Elliotte Friedman dropped a quiet bomb today: the Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets may not be done talking about Connor Hellebuyck.
In his 32 Thoughts column posted Monday, Friedman wrote that after the 4th overall pick in the first round was selected, he expected a Buffalo-Winnipeg deal to be dead. Then he heard it wasn't.
His exact words: he doesn't know the likelihood, but he heard it wasn't over.
That's the kind of careful, sourced hedge that Friedman almost never wastes words on unless there's something real behind it.
Hellebuyck is 33 years old and carries an $8.5 million cap hit in Winnipeg.
The Jets went 35-35-12 this season, finished 26th overall, and their starter posted a .895 save percentage over 57 games with 23 regulation losses.
That's a team built around a goalie who deserved better.
Why Buffalo's crease problem makes this trade worth chasing
The Sabres finished 50-23-9, ranked 4th in the league with 109 points. Lindy Ruff's group averaged 3.5 goals per game and allowed 2.9. They were good. Very good.
But goaltending stayed a question all season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went 20-9 in 35 starts with a .908 save percentage. Solid. Not elite.
There's a meaningful gap between solid and elite when you're trying to go deep in the playoffs.
It's like the difference between a reliable middle reliever and an ace you hand the ball to in Game 7.
Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen knows that gap better than most.
The Sabres made it to the second round this season before losing to Montreal in seven games.
What they don't have yet is a proven difference-maker in the crease. Hellebuyck, even at 33, still has that reputation.
The Jets, meanwhile, are trying to figure out what the rebuild looks like. Kevin Cheveldayoff can't keep running back a roster that finished 26th and hope the results change.
Trading Hellebuyck is painful. But it may be necessary.
The draft pick piece is what makes this interesting. Friedman noted the 4th overall being gone didn't kill the talks.
That suggests Buffalo's return package is built around something else. Whether that's picks, prospects, or players, nobody is saying publicly.
What's on the table from a team with Rasmus Dahlin on an $11 million cap hit and a blue line built to win now? That's the question nobody has answered.
The two teams met twice this season. Winnipeg lost 1-5 in Buffalo in December, then bounced back with a 4-1 win at home.
No bad blood. Just a clean hockey transaction waiting to happen, or not.
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For now, nothing is done. But the fact that Friedman used seven words to say the deal isn't dead means this is worth watching very closely.
Should the Sabres make a serious push to acquire Connor Hellebuyck this offseason?
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