The New York Rangers have emerged as the ultimate wild card as trade rumors escalate around Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres and Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed the latest details about the Rangers' search for a goalie Monday on the 32 Thoughts podcast after they lost 2022 Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin to a season-ending injury.
"If the Rangers go get a Luukkonen or the Rangers go get a [Karel] Vejmelka, and I think those are two of the guys they've looked at. I've also heard [New York goalie scout] Scott Clemmensen — this guy's gonna think I have air tags in his bags — I heard he was in Calgary last week when Anaheim was there, assume he was maybe looking at [Ville] Husso, but the Ducks don't have a lot of depth in goal, so I don't know if I see that. ... Let's see where this all goes."Elliotte Friedman on the Rangers
As for Hellebuyck, Friedman mentioned the Rangers as a factor in the market, but perhaps more so as a club that could shake up the landscape rather than having direct interest in the Jets superstar.
"The Rangers, not because Hellebuyck, I don't think that's likely, but whatever [general manager] Chris Drury is gonna do here with the injury to Shesterkin, it could set a chain reaction around the league," Friedman said.
It initially felt like New York's season may be in peril after Shesterkin went down, but it's received strong goaltending from Dylan Garand (.927 save percentage in six games) to help keep the team afloat as part of a strong 6-3-1 start.
Garand probably won't be asked to fill a 60-start role, however, which is why the Rangers are surveying the market to create a potential 1A-1B situation, at minimum. Obviously if they decided to make a serious run at Hellebuyck, he'd take over as the full-time starter and they'd worry about what to do with him next season once Shesterkin is ready to return.
The Luukkonen aspect makes a lot of sense because he's a player who's enjoyed success in a tandem (or trio) setup in Buffalo, has a manageable contract as a future backup for Shesterkin and reportedly put the Jets on his no-trade list, complicating a potential Sabres deal for Hellebuyck.
Buffalo could attempt a three-team trade, or two separate agreements, that would send UPL to the Rangers while bringing Hellebuyck to Western New York.
It puts Drury in a position where he holds a lot of cards. He has the assets to make a deal with Winnipeg, or he could leverage the Sabres' or Utah Mammoth's interest in the longtime Jets cornerstone to get a netminder like UPL or Vejmelka at a more reasonable price.
All of the dominoes could fall into place by week's end.
Buffalo Sabres can't be afraid of taking a swing for the fences
The Sabres, led by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, embarked on a conservative offseason. They didn't make any blockbuster additions after trading away Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram once it became clear those former cornerstones weren't going to sign long-term extensions with the team.
Although there's been some promising signs from Buffalo's early-season play, mostly when it comes to its strong 5-on-5 metrics, there's a real threat its play in the crease will hold the club back.
Luukkonen (.860 SV% in seven games) has been sluggish out of the gate after a preseason injury and Colten Ellis (.864 in three outings) hasn't been able to unseat UPL atop the depth chart. Alex Lyon has yet to play while recovering from an upper-body ailment.
Kekalainen has appeared hesitant to overpay for Hellebuyck, which is reasonable given the 33-year-old goaltender's lackluster performance last season, but he'll be taking a real risk if he passes on the Jets netminder amid legitimate concerns between the pipes.
At some point during a contention cycle, and the Sabres opened the door last season, there comes a time to take a chance a potentially franchise-altering upgrade. There are very few deals in the NHL that are completely devoid of risk, and this wouldn't be one of them.
But the chances Hellebuyck is a significantly better option than the combination of Luukkonen, Lyon and Ellis should be enough to make the deal, unless the Jets' asking price is simply absurd.
It feels like now is the time to make it happen, too. Winnipeg is playing well, which may make its front office more willing to make a deal as Hellebuyck's suspension nears it conclusion, and the Rangers may be willing to take UPL to immediately clear the goaltending logjam.
At some point, Kekalainen needs to strike and put his stamp on a roster after a series of smaller acquisitions to help bolster the squad.
Why not now?
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