The fact that the Buffalo Sabres missed out on Connor Hellebuyck could linger painfully for a while if the goalie play in Western New York doesn’t improve in a hurry.
It’ll hurt all the more because the reports over the summer indicated that for at least a time, the Sabres were the frontrunners to pull off a trade for the Winnipeg Jets‘ star goalie.
But not only did the Sabres not pull a deal off for Hellebuyck in the summer — they’ve now watched him be traded to the New Jersey Devils instead.
That deal went down on Friday, with presumed favorites Buffalo and the Carolina Hurricanes both missing out on their big-name target.
The miss has left everyone wondering what went wrong in the negotiations for Buffalo, and it’s actually some new reporting on Carolina that can gives us a few hints.
Hurricanes Hints Toward Sabres Miss
There was new reporting that came out Saturday night that suggested why the Hurricanes didn’t get Hellebuyck.
And it’s possible to extrapolate that and see what might’ve happened for the Sabres, too.
“(The Hurricanes) tried to reach out to other teams to figure out forwards that the Jets might have interest in, and they were going to trade for those players, and flip that player to the Jets to get Hellebuyck,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on his Saturday Headlines show.
That essentially says that the Jets didn’t like any of the forwards that Carolina was offering and had the Hurricanes seeking a three-team trade to get Winnipeg the forward play they needed.
And Friedman added that the Hurricanes didn’t want to include current forward contributors Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankoven or Jackson Blake in a trade.
So it’s clear that Winnipeg wanted forwards, including potential current key pieces, and that the Hurricanes didn’t seem to align in that.
It’s easy to see that being possible with the Sabres, too. As a contending team, they likely wouldn’t have wanted to trade Josh Norris or Jack Quinn or any players like that. Buffalo’s offer for Hellebuyck would’ve probably been more future-looking, but the Jets may have wanted more present help.
There’s been some indication that Buffalo actually fell off the pace for Hellebuyck a while ago, but regardless, it was still something Sabres fans were hoping for, and Buffalo instead came up short.
The Jets got three forwards in their return from New Jersey: veteran Nick Bjugstad, on the rise Dawson Mercer and prospect Alexander Command.
Sabres Goalies Move Forward
Buffalo simply has to move forward now with the goalies already on the roster.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will hope to turn around a tough start to the new season.
Alex Lyon will simply try to get healthy to help the cause.
And Colten Ellis will hope to find a little rhythm and pitch in where he can.
The Sabres don’t have Hellebuyck, and that’s definitively not going to change now. They’ll have to make do with the guys they already have.
Hints About Why Sabres Missed Connor Hellebuyck