Devils Land Connor Hellebuyck as Blue Jackets Face Questions About Their Ceiling

New Jersey’s move for Connor Hellebuyck sharpens the challenge facing the rest of the Metropolitan Division. For the Columbus Blue Jackets, the trade also brings a familiar question into focus: can a team that has mostly added around the edges keep pace as its rivals pursue major upgrades?

The Devils acquired the Winnipeg Jets goaltender on Oct. 23, 2026, in a deal that Elliotte Friedman reported included Dawson Mercer, Command, Daws, Bjugstad, a second-round pick in 2029 and a seventh-round pick in 2027. The source describes Hellebuyck as a top goaltender and says the return is substantial. New Jersey is betting that a high-impact addition in net can move it closer to contention.

That package includes a player selected 12th overall, a middle-six forward, a backup goaltender and additional pieces, according to the source article’s assessment. It’s a meaningful price. But teams chasing a championship often weigh the cost of a major trade against the value of addressing a position that can shape a postseason run. In this case, New Jersey has made its priorities plain: it’s prepared to part with assets to add an established difference-maker.

Columbus has a different roster-building problem

The question for Columbus isn’t simply whether general manager Don Waddell could have assembled an offer that interested Winnipeg. The source argues the Blue Jackets may struggle to attract a player of Hellebuyck’s stature, even if they can put together competitive trade assets. That distinction matters. A club needs both the pieces to make a deal and a destination a sought-after player is willing to consider.

Since Waddell took over as general manager, the Blue Jackets have largely pursued reliable two-way players with contract term, according to the source. That approach can add stability and address specific lineup needs. It can also limit the club’s ability to change its trajectory if those additions don’t lift the roster into the playoff picture.

Meanwhile, the article points to major moves involving Hellebuyck, Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk as examples of high-profile talent changing hands around the league in recent seasons. Columbus hasn’t made a comparable splash. The concern isn’t that every club needs to chase a headline name; it’s that an organization stuck near the same level needs a credible route to a higher one.

A narrow path to the playoffs

The source sees Columbus as a fringe wild-card contender at best, dependent on many things breaking its way. It questions whether the Blue Jackets could hold up over a first-round series against Carolina or New Jersey, or sustain a seven-game matchup with Washington. Those are judgments about the roster’s current ceiling, rather than confirmed outcomes, but they frame the competitive gap the team has to close.

Contract commitments add to the challenge. The article describes Columbus as carrying aging veterans on deals that could make it harder to pursue a star through a trade or sign a high-priced free agent. A club pressed close to the salary cap has less room to absorb a major contract, and creating that space can require difficult roster choices. The source provides no specific cap figures or contract details, so the precise flexibility isn’t clear.

That leaves the Blue Jackets with a longer-term question about how to create room for a meaningful upgrade. They could need a player already in the organization to take a major step, or a future roster change that opens space and assets for a bigger move. Neither outcome is guaranteed by the source; both illustrate why steady additions alone may not be enough if the team remains outside the division’s leading group.

The next step has to change the outlook

New Jersey has accepted the cost of a major bet. Columbus, in the source’s view, has opted for a safer course while rivals strengthen around it. There can be value in patience and dependable depth, but that strategy needs to produce progress on the ice and preserve a path to further upgrades. Otherwise, a roster can become harder to reshape while still falling short of the postseason teams it needs to catch.

For Waddell, the immediate test is whether the current build can establish a higher ceiling and make Columbus a more compelling destination. The Hellebuyck deal doesn’t prove the Blue Jackets should have made the same move. It does underline the distance between a team willing and able to chase a major addition and one still searching for room to take its next step.