If Connor Hellebuyck goes to Buffalo for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Sabres wouldn't be left needing a third goaltender, according to Elliotte Friedman on the FAN Hockey Show Monday.
"You don't need three goalies. You've got Alex Lyon and you've got Colten Ellis," Friedman said.
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That comment matters because it confirms what a Hellebuyck trade would actually look like on paper. Buffalo wouldn't be adding to a crowded crease. They'd be swapping one piece out and sliding everyone else up a rung.
Hellebuyck posted a .895 save percentage in 57 games for Winnipeg this season at an $8,500,000 cap hit, going 18 wins on the year. He's a former Vezina winner, and any team would have to give up real value to get him.
Luukkonen, meanwhile, went 20-9 in 35 games for Buffalo with a .908 save percentage and a shutout. The Sabres finished 50-23-9, fourth overall with 109 points, in part because their goaltending held up.
Friedman says teams around the league really want Alex Lyon
Lyon posted a .906 save percentage in 36 games this season with 3 shutouts. Friedman specifically flagged that other teams have real interest in acquiring him.
That detail changes the math for Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen. If Lyon becomes the new backup behind Hellebuyck, Buffalo could flip him elsewhere and recoup something instead of just absorbing a crowded depth chart.
Ellis, at 25, posted a .903 save percentage in 16 games, giving the Sabres a third option already developing in the system if Lyon does get moved.
The pieces fit together cleanly on paper. Whether Winnipeg actually wants to move a former Vezina winner for a younger, cost-controlled option in Luukkonen is the much bigger question nobody has answered yet.
Should the Sabres trade for Connor Hellebuyck even if it means moving Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen?
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LeBrun confirms blockbuster trade involving a No. 1 NHL goalie
