Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen never appeared desperate to land Connor Hellebuyck despite endless rumors linking his organization to the All-Star goaltender before the long-running ordeal finally ended with his trade to the New Jersey Devils.
The Sabres opted to stand part with their three current goalies — Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Colten Ellis and Alex Lyon, who's yet to play this season because of injury — despite UPL's struggles during the early stages of the 2026-27 season.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrapped up the Hellebuyck situation on Monday's edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, including a look back at Buffalo's involvement:
"You know, Buffalo, there's been a lot of guessing about what that was. Luukkonen, [Josh] Norris. I heard they were concerned about Norris' injury history. I know some people have speculated [Ryan] McLeod. I've never heard that myself, I can't say for sure. And you've gotta think they asked about one of those guys, like [Noah] Ostlund, [Konsta] Helenius, [Jack] Quinn, something like that. And then there was the 4-8 [pick] switch [at the 2026 NHL Draft]. I've always heard that the 4-8 switch was a very big deal, that Winnipeg wanted to get four, keep eight, and Buffalo was not willing to do that."Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman
In hindsight, it feels like the Sabres' pursuit of Hellebuyck ended the moment they selected defenseman Daxon Rudolph with that No. 4 overall selection.
Although the speculation persisted for months, Kekalainen praised the club's current goalie group in wake of the draft. Buffalo's GM repeated that process last week when the Hellebuyck rumors started to regain traction as his Jets suspension neared its conclusion.
He never sounded like an executive ready to pay a king's ransom for 33-year-old netminder coming off the worst season of his decorated career.
Whether that was the right decision is up for debate, particularly with UPL ranking among the NHL's worst goaltenders in the early going and Lyon still without a firm return timetable after suffering a setback in his recovery from an upper-body injury.
The Sabres will find it incredibly difficult to keep pace in the loaded Eastern Conference if they continue to rank near the bottom of the league in save percentage. Luukkonen and Ellis have combined for an .863 mark through 11 games, which ranks 31st in the league.
Yes, there are absolutely other problems. The power play and penalty kill have both been terrible, and the front office's bet on young forwards picking up the offensive slack has failed to yield the desired results other than some standout play by Quinn.
But goaltending can make or break a season, and right now Buffalo isn't getting enough saves. That's why the Hellebuyck noise remained so loud, though it appears the Sabres never made another strong push after things fell apart around the draft.
What comes next for the Sabres goalie situation?
The intense speculation surrounding the Buffalo crease should slow to a simmer for now.
Hellebuyck is a member of the Devils and the New York Rangers, who were speculated as a potential UPL landing spot, signed veteran James Reimer to serve as Dylan Garand's backup until Joonas Korpisalo returns after superstar netminder Igor Shesterkin suffered a season-ending injury.
Meanwhile, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed they're planning to continue feeding starts to Luukkonen as he attempts to find top form.
"We're looking at trying to get UPL some reps back-to-back, see if we could get in the groove," Ruff told reporters after Saturday's overtime loss to old friend Alex Tuch and the Washington Capitals.
In the bigger picture, the current vibe suggests Buffalo is hoping to at least tread water until Lyon is cleared to return.
The Sabres found a lot of success last season with a consistent rotation of UPL and Lyon with an occasional start thrown in for Ellis. They finished the regular season third in team save percentage, though both Luukkonen and Lyon faltered at times in the playoffs.
Kekalainen and Ruff will hope getting back to that foundation can provide some stability between the pipes. It's still unclear when Lyon will be ready for game action, though.
If things don't start to turn around over the next month or so, the front office will likely have little option beyond looking back to the trade market for potential solutions. Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild could be an option once he returns from a hip injury.
Ultimately, a blockbuster deal for Hellebuyck could have represented the type of all-in move Sabres fans have been waiting for, and it would have answered the team's longstanding questions in the crease, albeit with some added risk given the newly minted Devil is coming off a down year.
Kekalainen decided to pass, leaving the spotlight firmly on the battle-tested general manager as Buffalo tries to find a groove after a sluggish start to the new campaign.
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