The Rangers suddenly sit in the middle of everything.
With Igor Shesterkin out for the season, New York’s goaltending search has become one of the biggest pressure points in the league, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Monday on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the club has been connected to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Karel Vejmelka. Friedman also said New York goalie scout Scott Clemmensen was in Calgary last week when Anaheim was there, which he suggested may have been tied to a look at Ville Husso, though he added the Ducks “don't have a lot of depth in goal, so I don't know if I see that. ... Let's see where this all goes.”
Friedman also brought up the Rangers in the conversation around Connor Hellebuyck, but framed them less as a likely landing spot for the Winnipeg Jets star and more as a team that could alter the market.
“The Rangers, not because Hellebuyck, I don't think that's likely, but whatever [general manager] Chris Drury is gonna do here with the injury to Shesterkin, it could set a chain reaction around the league,” Friedman said.
That’s the part that makes New York so interesting right now. The Rangers have already survived the early stretch thanks to Dylan Garand, who has posted a .927 save percentage in six games, and the team is off to a strong 6-3-1 start. But Garand is not the kind of stopgap you hand a 60-start workload to, which is why New York is clearly hunting for a setup that gives it more stability in net, even if only for the short term.
Luukkonen fits that puzzle in a pretty obvious way. He has worked in a tandem, or trio, arrangement in Buffalo, he carries a manageable contract as a future backup for Shesterkin, and he reportedly sits on the Jets’ no-trade list, which adds another layer to the Sabres’ maneuvering if Winnipeg tries to pursue Hellebuyck. Buffalo could wind up trying to stitch together a three-team arrangement, or simply split the business into two separate trades that send UPL to the Rangers and Hellebuyck to Western New York.
That leaves Chris Drury in a powerful spot. He has enough assets to go after Winnipeg directly, but he can also use Buffalo’s interest - or Utah Mammoth’s interest - in the longtime Jets cornerstone to push the price down on a goalie like Luukkonen or Vejmelka.
Around Buffalo, the temptation is real.
The Sabres, under general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, took a cautious approach this offseason. After moving Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram once it became clear neither was going to sign a long-term extension, they never made the splashy addition that might have changed the look of the roster.
There have been encouraging signs in Buffalo’s start, especially in its 5-on-5 numbers, but the crease remains the big question. Luukkonen has opened the year with a .860 save percentage in seven games after dealing with a preseason injury, Colten Ellis has logged a .864 mark in three appearances without pushing him aside, and Alex Lyon has not played while recovering from an upper-body ailment.
Kekalainen has looked reluctant to pay a premium for Hellebuyck, and that hesitation is understandable after the 33-year-old’s uneven season a year ago. Still, passing on him would bring its own danger if Buffalo believes it has a real shot to strengthen the position.
The logic is simple enough: once a team has opened the door to contention, there comes a point when it has to swing big. The Sabres are there now, and the ask only becomes easier to justify if Hellebuyck is clearly the better option than the current mix of Luukkonen, Lyon and Ellis.
The timing may line up, too. Winnipeg is playing well, which could make its front office more willing to do business as Hellebuyck’s suspension nears its end, while New York might be ready to move Luukkonen just to clear the clutter in goal. If the right deal is out there, this feels like a situation that could move fast.
By the end of the week, plenty of these pieces could be in place.
In Other News...
Sabres Face A Goaltending Decision That Could Change Everything
Connor Hellebuycks situation in Winnipeg has quickly become one of the most notable goaltending storylines in the league, and Buffalo is right in the middle of it. The Jets have started the season without him after he requested a trade and did not report to training camp, forcing Winnipeg to weigh its options before a Friday deadline as the market for elite goalies takes shape.
For the Sabres, this is the kind of opportunity that can alter a seasons trajectory if the talks get serious. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has placed Buffalo among the clubs linked to the netminder, and with several teams still evaluating their goaltending needs, the coming days could determine whether the Sabres stay on the outside of the conversation or suddenly find themselves in the thick of it. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Start Is Putting Real Pressure On Jarmo To Make A Move
Buffalos rough start has already turned the conversation from patience to pressure, and it is putting the front office in a spot where a meaningful move feels less like a luxury and more like a necessity. With general manager Jarmo Kekalainen holding salary-cap flexibility and a stockpile of draft picks, the Sabres have the kind of assets that can at least open the door to a blockbuster if he decides the roster needs a major jolt.
The areas drawing the most attention are obvious ones: goaltending and the top six, where the group still needs more impact if it is going to climb back into the race. The challenge now is timing, because the longer the skid lingers, the harder it becomes to ignore the idea that Buffalo may need to swing big rather than settle for a smaller fix. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face One Problem That Could Undercut Their Fast Start
Owen Power and Jack Quinn have been two of the early bright spots in Buffalos fast start, giving the Sabres encouraging production and steady two-way play as the season gets rolling. For a team trying to build momentum early, that kind of emergence matters, especially with Jason Zucker nearing a return and the blue line still sorting through injuries to Matt Grzelcyk and Rasmus Dahlin.
The concern is what has happened when Buffalo has had to kill penalties. The Sabres have given up power-play goals in most games so far, and those lapses have repeatedly undercut otherwise solid stretches of play. Alex Lyon is also dealing with uncertainty after an injury setback, leaving Buffalo with a few moving parts to manage just as the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]