Buffalo Sabres: Pros and Cons of trading for Connor Hellebuyck
The Connor Hellebuyck to the Buffalo Sabres debate has taken over the hockey world. So should general manager Kevyn Adams go for it?
Connor Hellebuyck is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, there is no doubt about it. But is he worth trading for? I’ll say this much: You can definitely expect general manager Kevyn Adams to at least inquire the Winnipeg Jets about Hellebuyck’s services, and depending on what Adams hears, he will either pursue the trade, or he won’t.
But is the trade really worth pursuing at all? While one camp leans heavily toward ‘Yes,’ and the other camp leans toward ‘No,’ let’s give a complete overview of why this would be a great idea, and why it wouldn’t be.
Should the Buffalo Sabres trade for Connor Hellebuyck?
Pros
For one, Hellebuyck is barely three seasons removed from winning the Vezina Trophy, and his GAA and save percentage this past season remain similar to what they were when he won the honor. That said, he still has a few good seasons left in him, even as he approaches age 30.
For another, could you imagine the wealth of knowledge Devon Levi will get? Even if Hellebuyck is a one-year rental, no one on the Buffalo Sabres will benefit more than Levi.
Levi may have looked good in his seven-game sample, but what will he look like with a full slate of games, even if he were just a 1A? Honestly, I think he’ll be fine, but we really don’t know if he’ll hit a rookie wall after the All-Star break, or what, so we can’t make any assumptions. If the Sabres trade for Hellebuyck, then the latter’s immediately the 1A while Levi steps in as the 1B, and now we’re looking at a potential Linus Ullmark-Jeremy Swayman situation.
Finally, regardless of how bad the Blue and Gold’s defensive rotation could look, I’m convinced a Hellebuyck-Levi combo would, on most nights, handle the carnage that the goaltenders were forced to deal with last season with, at best, mixed results. With all of the above in mind, acquiring Hellebuyck might seem like a good idea. But….
Cons
First and foremost, what does the cost look like? Is it worth trading away high-end prospects who the Sabres could need in the near future? What about draft picks?
If Adams trades away an excessive amount of picks and prospects, then he could put his own process that preached “long-term success” in jeopardy, because Hellebuyck is only coming at a premium price tag. It’s just not worth mortgaging the long-term future for immediate success, especially if such a scenario happens, and Hellebuyck ends up being a rental piece.
Further, what about Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s development? Honestly, it would be a mistake to allocate him back to the AHL. I get that he wasn’t great last season, but he went on a tear between December 15th and January 28th, before tailing off. It was also Luukkonen’s first season with extensive experience in the NHL, and if the Buffalo Sabres instead looked to acquire another top four blueliner, then Luukkonen could likely make the leap, negating the need for Hellebuyck.
But if you bring in Hellebuyck and perhaps move Luukkonen in the process, that could hurt the Blue and Gold long-term. Again, this becomes especially apparent if Hellebuyck is a mere rental.
Finally, and I touched on this earlier but it deserves reiteration, what about long-term success? I get that we want to see the Sabres in the playoffs. But if bringing in Hellebuyck for a season even remotely mortgages that long-term plan, then Buffalo could be forced to take that infamous “step back” in 2024-25. At that point, we’d all be asking, “why didn’t Adams just stick to the plan?” In short, we have a lot of what-ifs.
Verdict
Overall, I can see the lure for bringing in Hellebuyck, and I can see why so many fans are enthralled with the idea. This is a playoff-starved franchise that would love nothing more than to see its team rule the Atlantic Division for the first time ever, and their respective division for the first time in forever.
So what do I think? I would look into trading for Hellebuyck, and even support it, but only if he a) comes at a cost that doesn’t put the plan for long-term success in jeopardy, and b) agrees to an extension, which he will be eligible for this season.
Although there are good ideas associated with it, the last thing the Sabres need is to acquire Hellebuyck as a rental at the expense of trading away a massive set of assets. Because once 2024-25 rolls around, not only are you out a goaltender since acquiring him likely means moving Luukkonen, but you will also likely need to mortgage off even more of your future to acquire another goaltender-especially if the 2024 free agent market ends up being weak.
What Sabres fans think of perhaps acquiring Hellebuyck. light. Related Story
So, my final verdict is to trade for him if the above stipulations are met. If not, I’m not willing to make one big run with the remote possibility that the Buffalo Sabres slip back into mediocrity if Adams were to trade a ransom for a rental. In the latter case, it’s just best to trust the process.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)