The Connor Hellebuyck rumors have picked up with the Winnipeg Jets making his desire to be traded public. Around the NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres were often connected to Hellebuyck, and there is no reason to think that Jarmo Kekalainen won't continue trying to get a trade done for the goalie.
However, not getting a deal done when they did has created some challenges for the Sabres' front office that they are going to need to take into account now. At the end of June, the Sabres had enough cap space to acquire Hellebuyck and his contract with an AAV of $8.5 million.
Over the past few months, the Sabres have re-signed players like Zach Benson, Beck Malenstyn, Peyton Krebs, and Olen Zellweger, which has eaten into their cap space, and according to Puckpedia, the Sabres now only have $5.1 million in cap space.
That means, at a minimum, the Sabres will need to open up about $3.5 million, but it doesn't leave much room during the season for moves. They could do that in this trade for Hellebuyck or in separate trades, but either way, these are some of the players they might look to move with their AAV.
Josh Norris ($7.95 million AAV)
Among the players who are likely available in a trade, Josh Norris has the biggest AAV at $7.95 million. When he has been healthy, he has shown he can be a difference-maker, but the big concern is that he has not shown he can remain healthy consistently.
Norris still has four years left on his contract, and for a player with a lengthy injury history, it might be a tough sell for a team to be willing to trade for him. In addition, Norris has a 10-team no-trade list that began this summer that complicates any trade, especially if the Jets are one of the 10 teams.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen ($4.75 million AAV)
If the Sabres trade for Hellebuyck, it is almost a certainty that they would trade Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. It doesn't make sense to keep Luukkonen, who is a starting goalie, as a backup with that contract when the Sabres also already have Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis.
The challenge for the Sabres is that Luukkonen had a five-team no-trade clause kick in on July 1st. It is unclear if the Jets are one of the teams on his list, and if they are, then Jarmo Kekalainen is going to need to find a trade with another team needing a goalie.
Ryan McLeod ($5 million AAV)
The depth that the Sabres have at center certainly makes this a conversation, but probably not someone they want to trade. McLeod is a key part of their penalty kill, and when considering they already lost Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway this summer, trading away McLeod would really have an impact on this unit.
However, he does have a significant contract and would be able to create a lot of needed cap space. In addition, he has a five-team no-trade clause that doesn't kick in until next summer, so it might be easier to include him in a trade.
Jack Quinn ($3.375 million AAV)
Jack Quinn is another player that the Buffalo Sabres probably don't want to trade, but after he put together his best season yet in the NHL with 20 goals, he probably has the highest value of any player on this list. The former first-round pick is just entering the prime of his career, and for a team like the Jets that is heading into a rebuild, this is the type of player they would want in a trade.
Justin Danforth ($1.8 million AAV)
The last player is Justin Danforth, but he is probably a tough player to move after he missed almost the entire season due to injury. Danforth is expected to compete for a spot on the fourth line, but the Sabres already have several players who fit on that line, so Danforth could be moved.
For Danforth, the Sabres may try to include him in the Hellebuyck trade, but realistically, it might be a separate trade that gets done to clear the cap space.
It will be interesting to see where Connor Hellebuyck ends up, and the Buffalo Sabres should still be one of the favorites. However, at this point of the offseason, it will require a little more work from Jarmo Kekalainen to get a deal done.
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