Jarmo Kekalainen praises Sabres goalies amid Connor Hellebuyck rumors

One statement from Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen stood out during an appearance Tuesday morning on WGR 550 Radio.

"Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is a really good goaltender and has a lot to give to the Buffalo Sabres, and he'll be a big part of our future," Kekalainen said.

Perhaps the longtime NHL executive is merely playing his cards close to the vest, or trying to show he's not desperate to move away from the underperforming goaltender, but that doesn't sound like a comment that would be made shortly before trading a player.

Kekalainen struck an overall optimistic tone about the state of Buffalo's crease on WGR amid ongoing speculation the team is in the running to land Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets.

"We believe in our goaltending. They had really good numbers last year. They were good for us, all three of them. Alex Lyon's been hurt. He's close to coming back. We'll see where he's at when he does. Colten Ellis played some excellent games for us last year. He hasn't been quite as good as he was last year but we believe he'll get there again. He'll be a big part of our team."

Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen

Posturing? Perhaps, but it's the same stance Kekalainen took over the offseason when the Hellebuyck trade rumors first started to swirl. He's never sounded like somebody who was willing to sell the farm for a potential upgrade between the pipes.

The Sabres GM can't comment directly about players under contract with other teams, so there was no straightforward Hellebuyck discussion during the WGR interview, but he did speak generally about trade talks that come up short because the price simply wasn't right.

There was heavily speculation about a possible deal between Buffalo and Winnipeg leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft, which would have saw the Jets acquire the No. 4 overall pick as part of the Hellebuyck swap, but they weren't willing to include the No. 8 selection in the trade. The Sabres ultimately stood pat to select defenseman Daxon Rudolph.

All told, would it be a shock if Kekalainen turned around after making those comments and still reached an agreement to land the three-time Vezina Trophy winner? Not really. Buffalo still makes the most sense as a potential landing spot and, at some point, the asking price should come down.

He didn't sound like somebody on the imminent verge of a blockbuster trade, though.

UPL ranks among NHL's worst goalies so far in 2026-27

While Kekalainen has continued to stand firmly behind Luukkonen, the numbers early in the campaign are quite unsightly.

UPL ranks 46th among 54 qualified goaltenders in save percentage (.860) through seven appearances, and the underlying metrics paint a similar story. He's 47th in goals saved above average per 60 minutes (-0.83), according to Natural Stat Trick.

It's the latest display of inconsistency from the 27-year-old Finnish netminder, who's occasionally looked like a true No. 1 goalie but has never maintained that level over multiple years.

Here's his save percentage by season since joining Buffalo on a full-time basis:

The sample size this year is obviously too small to draw any definitive conclusions. That said, every time it appears UPL has turned a corner, he seems to take a step (or two) in the wrong direction.

So, it's fair to question whether the Sabres can move forward and emerge as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender if he's their top goalie. He's yet to establish himself as that caliber of player, and he struggled in his first foray into playoff hockey in the spring (.876 SV%).

That's why the Hellebuyck rumors were so loud in the first place, and Luukkonen's poor performance to open the new campaign has brought that speculation back in full force.

Kekalainen appears willing to showcase a lot of patience with his goalies, and he's clearly hoping the impending return of Lyon can provide a boost, but choosing to maintain that status quo when a netminder with Hellebuyck's trade record is available represents a risk.

That's why the rumors will persist despite the GM's public comments in support of the goaltenders on his current roster.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow