Has Connor Hellebuyck already taken his final bow with the Winnipeg Jets?
That’s the question hanging over Winnipeg right now, and EJ Hradek doesn’t sound like he expects a reunion. Asked whether the netminder has played his last game for the Jets and whether a trade could happen before the season starts, Hradek said, “I think he has.
I think that, that the conversations that Hellebuyck talked about after the year, all the rumors about him being moved. I think they’re, they’re planning on moving him.”
The Buffalo Sabres keep coming up as the most obvious fit, but the deal would have to make sense for Winnipeg in a very specific way. Hradek said the Jets are looking for a second center in return, someone who can slot in behind Mark Scheifele and solve a need they’ve had “for a long time.”
That’s where the talks get sticky. Hradek said Buffalo wants Hellebuyck badly and could offer a goalie back, possibly UPL, but the rest of the package remains the issue.
He pointed to Jack Quinn as a player the Sabres might be willing to move, though he noted Quinn is a winger, which may not address what Winnipeg is after. That matters even more now that the Jets just came to terms with Cole Perfetti last week on an extension.
For now, there’s no immediate pressure in mid-July. Hradek said Buffalo can hold its line and Winnipeg can keep pushing for a better fit.
But he also noted the clock is still ticking in a broader sense. A trade could happen “any day,” or it could drag on until “August 6th, September 1st.
Who knows?” The closer the regular season gets, the more uncomfortable the situation becomes, and that may be exactly what Buffalo is banking on.
Coyle then asked the obvious follow-up: if Hellebuyck does land in Buffalo, how much better does that make the Sabres on paper?
Hradek didn’t hesitate. “Well, I think on paper, certainly a lot better.
I mean, let’s face it: this guy has won multiple Vezina trophies, won the Hart Trophy, he’s got a gold medal. He’s a really good goaltender, and it fills the slot there in Buffalo.
So there’s no question about it.”
Even so, Hradek also flagged the cost. He said Buffalo has already moved out Alex Tuch up front and Bowen Byram on the blue line, taking away significant depth. The Sabres do have talented young players they believe can grow into those roles over the next “2, 3, 4 years,” but replacing Tuch’s 30-plus goals and Byram’s second-pair value won’t be easy right away.
So the idea of Hellebuyck in Buffalo is easy enough to understand. Making the numbers and the roster pieces line up?
That’s the hard part. And until that changes, Winnipeg’s biggest question remains unresolved.
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