The Buffalo Sabres continue to navigate a tricky goalie situation.
They pretty much have three goalies they trust to varying degrees at the NHL level, but over the past season-plus, none has fully separated himself as the clear top dog.
That means that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis are almost constantly competing for more time in net.
Lyon is hurt to begin the 2026-27 NHL season, but even that hasn’t made things totally simple. The Sabres have tried to work Ellis into the rotation, but that didn’t work well on Monday.
Buffalo decided to pull Ellis after he allowed a pair of soft goals to the Florida Panthers. UPL came on and did well in relief, at least mitigating some immediate concerns as the Sabres won 5-3.
The outcome did serve as a reminder, though, that the Sabres nearly traded for Connor Hellebuyck over the summer.
It’s like every time something goes bad in Buffalo’s goal, a lit-up arrow is pointing back toward their near-trade.
Sabres Close to Connor Hellebuyck Trade
The Sabres seemed to be in position to get Hellebuyck.
Reports over the summer even indicated that Hellebuyck was willing to waive his no-trade clause to end up in Buffalo.
In the end, it appeared the Winnipeg Jets didn’t quite like the Sabres’ offer enough.
Winnipeg doesn’t really want to enter a total rebuild. They likely wanted a young forward along with Luukkonen and maybe some draft picks. Buffalo may not have wanted to deal a young forward.
Whatever the exact reason, Buffalo couldn’t get the deal across the line.
And while it seemed close, close doesn’t count in NHL trades. The Sabres didn’t pull the deal off, and now they don’t have Hellebuyck.
Last Season’s Playoffs Serve As Warning
The Sabres already encountered the oddity of having this open competition all the time in goal.
Last year, in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, the Sabres began with UPL in goal, but after struggles, they decided to pivot to Lyon.
Lyon played well at first, but by the end of the run, Buffalo had gone back to Luukkonen.
When you have a true No. 1 goalie, it isn’t a guarantee of success. Hellebuyck with Winnipeg, for example, has not been as good in the postseason as he has in the regular season.
But when you have a guy like Hellebuyck, a decision is removed from the table. He’s going to be the man, game in and game out.
The Sabres may be too late to get him, but their fanbase will think about him every time a goal gets across the line against any of their three goalies. They were so close to ending up with Hellebuyck, and some will hope they still can pull that off.
Sabres’ Goalie Move Points Toward Connor Hellebuyck Trade