The Sabres never sounded like a team ready to empty the cupboard for Connor Hellebuyck, and now Jarmo Kekalainen has made it clear why.
Buffalo’s general manager, speaking to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, pointed to the cost of doing a deal that big and suggested the price tag was steep enough to force the Sabres to look elsewhere. Hellebuyck was eventually moved from the Winnipeg Jets to the New Jersey Devils, but Buffalo’s front office never seemed eager to chase him at any cost.
“You make a big move once, and you’re out of other ones a lot of times. There may be other areas that we feel we need to address more.
And there’s the price of doing business. If I can tell you what (Winnipeg) was asking to take off our team, most of the people screaming to get Hellebuyck would probably say, 'No way, don’t do it.'”
Kekalainen didn’t spell out Winnipeg’s demands, but Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported in July that the opening ask centered on Zach Benson.
That kind of package would have come at a real cost for a Sabres team that still has a bigger hole to fill up front: a true No. 1 center. Buffalo tried to get Robert Thomas from the St. Louis Blues before last season’s trade deadline and has also been connected to Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings, though the Sabres have not been added to his trade list.
And that’s the point. High-end talent costs real assets, and Buffalo can’t spend those assets lightly. A major trade for Hellebuyck would have meant giving up young NHL players, prospects and draft picks - the same currency the Sabres may need if they’re going to land the kind of first-line center they’ve been chasing since Jack Eichel was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021.
That need has only become more obvious early in the 2026-27 season. Buffalo’s offense has slipped from fifth in the league in goals per game last season at 3.45 to 23rd through 15 games at 2.93.
So while Hellebuyck would have been a fit, the Sabres appear to view their priorities differently. The roster issue that matters most right now is still the center position, and Kekalainen seems intent on keeping his trade ammunition for that hunt.
The goaltending picture, meanwhile, is starting to settle back into place.
Kekalainen has repeatedly backed Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis, and he hasn’t sounded nearly as alarmed about the situation as some fans. Buffalo’s trio helped the club finish third in the NHL in team save percentage last season at .900, even though that number has dropped to .878 this season with Lyon sidelined and UPL and Ellis carrying the load.
There’s encouraging news there, too. Lyon returned to practice this week, and Lindy Ruff said the veteran goalie is probably just “days away” from his first start of the campaign.
“I’m just frothing at the mouth at this point to play some games,” Lyon told reporters.
Ruff has had to manage the crease carefully, balancing rest, rhythm and practice time across all three goalies. Ellis has been a useful piece of that setup, both because he has handled long gaps between appearances and because he has often been the in-game backup, which gave the starter a full night off.
Now the Sabres will try to see if that arrangement can work again. Luukkonen and Ellis have shown better form lately, but Buffalo still hasn’t gotten the same level of play it had last season. Lyon’s return could help restore that balance.
If it does, the front office’s focus only sharpens further: find offense, and ideally find the center who can anchor it.
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