The Connor Hellebuyck speculation keeps circling back to the same question: does the Buffalo Sabres path reopen if the market shifts?
That was the topic when Elliotte Friedman joined NHL Network on Friday night with Jamison Coyle, Mike Rupp, and Brian Boyle. Coyle pushed Friedman on the Winnipeg Jets’ early success, the ongoing Hellebuyck situation, and whether a strong start gives Winnipeg even more leverage if a trade conversation ever heats up again.
Friedman’s read was that the Jets have already helped themselves simply by banking wins without Hellebuyck. Winnipeg opened 3-0-1 and is now 3-1-1, and Friedman pointed out how different the mood would be if those results had gone the other way.
“Well, number one, Jamison, look, it absolutely is great for the Jets if they’re off to a start. Imagine those numbers were reversed and they were 0-3-1, it would be a gong show in the province. So it’s very good news for the Jets for a lot of different reasons that they’re off to this start.
And you know what? I think what’s really impressive too is Mark Scheifele didn’t have a point until the last game.
He played well, but he didn’t have a point. They’re going to have to go at it without Josh Morrissey.
They won that game the other night, with him missing two periods, they’ve done a lot of good things. They’re gonna have Clay Stevenson in a goal , so he’s already won once. He won a tough back-to-back in Pittsburgh this week, and now he gets this one, which is against a pretty good team.
So I think one of the things Jamison that could break the logjam here is if they decide they can make this work with Skinner and Stevenson. Does that move the Jets away from we have to get a goalie in return?
And if the answer is yes, does that break the logjam up here? Right now, the Jets don’t feel any extra urgency.
I’ll say this, guys: Buffalo night and the chants that were there- I like Jarmo Kekäläinen. I think he’s got a really thick skin.
He’s not afraid, but he’s got thick skin. This is a big year in Buffalo.
We all know they were interested. We all know they were pretty close to getting him, and we know that Hellebuyck would waive to go there.
I’m just wondering whether Buffalo has strong enough goaltending. Are they the team that steps up and says, “Okay, we’re going to do this””
For now, Friedman said the Jets do not appear to be feeling pressure to force anything. But Buffalo remains in the conversation because the interest was real, the sides were close before, and Hellebuyck would have been willing to approve a move there. The unanswered piece, as Friedman framed it, is whether the Sabres have enough in goal to finally push back into the mix if the price comes down.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Added A New Concern To Their Blue Line Depth
The Sabres quietly shuffled their blue line depth on Sunday, striking a trade with the Penguins that sends Ryan Johnson to Pittsburgh and brings Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch into Buffalos organization. All three defensemen are currently assigned to minor league teams, so this is more of an organizational move than a move that changes the NHL roster right away, but it does mark the end of Johnsons time with the Sabres.
Even so, it lands in a part of the roster that has become worth watching. Buffalo has been managing its defense group carefully, and any move that thins out one option while adding two new names naturally draws attention in the system. Jones and Laatsch give the Sabres fresh depth to work with, but the timing adds another layer to a blue line picture that already needed close monitoring. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Still Searching For Answers As Danforth Rejoins The Mix
Justin Danforth is back in the Sabres mix after working his way through a long recovery, and his recent return has given Buffalo at least one welcome piece of stability as it keeps sorting through the early-season picture. He has played in the teams last three games and is already seeing time as a penalty killer, a role that fits the kind of dependable minutes the Sabres have been searching for while juggling their lineup.
Lindy Ruff has been upbeat about what Danforth has brought since rejoining the group, and Buffalo still has a few moving parts to sort out as it looks ahead to the next stretch of games. The Sabres are continuing to adjust both their lines and their goalie usage, which leaves plenty of room for more change even as Danforth settles back into the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers-Sabres Took A Sudden Turn When Dahlin Left
The Sabres' afternoon against Florida took an abrupt turn when captain Rasmus Dahlin was forced out with an upper-body injury, a tough break for a blue line that has leaned heavily on him since opening night. Dahlin had started this season with three points in four games, and he came into it fresh off a standout campaign in which he helped push Buffalo back toward the playoffs and finished third in Norris Trophy voting.
For a team sitting at 2-3-0 and seventh in the Atlantic Division, losing its top defenseman in the middle of a game is the kind of development that can ripple well beyond one result. Buffalo did not have much margin for error already, and Dahlin's absence leaves another question hanging over a roster still trying to find its footing early in the season. [Read more 🡒]