- Sabres and Jets are still talking a Connor Hellebuyck trade after a pre-draft deal fell through
- Buffalo’s package could include Luukkonen, Jack Quinn, prospect Radim Mrtka and more
- Read below for what Friedman and Pagnotta are hearing on the Vezina winner
The Connor Hellebuyck trade talks between the Sabres and Jets never actually died.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that Buffalo and Winnipeg kept discussing a deal for the Vezina winner through the draft, and the two sides are still talking even after nothing got finished in the first round.
A framework has been floating for weeks. The Sabres and Jets talked about a package built around the fourth-overall pick, but Buffalo held onto the selection and drafted defenseman Daxon Rudolph instead. That didn’t close the door.
According to Pagnotta, the Sabres are willing to move a big chunk of assets to get it done. The names floated include goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Jack Quinn, top prospect Radim Mrtka, Ryan McLeod and Konsta Helenius. Winnipeg wants help up front, with GM Kevin Cheveldayoff hunting for a second-line center and a winger.
Then there’s Hellebuyck himself. Elliotte Friedman talked about the goalie’s read on Buffalo on the 32 Thoughts podcast, and he didn’t leave much room for doubt:
That matters because Hellebuyck carries a no-movement clause. He controls where he goes, and Friedman’s read is that Buffalo’s direction over the next few years is what pulled him in, not the geography.
Hellebuyck is 33 with five years left on his deal at an $8.5 million cap hit. He’s coming off a season that ended with another Vezina and the Hart Trophy, plus an Olympic gold with Team USA. Goalies at that level don’t shake loose very often.
Winnipeg has downplayed the idea that they’re shopping him, and Cheveldayoff has framed his other summer moves as separate from any Hellebuyck decision. Whether the Sabres can build an offer the Jets can’t turn down is the question Buffalo has chased all summer.
