Last week, one of the biggest names in the entire NHL made his rumored trade request fully public. Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck told the world that he wants a change of scenery via his agent. We're here today to point out a fact that should be obvious: the Blue Jackets should steer well clear of this situation.
Statement from Connor Hellebuyck: pic.twitter.com/hW8sNw1LJi
— Ray Petkau (@RayPetkau) August 27, 2026
In the shortest of terms, the pros are simply outweighed by the cons. This isn't to say that Hellebuyck wouldn't be an immediate upgrade to the crease in Columbus. He most certainly would. That isn't really up for debate.
The 33-year old is just one year removed from winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender-and also the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player at any position. He became just the third goaltender to win that award since Dominik Hasek won it twice, in 1997 and 98-and the first in 10 years.
Last season, he had a bit of a down year, posting a .895% save percentage, 2.86 goals against average, and 0 shutouts. This was the first time in his career that he was under 90%, and without a shutout for an entire season. I'm willing to step out on a limb and say that it was an outlier.
Of course, there is always the chance that father time is catching up to him. That could certainly be the case; however his stellar play at the Olympic games (he had a .956% save percentage in 3 games) would make the argument that he still has some miles left.
All of this is to say that, with a change of scenery, I fully expect Connor Hellebuyck to trend right back to being one of the very best at his craft in the entire world. Stll, it does not make sense for the Blue Jackets to try to acquire him at this time.
The fit makes no sense.
First and foremost, lets talk about the fit. The Blue Jackets have 5 goaltenders signed for the new season, led by returning starter Jet Greaves. He recently signed a 3-year, $15 million dollar deal to stay in Columbus.
The obvious backup here is Elvis Merzlikins, when healthy. He enters his final year with a cap hit of $5.4 million dollars. However, his actual salary is $4.225 million dollars-and I don't think that is insignificant for this organization at this point in time. Real money matters for a small market team.
Simple math states the obvious: the Blue Jackets have a complete goaltending tandem signed for a total cost against the cap of $10.4 million dollars. Exactly 10% of the league-wide salary cap.
Meanwhile, Hellebuyck is signed for the next 5 seasons (including this one), at a cap hit of $8.7 million dollars. He is still owed $39.5 million dollars on the remainder of that deal, including a whopping $10 million dollar salary next season.
So, the question here is not can Connor Hellebuyck be an upgrade for the Blue Jackets? The question becomes is Connor Hellebuyck enough of an upgrade over Jet Greaves, to justify blowing up the team's entire salary structure?
The answer to that question is probably best given by asking another question: is Connor Hellebuyck the final piece of the Stanley Cup contention puzzle for the Blue Jackets? Emphatically, the answer to that question is no. He's 33 years old, and by the time the Jackets are truly ready to contend, is he still going to be the elite #1 that he is now? I'm not so sure.
So, regardless the cost, I don't think this kind of trade makes any sense for this team at this point in time. The Jackets would certainly have to include Greaves (who they just extended) in any trade going the other way. On top of that, at least one first round pick, and probably a top prospect as well.
Maybe you could convince Winnipeg to take Merzlikins, but the cost on those other assets is only going to climb even further. In my opinion, the Blue Jackets shouldn't even be inquiring on this player at this time. It does not make any sense.
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