Connor Hellebuyck remains a member of the Winnipeg Jets as his team-imposed suspension nears its conclusion and, while several NHL teams continue to show interest, it still doesn't sound like a blockbuster trade is imminent.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported Thursday on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Carolina Hurricanes have presented an updated offer to Winnipeg without Alexander Nikishin, an unsigned restricted free agent, while the Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth are taking a more laissez-faire approach.
"I still think Buffalo and Utah — I think those teams are kind of hoping that Winnipeg feels a bit squeezed," Friedman said. "Not sure that's actually going to work, but that's the way I do think those teams feel."
Although there's been a lot of talk about the Jets potentially feeling some heat to move Hellebuyck before his suspension ends, which would make him eligible to rejoin the active roster, so far it doesn't sound like general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has dropped his asking price.
Winnipeg is off to a solid start (4-3-2) and some players have expressed mixed feelings about the three-time Vezina Trophy winner's potential return after he refused to report for training camp. In turn, the Jets could opt to resume paying his salary but ask him to stay away from the organization.
That's a significant asset to having sitting on the sidelines providing no value, either in terms of stopping pucks or trading him for players who can help the club compete, but it seems like Cheveldayoff has a price in mind and he's not willing to drop it. At least not yet.
Meanwhile, the Sabres and Mammoth are both fighting through some goaltending issues early in the 2026-27 campaign.
Buffalo sits 30th in team save percentage (.860), while Utah is 28th (.862). Each team also has a netminder that's been rumored as a possible trade target for the New York Rangers after the Igor Shesterkin injury in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Karel Vejmelka, respectively.
Yet, despite the whirlwind of speculation over the past couple weeks, the NHL goalie trade market has remained silent as most teams reach or near the 10-game mark.
UPL's struggles magnify the Sabres' Connor Hellebuyck pursuit
Based on comments Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has made since the offseason, he doesn't sound like somebody desperate to land Hellebuyck, especially if the return package ventures toward overpay territory.
Kekalainen continued to praise the Sabres' current goalies this week, and head coach Lindy Ruff referred to the endless rumors as "crap."
Yet, the team's brass also can't ignore the reality: Luukkonen has an .863 save percentage, representing the latest bout of inconsistency in a career filled with ups and downs. He's never been able to fully establish himself as a true No. 1 NHL goalie despite ample opportunity.
Is the Hellebuyck solution perfect? No. He's a 33-year-old goaltender who's coming off the worst season of his decorated career and has struggled during recent appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He also carries an $8.5 million cap hit through 2030-31.
That said, he's one of the best netminders of the generation with the Hockey Hall of Fame in his future. His track record paints a far more promising picture than that of UPL, Alex Lyon or Colten Ellis, especially for a team trying to make a second straight trip to the postseason.
One thing's for sure: The Sabres won't be able to keep pace in the highly competitive Atlantic Division, or the loaded Eastern Conference as a whole, without significant improvement in the crease.
Buffalo likely wants to see whether Lyon's eventual return from injury could spark a revival given how well its three-goalie rotation performed last year. The veteran backup recently suffered a setback, however, and there's no firm timetable for his return to game action.
The Sabres can't wait forever, either. They've produced some decent 5-on-5 metrics but they've only compiled a 4-4-2 record, and a lot of those points were the result of comebacks, an untenable approach, especially with struggles across the goaltending, power play and penalty killing realms.
A Hellebuyck trade could provide a spark. Whether it'd work out would depend on him returning to his previous All-Star form, but it's the type of all-in move that would signal to the locker room that the level of play displayed so far this season hasn't been good enough.
While Kekalainen has opted against that type of approach, but he's going to start feeling pressure if Buffalo isn't able to start playing a more sustainable brand of hockey in the near future.
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