't know what we're talking about, or that we don't talk to people. Because you will come out looking like an idiot. So here we are, dude, not a single first round pick in the this return. And don't get me wrong, Jets fans, I can already feel the steam coming out of your ears. I love Alexander Command. I think he's a great player. He was a good pick by the Devils.

That's good to get back. But there are no first-run picks and there is your one high-end prospect. Because as a huge, I think both of us, Dawson Mercer fan. Yeah, yeah. I think we can all agree that Dawson Mercer does not have the value in a trade that he might have had years ago. When he had that 56 point season with 27 goals in 2022, 2023, and he was only 21 years old. He was about as high of a prospect as you can get. But since then, it's just kind of petered out. 20 goals, 42 points last year.

But like if Martin Mercer looks like a 40, 50 point guy, that is not a first round prospect talent anymore. You can say he was picked in the first round, if you want to make yourself feel better, absolutely. But, and I'm not giving up on Mercer. He's only 25. Oh, yeah. But he is not progressing like people thought he would.

Never missed a hockey game. He has never missed a hockey. Isn't that awesome? I fucking love that about him. Never missed a game. 82 fucking games every year in your fucking nose. It's incredible. He's the best.

I bet he goes 84 this year. He's the best. He goes 84. You get some depth and some cap shed in Bukstad. He's going to give you, you know, 20 to 30 points every year. But really, this trade is Mercer, Daws, and command. And like, does has perennially been a back-up. goalie because he's been in the backup pipeline. But I mean, dude, this is what we keep saying.

This is when you are back up against the wall, when a player demands a trade, when they have all the control, you might not get the best. And at the end of the day, I'm seeing a lot of very smart Jets fans going, given the circumstances, we got back some good stuff. And that is the correct take. I totally agree. I think I actually heard some people early going the exact opposite, going like this, wow, what a haul. And I was like, this is not a hall at all. It is absolutely not a hall at all. Now, but, but this is, I'm with you, this is what you should have gotten. Yes. You and, and Larkin people strap in like this is not the Huberto, Matthew Kachuk thing in any way, shape, or form. This is your superstar is leaving and you are getting scraps back and hopefully it's enough scraps to

maintain you in the future. And in fact, not to drag the jets anymore here. I would have, I almost like wanted more picks than these guys. And that's coming as a Mercer guy. Yeah. But I'm just like, oh, fuck. Like I don't, you know, I do get drunk on draft picks and prospect porn though. So maybe I'm wrong about that. And maybe.

But it's just like, is Command and Mercer, are you, are you, as the Jets franchise, are you now like, great. Now we are a goalie away from being nasty. And I'm like, I don't think so. But actually, the Jets are. good anyway, you know? Like the Jets, even without any new pieces were, we're a hell of buck away from being good. So I'm like, you're fine. I don't know. Whatever. That's what's interesting, dude, is like, the Jets are a great team right now. They're fun. They're winning a lot of games that I'm like, no, I think a lot of people didn't think they'd be winning. Yeah. And Bukstad,

I think he got torn pectoral surgery in, I believe it was September, but I'm not sure, but he's not going to be back until like January. So like when he comes in great, but like, you're probably going to put Dawson Mercer on that third line. Now you've got Alexander Command in your pipeline. Like that's, you got better than what you were this season because hellie's not playing. Yeah. Like that is the big thing.

It's like, Helly is not playing. Skinner is your starting goalie. And here we go. You now just added to your team. So this year, as in literally what is on the ice for you, you have improved.

So that's good. That's a good thing for the Jets. At the end of the day, this is masterful work by Sunny. I mean, like this is masterful. Dude, because I'll tell you this, obviously, several people were coming to get this man. Yes.

And I know it took a haul and whatever. And it was not an easy trade to pull off. But I mean, my God, if you're the Buffalo Sabers, blow your brains out and make sure I'm standing behind you because I'm ride or die. But, dude, this is a massive fumble. And your fumble is Sunny's treasure, right? Like, great job. Great scoop and score.

Yeah. Because teams were knocking on that door. teams that could really fucking use him. Yep. And you got him. You got him. You got him. And it's just like, I mean, this is the other part when I said I wanted to be a little spicy here. I've, we, but I've been fucking all over this. Yeah. Every time we've talked about this, I'm like, it is the devils. And I'm going to come to your aid here when you were like, obviously, this is what the devils need. And some

Devils fans were like, this, you're an idiot. Take Allen's the guy. And Dan, it's like, Dude, are you fucking nuts? Those same people have been all over, like some of my friends, they've been texting me, and they've been all over their social today, celebrating in the streets, as they should be. But I'm like, where was this reaction? Thank your God.

Like, literally find Chris's phone number and text him and say fucking thank you. You're not allowed to fucking prance around. They're like, we got hellie. We had Dawes and Allen, we're fine. What now, you fucking clowns? Come on, celebrate it, but acknowledge that he was right and I was right.

fucking A. This was the number one team for me. It was over Buffalo and it was over Carolina. Over Carolina because I love Bussie and also you just want a cup. Like you don't necessarily It was over Buffalo for me

because I like UPL but also I just felt like the Devils had the better package. But dude, here we are. Like I can't fucking believe and I want to make sure I'm putting an asterisk on this because I'm trust in the websites that I use for this shit.

Yeah, we have to make that caveat every time. But the Devils, dude, just picked up Connor Hellebuck, and they are, they currently have $8.1 million in cap space still. They, of all the fucking guys, dude, of all the guys that we've been like, oh, in a trade for Hellebuck or a trade for Larkin, what would they have to give up? Mercer was always named, but like, there's plenty of dudes that we were like, they might have to lose that. They didn't lose any of those guys.

They didn't lose the first round draft picks. And I'm looking at this team and their projected cap space next year. And it's like, you could go get Larkin and sign Quinn. I mean, dude. I don't want to talk about that yet. We are going to talk about that in this discussion. But like, I want to stick on this halibuck trade and what Sonny has done. But like, they had all the moves.

And Sonny did it and just didn't give up. Anything. I don't want to say anything because I think Command is a great player. For Jets fans who are bummed out right now, Alexander Command picked 12th overall last year by the Devils out of Sweden. He's a center wing, six foot one, great player, playmaker and goal score. Had 44 points in 30 games last year for Orobrough, and he is just like a great player. And I think he'll be very good. And I believe in Dawson Mercer. I do. I think Dawson Mercer is good. I believe that Dawson Mercer can be a 60 point guy.

So, like, you got better the Jets. You did. Hellabuck was suspended. I know it was just lifted, but he wasn't playing. You were playing well. You have a great record right now. Skinner looks good. And you just added Dawson Mercer to this.

You added to the bottom six, Bukstad when he comes back, hopefully from this surgery. And then you got a good prospect in it. Like, you did not get fleeced. I'm not going to say fleecing. But the devil's won this trade. The devil's won this trade. They were obviously going to.

because of the circumstances. And so yeah, like this was not for nothing, but I'm very impressed with Sunny because you did not give away, in my opinion, your biggest pieces. That's why I'm impressed. I want to talk about the devils this year, projections this year.

Okay. My old, as of right now, through they've played 10 games, they're currently sitting in the second wild card. If you go to the division itself, they are fourth in the Met, 12 points. The Islanders have 12 points also through 10 games. Sure. The Rangers are ahead

of them who've lost Esty for the year. The caps are right behind the penguins and flyers and the Blue Jackets stink. Yeah. Chris. You're being so mean to them this year. Well, they... We don't even get into it. But you just keep taking

ricochet shots. You're right, and they don't deserve it. They don't. We love Columbus, dude. It's the heart of it all. It's the heart of it all, and it's they sell out every fucking game. It's incredible. They're the best. Fire the cannons. The, my only fear for the Devils this year, because right now Devils fans are obviously going, holy shit, we did it. Yes. And I'm making this comment without any other moves this year.

Uh-huh. My only fear at all is Helibuck has missed time to start this year. Yeah, I hate that. We've seen that be horrible for goalies for that season. It's just, I don't know what it is. I didn't play the position. But for that season, they have a really hard time locking back in and you can almost never quite catch up. There's countless examples.

So that's a concern if you're like, oh, now we got Hellie and we're going to be second in the med and make a deep playoff run. Maybe not. Also, I witnessed it with my eyes what he did in Milan and it was incredible. Yes. But Connor Hellbuck has never really had NHL playoff success. So that is another concern. Fair.

You're like, before you lift the cup in Jersey with this move. Now, obviously, I'm being doomsday right now because I am thrilled with this move. I think we're going to get into that in a second. But that is my heat check, temperature check, reel it in moment for the devil's fans. I'm like, be thrilled, be thrilled because you got this done. Yeah. And you beat a lot of teams. But don't celebrate too early because it's like I'm excited to see him play a few games first to see how he's feeling.

Yeah. You know you're right. You're right. And the playoffs thing is right. And obviously we are Americans. And like we did see it in person. I was there. Boots on the ground.

We know he can win the big one. But you're absolutely right. Stanley Cup playoffs he has not had success it's almost to me Dan like this move is almost excites me so much about the next several years in jersey so Chris that is what I was right about to say is like we we've been frustrated by this team in that I'm like what is wrong with you guys what was it three seasons ago now when they beat the Rangers in the first round and they looked so fucking good and exciting and it has felt like really even with that Markstrom move like the goalie was just the continuing thing that was frustrating.

You got him until 2031. It's incredible. Like what a feeling, because here's the deal, dude, playoff issues or not. Connor Hellbuck is Connor Hellbuck. This is a two. He won the heart. He won the heart winner. A gold medal winner.

Like he knows how to. He is an elite, elite, elite, elite goaltender. And you now have him. So like you get to go like this. If you're Sonny and Devils fans and the devil's team, you go, I'm chilling. I'm chilling. I'm chilling. Yep.

Now you figure out the rest of it. And that is where I suppose we can transition now into brother. Dude, this is so awesome. This is why I'm actually excited. This is all I really want to talk. Same. Up until three hours ago before this happened, I was very much like, I'm not so sure that Quinn to New Jersey is that realistic because the devils have too many question marks.

The wild are a better team than the devils right now. I'm not saying that this move alone just made the devil's better than the wild, but you sure is shit better believe they're fucking damn close now. And dude, like, Quinn to Jersey Watch is way on now. Can I tell you a few things? Tell me everything. I'm here, here a couple empty netters stamps. No, I'm not going to put this on you.

I'm putting it on me. There is a 100% certainty that the devil's acquies. require one of Larkin or Quinn, 100% certainty. Like that is literally already done. One of those players is on your team. I will co-sign said stag. 100% point zero. Yeah.

Full stop. They're getting one of them. There's a, God, 40% chance you get both. Maybe 30%, but there's a non-zero percent chance you get literally both, which would be, dude, I would literally become the biggest. devil's fan of anyone I've ever known. I legitimately think there would be like an investigation into the National Hockey League and into the United States hockey program. Why? I don't get it.

Because if Heli Larks, Quinn all joined Jack in Jersey, that would be unbelievable. And now I'm telling you, there's a 100% chance you get one. There is an 85% chance. It's Quinn. Yeah. And I would say a 60% or I guess I don't know if that, I don't know if I have to split that hundred. But there's an 85% chance you get Quinn and there's a 60% chance you get Larkin there's a 100% chance you get one of them. I don't know if that math works, but it does. This is what I'm telling you. And there's also a hundred percent chance that Jack Hughes is going nowhere now because you got you got his guy. So what a time to be a devil's fan. What a time to be me? Because this is going to be so fun. It's going to be a blast. It's going to be a blast. And I'm going to say this to like, hey, stay humble

devils fans because I know that there's a lot of devil's fans who have been for the whole time. they've been peacocking around going Quinn to New Jersey is a 100% lock. And I am now on your side with that, but you were wrong before. And I'm telling, I am telling you right now. Dude, I was one of them and we were right. No, Chris, as funny as that is, I do want to say this because, dude, when you do that, you don't give respect to Sunny. Sunny made this happen.

But I think we were giving respect to him. No, you weren't. Things will happen that will get him there. You weren't. You were believing fully and blindly in the. brotherly love shit and I'm telling you without Connor Hellebuck this is not as fucking certain. Okay. And that is

where you have to stop being peacocking assholes and going, I fucking knew it the whole time because you didn't know it the whole time. You trusted in just the brother thing but the facts of the matter are this helps. I am telling you this helps. So you need to, you can peacock but you need

to while peacocking point at Sunny and go my dog. Yeah, yeah. Thank you. My dog. Because you fucking, I was being a cocky piece of shit and you just helped me. because at the end of the day, I think you're going to be right, but it's because of Sunny. I still think we were right, though, even without Hellebuck. And we will never know. And I guess we'll never know.

We'll never know. Because, and I said this on these airwaves, the second Brady Kachuk went to Florida, I was like, Quinn to the Devils is a literal lock now because the other Olympic brothers just were like, let's go play together because it would be fun and they're going to make a deep cup run and then talk to them in the summer and go, it was the best thing. It was even better than we dreamed it would be. Yeah, which it currently is in Florida. So it was going to happen anyway, but you were 100% right that now it is certainly happening.

Thank you, Sonny. So we, credit, credit to us. Credit to us. Credit the devils. Credit to Sunny. It's a time for celebration. This is a big day. This is a big, big day.

I was actually going to say credit to us and credit to Alec Martinez yesterday's episode. Yeah. So if you haven't listened to that, go tune into yesterday's episode. We talked about when Larkin extended his trade list and the devil's wrong. Just the devil's wrong. We were like, and I'm not saying we're the fucking only people. people who thought this, but we were like, obviously him and Hela Buk are talking. Yeah.

And a day later, Helibuck getting traded to the devils makes me be like, well, well, fucking well. So, this is going to be awesome. I am just so, so horned up. Start buying your quiz. To see what is going to come down the pipeline here because, like, dude, it would just be beyond exciting to see if they could figure out a Larkin situation here as well. Be so dumb. it would be so dope dude like if if all of a sudden you just insert him into this lineup and you bump out him or jack to the wing and you're just like this well yep good job guys and yeah i i think it's just it makes i mean dude three if they had three

there were four american players on the ice when we won the gold medal and they might have three of them insane insane. So here's my question for you. Your move, you're a move redwings. Yeah, I want to close this out talking about two things.

One, the Detroit Red Wings and two, the Minnesota Wild. The Detroit Red Wings, your move. You're up. And it is,

it's as we talked about in the last episode and we've been talking about all season, you're just ruining your own situation. You're ruining your fucking locker room,

your culture by just not delaying this. I think this is brutal because I think that this is going to drastically change what they can expect to get for Dylan Larkin. I know Larks is a few years younger, but at the end of the day, dude, like, I know a lot of people drinking the copium want to be like this. What do you mean we didn't get first run picks, Alexander Command and Dawson Mercer are first round picks. Dude, we hate picks more than anybody. but at the end of the day, the second you use a pick on a person, it diminishes because it's now a person. It's not anything.

You got no first round picks for this deal. So to all the Red Wings fans going, we're going to get a high-end prospect, an NHL ready player and at least two first-round picks. I don't, maybe not. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe not. And this trade doesn't help you. I'm not saying it's impossible. Could happen.

Depends on what team. But this is potentially like, ooh, maybe recalibrated. Recalibrate what we think we're going to get. Marks is younger, but I would say objectively, most people view Connor Hellibuck as a more valuable piece to your team. Connor He'llibuck. Yeah, I mean, like, you need a goalie to win.

Especially the guy has multiple Vezna, Vesnas and a heart. Yes, he is more valuable. Yes, and we say that loving Dylan. Yep. Okay, wild. Do you stay the course? Did you go into the season going like this?

Quinn is probably leaving. We're going to go till the fucking wheels fall off. We try to win this year and that's that. or do you look at this and go, this may have just drastically changed things? Should we trade him and get something for him? So here's the situation. You've said this before,

so I'm partially stealing some of your take. You have two paths, trade him to the devils right now, or let him go to the devils for free at the end of the year. End of the year, right? Yeah, and as a part of that, with the hope and the prayer that maybe, he goes, you know what?

No, I love it in Minnesota. I want to stay here. Well, he's playing for New Jersey next year. So is he playing for New Jersey this year also, Orden just New Jersey next year. So you have two paths If you're the Wilde. Trade him to Jersey now

or let him go to Jersey for free next year. I think some Wild fans, Neidrick would go, well then if that are the two cases, which they are the only two cases, then yes, trade him to Jersey now, even though you will get

absolutely fucking nothing back because they'll go, why. But this take him ceiling from you is, in fact, the devils will just not do that because they'll go, unless they also get Larkin, and then they're like, maybe we could literally win a cup this year,

but mostly they're going to go, I'm just going to wait and get him for free because I need to save some of these players or use them for Larkin or whatever. Dude, you're like, you're right. Sorry, continue. So if I'm the wild, I literally go like this.

I become the biggest buyer of all time. I mortgage my entire future. I trade every first round pick from now till 2035. For every star, we can possibly cap, manage, afford on this team, and make the hardest cup run we've ever had, and then be horrible next year. Be in cap hell, lose Quinn, and everything. But do everything, trade every life.

you've ever cared about for Stanley Cup this year and that's it. Yeah. Dude, it's, it is tough, man. Like, I have never been bigger on the Quinn is obviously going to New Jersey now. And I do wonder, I genuinely do wonder if you go all the fuck in this year or if you are like, dude, no. Like, I don't. I don't want to like destroy the future of this which like you wouldn't do because you still have Boldie and Quinn

Boldie and Krill and you've Ericson Eck you Faber you've got great pieces like you're not trading those guys like this would just be like trading picks and trying to figure out what can work with a cap but like nothing can work with a cap. That's the problem with this wild team and like there's a part of me that's like

you are right dude I don't think the devil's even with Hellebuck and let's say they trade for Larkin, right? Yeah. Let's say they move like Casey Selyev, maybe Meyer, maybe Manta, and first round picks, and they get Dylan Larkin. Even with that, I'm not entirely sure that they're like, we are going to win this year. And they are, I promise you this, dude, if Quinn Hughes, in his mind has gone, I'm going to New Jersey, they know that. Yes. Sorry, folks. Newsflash, Sonny is aware of that one way or the other.

It makes zero sense to trade for him. So like they will just wait. They will just wait and they will get him for free. So even if the wild were like, dude, you know what, this isn't worth it. Let's trade. You can't. You can't. So I think, dude, there is a world where the wild could trade him elsewhere as a rental and be like, get something for him.

Like if there is a good team that's making a playoff run, at the fucking death, which sucks because they're going to be in the playoffs too. Kill yourself. Slit your own throat. They should trade them to the abs. Just go like this. Honest to God. I'll trade you to Colorado. Give me something. Go play with kale. And then we'll go to Jersey. They should trade him to the apps. Honest to God, I do not think it is out of the realm of possibility for them to, like, if they see the writing on the wall, if it is so obvious that Quinn's like this, I'm fucking gonezo, bro.

And they're going into playoffs and they're like this, we can't win, that they might be like this. Dude, here you go. Quinn to the ads is my biggest hashtag. Yeah. But the facts of the matter are. Yeah. But the facts of the matter are, I love this wild team. They are good. Faber's going to come back and they are going to go for a cup. And I think at the end of the day, like we've said, and listen, there was a world before

this Hela Buck trade where I was like, I could see Quinn staying. I could because the wild are great. They're a great team. But at the end of the day, it's like, it is probably what we anticipated in that it is all or nothing this year. You have them and you go like this. Listen, we made the fucking move. We tried to convince you, but Sonny pulled his fucking bag of tricks.

and we got to just try to win this year. So I think that's, I think that's it. And dude, I'm telling you, man, if your antennas aren't up right now, folks, for Sonny with what he just pulled off and what he still has, not going, I'm going to make a move for Larkin now. You're out of your fucking mind.

Strap in. So strap the fucking Dylan Larkin to Jersey is so possible. And then Quinn Hughes, we'll see you, we'll see you in the tri-state area. Buy your jerseys. Next summer, because that's happening. unbelievable.

Connor Hellabucks and New Jersey devil. Guys, love these special chats. It's amazing. Make sure you subscribe to the page. You know what? If you enjoyed this, send this page to a friend, at least one,

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