Why The Buffalo Sabres Can't Give Up On Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck
The Buffalo Sabres' goaltending was actually pretty decent this past season.
They had the third-best team save percentage in the NHL this past season, according to naturalstattrick.com. That was a massive jump from 2024-25, when the Sabres ranked second-last in that regard.
Goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis all produced save percentages of .903 or higher, and the Sabres thrived in no small part because they gave Buffalo a chance to win night in and night out.
However, reports continue to suggest the Sabres are the likely destination in a trade for Winnipeg Jets superstar netminder Connor Hellebuyck.
NHL Rumor Roundup: Could Penguins Pursue Stars' Jason Robertson Or Canucks' Elias Pettersson? Plus Hellebuyck Buzz
Recent rumors linked the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Dallas Stars' Jason Robertson and Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson, while an NHL insider wondered if the Colorado Avalanche might pursue Connor Hellebuyck.
The optics of the Jets accepting pennies on the dollar would fly like a lead balloon in Winnipeg. And while Cheveldayoff and Kekalainen are in win-now mode, a Hellebuyck trade could signal the start of a new era for both squads.
If Hellebuyck has already accepted the idea of playing in Buffalo, it feels to this writer that there's no turning back now. At some point between now and training camp in September, the Jets must pull the trigger on a Hellebuyck trade. And the Sabres should be doing everything possible to resuscitate a Hellebuyck deal.
If that happens, and the Jets send Hellebuyck to the Sabres, Buffalo would instantly rival the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning as favorites to win the Eastern Conference this coming season. And a Hellebuyck trade wouldn't be the end of the world for Winnipeg.
A new-look Jets team could bounce back this coming season with Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Josh Morrissey and more top-notch players, and in the highly competitive Central Division, that will be no easy feat.
As for the Sabres, they would still be a good team without Hellebuyck, but with him, Buffalo would surge into the top five or six teams in the league.
Sabres fans now have Hellebuyck on their radar. Even though their current goalies did well this past season, getting a recent NHL MVP to play in net is likely well worth it.
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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 2:33 PM.