Connor Hellebuyck’s trade request from the Winnipeg Jets has put his name back into the Sabres conversation, but Buffalo would be wise to think twice before chasing him.
There’s no confirmation the Sabres are actually interested, and that may be the smartest place for them to be. Hellebuyck’s reputation took a huge boost after his performance in the Olympic gold medal game against Canada, but that one night also helped people gloss over a much messier recent playoff track record. Even with the Hart and Vezina Trophies on his resume, his postseason numbers have been rough.
Over his last three playoffs, Hellebuyck has not posted a save percentage better than .886, and that mark came in the first of those three poor runs. His goals-against average in that stretch has never dipped below 3.08. The clutch issues are real enough, but the bigger concern for Buffalo is whether he’s already on the downside of his career.
The 2025-26 season was the worst of Hellebuyck’s NHL career. He finished with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage. Winnipeg’s defense didn’t make life easy for him, but he also didn’t consistently drag the Jets through games the way an elite goalie is supposed to.
Age makes the whole thing even trickier. Hellebuyck will be 34 at the end of next season, and he still has four years left on his contract at $8.5 million per year. That’s a reasonable number if he looks like a Vezina-level goalie, but it becomes a lot harder to stomach after a down season like the one he just had.
Buffalo would need two things to go right. First, Hellebuyck would have to show that 2025-26 was a blip and not the start of a slide.
Then he’d have to erase the postseason doubts that have followed him. That’s a lot to ask when the price to get him would likely include a haul of futures and maybe even roster players.
He’s got 625 NHL games across 12 seasons, so there may still be some tread left. But for a Sabres team that sees itself in a competitive window, betting big on an aging goaltender with a recent knee surgery on his record is a dangerous play.
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