Connor Hellebuyck trade chatter between the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres flared up again Monday night, and it's not going away quietly.
Insider David Pagnotta reported the two sides could keep talking, with any framework involving a forward, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and other assets.
One name floated as part of a bigger package? Radim Mrtka.
David Pagnotta: Re Connor Hellebuyck/Jets: You've gotta imagine the conversations will continue, if it's with Buffalo, to include a forward, to include UPL, and other pieces...whether it's Radim Mrtka or something else.
Hellebuyck has posted 18 wins in 57 games this season with a .895 save percentage, numbers that still carry his name in trade rumors every summer.
The Jets finished 35-35-12, sitting 26th overall, a rough stretch that included a four-game losing streak to close things out.
Buffalo, meanwhile, went 50-23-9 and ranked fourth overall, the kind of gap that makes you wonder why Winnipeg would even entertain moving on from its franchise goalie.
Luukkonen's numbers complicate any straight swap
Luukkonen posted 20 wins in 35 games for Buffalo with a .908 save percentage, solid enough that framing him as a throw-in piece feels like a stretch.
Head coach Scott Arniel and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff have said nothing public, and Lindy Ruff's side in Buffalo has stayed just as quiet.
Winnipeg and Buffalo split their two meetings this season, with the Jets dropping a 1-5 decision on the road before answering with a 4-1 win at home.
Moving a franchise goaltender for a goalie plus futures is a strange bet when your own crease already has questions. That's the part of this rumor that doesn't add up cleanly yet.
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Nothing here is close to done. But when Pagnotta says the conversations will continue, that usually means somebody's phone is already buzzing again.
Should the Jets actually trade Connor Hellebuyck to the Sabres this summer?
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