The Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres never stopped talking about Connor Hellebuyck. A week after general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff insisted the Stuart Skinner signing was not a prelude to a trade, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported Sunday on Daily Faceoff’s Hello Hockey podcast that the Buffalo conversations are “still going” — and that Hellebuyck would be happy to land there.
The two sides worked on a deal around the draft that didn’t come together, but Hellebuyck agreed to waive his no-move clause for Buffalo at the time, and Pagnotta says the talks have simply carried into the summer. “I think there’s some motivation to make it happen before the season,” he said of Winnipeg’s side, adding he wouldn’t be surprised if a trade was consummated mid-summer.
Why it matters
The reported asking price is substantial: goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a second-line forward and a top prospect. That is a franchise-goalie return, and it tells you how Winnipeg views this. The Jets are not dumping a disgruntled veteran; they are pricing a goaltender one year removed from being the best in the world, down season or not. Hellebuyck has not formally requested a trade, but he voiced clear frustration with the team’s direction after the season, and the front office appears to have accepted that a resolution serves everyone.
Pagnotta also noted Buffalo may not be alone, pointing to the Stanley Cup champions: “I think Carolina is always poking around, right? So it wouldn’t shock me if they continue to do that as well.” A second bidder is exactly what Winnipeg needs to hold its price.
The honest read on the roster: a return built around Luukkonen, a middle-six-or-better forward and a blue-chip prospect would leave the Jets younger and deeper at three positions, but it would also end the era in which Winnipeg could paper over defensive breakdowns with elite goaltending. Whatever comes back, the team in front of the crease gets harder to hide.
For fantasy purposes, a Hellebuyck trade would be one of the summer’s biggest value swings in net. Buffalo’s win environment has been unkind to goaltenders for a decade, which would cap his win totals even if the save percentage rebounds, while Luukkonen would inherit the Winnipeg crease with a strong defensive structure in front of him — a quiet buy in dynasty formats if this deal goes through.
