The Buffalo Sabres have been one of the busier teams in the league this week. They moved Bowen Byram. They landed the No. 4 pick in a deal with Chicago. And now, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, they’ve got their eyes on Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Dreger didn’t exactly say a trade is close. But he laid out the logic pretty clearly. The Sabres have the assets to make it work. They have a clear need in net. And Hellebuyck is a Vezina winner who, when healthy, can carry a team into the playoffs. The question is whether Winnipeg wants to move him and whether Hellebuyck would even agree to go to Buffalo.
Goaltending Has Been a Problem for Years
Let’s not sugarcoat it. Buffalo’s goaltending cost them last season. The offense wasn’t the issue. The Sabres scored enough to win more games than they did. But the defense broke down too often, and the guys in net didn’t bail them out. That’s a bad combination.
Hellebuyck had a down year by his own standards. He went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. He dealt with injuries. That’s not the guy who went 47-12-3 with a .925 save percentage and eight shutouts the year he won the Vezina. But that version of him is still in there. At 30 years old, he’s not washed. He’s just been stuck on a Jets team that has been trending sideways.
The Contract and the No-Move Clause Are Huge Factors
Hellebuyck is signed through the 2030-31 season. That’s a long deal. He also has a full no-movement clause. So if the Jets want to trade him, they can’t just ship him anywhere. He has to sign off on it. That gives Hellebuyck a ton of control over where he ends up.
Would he waive that clause for Buffalo? That’s the real question. The Sabres haven’t made the playoffs since 2011. That’s a long drought. But they’ve got young talent all over the roster. They’ve got cap space. And they just added a top-five pick to a system that already has some serious pieces. A goalie like Hellebuyck could be the guy who pushes them over the hump.
But Winnipeg is reportedly willing to wait if the right offer doesn’t come before Friday’s draft. They don’t have to move him. The Jets might be fine holding onto Hellebuyck and seeing how things shake out during the season. Other teams have called, but nothing has gained traction yet.
Buffalo still needs a defenseman too. That hasn’t changed. But with the Byram trade and the pick from Chicago, they’ve freed up resources. Whether those resources get spent on Hellebuyck or something else remains to be seen. Dreger said it could happen quickly if it’s draft-related. Otherwise, this could drag into the summer.
Either way, the Sabres are making it clear they’re not done yet.
Leave a Comment