Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen received criticism for his lack of high-profile offseason acquisitions following the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, but the longtime NHL executive stressed confidence in the team's current roster.
So far, the results have been mixed. The Sabres are 3-3-0 through six games, a stretch that featured blowout losses to the Dallas Stars and Utah Mammoth that raised questions about the direction of the club, but Monday's win over the Florida Panthers was a step in the right direction.
One key problem lingers like a dark cloud, though: goaltending. Buffalo ranks 31st in team save percentage (.830) as both Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have struggled while journeyman backup Alex Lyon has been sidelined with an upper-body injury.
Rory Boylen of Sportsnet dissected those woes Tuesday, and discussed whether it's time for the Sabres to make one more push to land Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
"It's early, but... the calls for Connor Hellebuyck are growing louder. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is 59th of 63 goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected, and although Buffalo is among the best teams in expected 5-on-5 goal differential, they've actually been outscored 13-10 in that game state. There is no time to waste in a tight division, and as the Sabres sit 14th in the East in goal differential, the problem is squarely in the crease right now."Sportsnet's Rory Boylen
The Sabres and Jets were heavily linked as potential trade partners ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, but the sides weren't able to reach an agreement. The chatter has slowly faded over the past few months.
Yet, Buffalo still makes the most sense as a possible landing spot for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner, who didn't report for training camp and remains away from the team.
Kekalainen has a lot of trade chips, including an overcrowded group of NHL forwards, a top prospect in Radim Mrtka and his first-round pick in the 2027 draft. There should be a combination in there somewhere capable of enticing Jets counterpart Kevin Cheveldayoff.
While Cheveldayoff has taken a hard-line stance since Hellebuyck went public with his trade request, at some point it's best for everybody involved to move on. That's especially true with Winnipeg off to a strong start (3-1-1) without its All-Star netminder.
Yes, the circumstances have become a bit more complex since the draft because UPL and Josh Norris had limited no-trade clauses go into effect, hypothetically taking a couple players on the block off the table, but that shouldn't be enough to completely take the idea off the table.
Boylen is right, too. This isn't a situation where the Sabres can wait until mid-December to find a groove again. As a whole, the Eastern Conference is deeper and more talented than it was in 2025-26, and the final few playoff spots will probably be decided by a point or two.
Every game lost because of terrible goaltending, and that's what Buffalo has received so far (aside from UPL's impressive relief stint against the Panthers on Monday), could be costly in the end.
Are the Sabres waiting to see if Alex Lyon comes to the rescue?
Although it's a bit surprising the Hellebuyck trade rumors didn't ramp back up amid the Sabres' lackluster start, Kekalainen never showed any urgency to overpay for the standout netminder over the summer, and it feels like that remains the case. At least for now.
The outlook may change once Lyon returns to the active roster — he's been practicing with the team, but still doesn't have a definitive timetable for game action — particularly if his initial results end up on the same level as Luukkonen and Ellis.
Lyon was Buffalo's most valuable player early in the 2025-26 campaign. He held down the fort while UPL was injured and the remained unsure what it had in Ellis, who'd only recently been claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.
The 33-year-old Yale product finished his first season in Western New York with a .907 SV% and, while he was inconsistent, he was also the club's best option in the playoffs (.904 SV%).
Kekalainen may be waiting to see whether Lyon can provide a spark, which will also move the team back to the three-goalie rotation that was so successful a season ago.
It's understandable but, if that uptick in performance doesn't arrive soon, Buffalo's front office may have little choice beyond shopping the trade market for a goalie, Hellebuyck or otherwise.
Quite simply, there's no realistic scenario where the Sabres can keep pace in the East (or the Atlantic Division) while ranking near the bottom of the league in goaltending, the power play and the penalty kill, as is the case right now. That's true no matter how good they are in the 5-on-5 metrics.
Giving up multiple valuable assets for an aging netminder may not be a perfect allocation of resources but, depending on how the next stretch of games go, Buffalo could have no choice if it wants to seriously contend for a second straight postseason trip.
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