Martin Biron thinks Winnipeg may have squeezed the Connor Hellebuyck talks too hard, and that could be the thing that keeps a deal from getting done.
The former Sabres goaltender, now on Buffalo’s MSG broadcasts, said Friday on WGR 550 Radio that the Jets might have pushed their asking price too far before the draft.
"I do think that Winnipeg is in a bit of a - kind of a tricky situation here," Biron said. "Yeah, obviously Hellebuyck can go back to Winnipeg and play for the Jets this year, but are you so far down the road now that it's like, 'You know, we're gonna get Hellebuyck back but he's not gonna be happy to be here and we should just make the move, right?'
I think that Winnipeg maybe overplayed their hand before the draft. They were demanding, wanted a certain return and maybe the Sabres weren't willing to give in.
I think now it may soften a little bit."
Biron also said it is "still a possibility" the two teams reconnect and finish a blockbuster trade before the 2026-27 season.
That possibility has been hanging over Buffalo and Winnipeg since they were believed to be closing in on a Hellebuyck deal before last month’s 2026 NHL Draft. The sticking point was the price. Buffalo wanted a first-round pick swap, moving from No. 4 to No. 8, while Winnipeg wanted the Sabres’ top-five pick without sending back its own top-10 selection.
Instead, Buffalo held its ground and used the fourth pick on defense prospect Daxon Rudolph. There has been some chatter about contact between the clubs after the draft, but nothing pointing to a deal being close right now.
One wrinkle: Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was expected to be part of a Hellebuyck package, had a five-team no-trade clause kick in on July 1. It is not known whether Winnipeg is on that list.
Buffalo does have Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis on its NHL roster, but neither carries the same trade value as Luukkonen, who finished last season with a .909 save percentage in 35 games.
Hellebuyck, meanwhile, comes with both the appeal of a future Hall of Famer and the risk that comes with a 33-year-old coming off the worst season of his career. He posted a .895 save percentage in 57 games last season and carries an $8.5 million salary-cap hit through 2031.
That is why there is real debate over whether the Jets and Hellebuyck should split now, unless Winnipeg believes it can turn things around quickly and get back into Stanley Cup contention soon.
Buffalo, though, still looks like the cleanest fit on paper. The Sabres reached the second round of the 2026 NHL Playoffs and could take another step if Hellebuyck bounces back to form.
The bigger question is whether Winnipeg will lower its price enough to make that happen.
The Sabres’ goalie search has been a major topic since their playoff exit, when Luukkonen and Lyon both struggled to provide steady play in Round 2 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Buffalo was tied to several names this offseason, including Sergei Bobrovsky, who signed with the Atlantic Division rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
As those options disappeared, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen publicly backed the goaltending group Buffalo already had.
"We've gotten good goaltending this year, too. It's an easy position to scrutinize and criticize," Kekalainen said on the 32 Thoughts podcast in June.
"UPL had a .910 save percentage this year. Alex Lyon won a lot of games for us.
Even Colten Ellis played some excellent hockey this year. So, I don't think goaltending by any means is a weakness of our team.
I think it's a strength of our team."
That may have been part truth, part leverage, but the point stands: Buffalo’s goaltending was mostly solid during the regular season. The wheels came off at the worst possible time in the playoffs.
So the Sabres are not desperate to force a move just for the sake of making one. Running it back with the current trio would not be crazy if the price on Hellebuyck stays inflated.
But if Winnipeg’s demands come down, Hellebuyck is the one goalie who changes the conversation. He would give Buffalo a proven No. 1 in net, the kind of difference-maker the franchise has leaned on in its best modern stretches with Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller.
For now, though, the ask still has to make sense. Giving up Zach Benson or parting with the No. 4 pick without getting a swap in return was too steep before the draft.
The two sides may circle back before training camp opens in September.
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For a Sabres system that is still sorting out its long-term shape on defense, Rudolph stands out as a player who could eventually matter in a big way. The fit is easy to see after the Bowen Byram trade, especially if Buffalo is still looking for another puck-carrying defenseman to complement Rasmus Dahlin, while other prospects like Radim Mrtka remain more of a longer-view project than an immediate answer. [Read more 🡒]