Story by
Could Utah Beat Out Buffalo For Connor Hellebuyck?
- Story by
- Could Utah Beat Out Buffalo For Connor Hellebuyck?
If there was any doubt about Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck's intentions heading into next season, the Hart and Vezina Trophy winner made it clear late last week when he confirmed through his agent that he has requested a trade. The 33-year-old had knee surgery, and a career-worst .895 save % with the Jets last season, but still played 57 games (23-23-11) and was the key to Team USA's gold medal victory at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina.
The Buffalo Sabres were connected to Hellebuyck around the NHL Draft in late June, but Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could not find common ground on a deal. The conventional wisdom is that now that Hellebuyck has made his trade request public, that Cheveldayoff is not in as strong a negotiating position to get the best deal for the netminder, but he reportedly is open to going to a wide swath of teams.
Advertisement
Unless Hellebuyck is prepared to hold out, Winnipeg could wait into the season for the right return for such a valuable commodity.
The Sabres could be in the mix for Hellebuyck, but deals that had previously been offered that included goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen might be off the table, since he has a five-team no-trade clause that could block a trade to Winnipeg. It is expected that any deal involving Buffalo would include one of their young centers (Noah Ostlund or Konsta Helenius), one of their top prospect defenseman (Daxon Rudolph or Radim Mrtka) and/or an established NHL forward (Jack Quinn or Ryan McLeod).
Other Sabres Stories
Sabres Emotionally Devastated By Game 7 Overtime Loss
Advertisement
Other teams could be in the mix for the veteran netminder, either to get them into the playoff mix, or to elevate them from a consistent postseason entrant to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Where will Connor Hellebuyck end up?
Utah Mammoth
Team Status: The Mammoth made the postseason in their second year after the move from Arizona, and possess one of the best group of young talent in the NHL, but GM Bill Armstrong still has some critical areas to fill to make them a contender in the Western Conference. The club added defenseman MacKenzie Weegar at the trade deadline to shore up their blueline, and added some much-needed experience up front by acquiring center Vincent Trocheck from the NY Rangers, and signing forward Anders Lee in free agency.
Advertisement
Current Goalie Situation: Utah has leaned heavily on workhorse Karel Vejmelka, playing the Czech netminder 122 games over the last two seasons, but last season, in spite of a sub .900 save %, the 30-year-old went 38-20-3. The club made an investment in a goalie of the future in Sebastian Cossa, trading a 2026 first round pick to Detroit to get the 23-year-old in hopes of him taking some of the burden off of Vejmelka.
Assets To Trade: Utah has boatloads of young prospects that Cheveldayoff would crave in a deal for Hellebuyck. Vejmelka is entering year two of a five-year extension making $4.75 million, but he has a 10-team no-trade list that could make including him in a trade troublesome. Cossa has no protection. Prospects such as 2024 first rounder Tij Iginla, or 2025 top pick Caleb Desnoyers would likely be on Winnipeg's wish list, but Armstrong's willingness to swap such valuable prospects would depend on whether he believes that Hellebuyck would be a considerably upgrade on his current status in net, and whether he would be someone who could elevate the Mammoth to the level of Dallas, Colorado, Minnesota, Edmonton and Vegas.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
THN.com/Free
