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...
Oilers Start Is Raising One Big Lineup Question
The Oilers unbeaten start has changed the conversation around their forward mix, with Mike Babcock already signaling that Zach Hyman should be back soon and rookie Owen Michaels potentially earning more ice time. It is the kind of early-season performance that forces a coach to keep rechecking the board, especially when a team keeps stacking points and the lineup begins to tilt toward tougher decisions rather than easier ones.
For Winnipeg, the bigger ripple is in the background noise around the roster, because Connor Hellebuycks name has again surfaced in trade chatter. Elliotte Friedman has pushed back on the Rangers speculation, and the practical hurdles are part of why it does not line up cleanly for either side, which leaves the Jets with the more familiar reality of having to sort through what they would even want back in any serious goalie discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Get A Brief Reset Before A Weekend That Suddenly Matters
After a punishing run of five games in eight days, the Jets finally got back on the ice Monday with a little breathing room before the schedule tightens again. Winnipeg is using the brief reset to prepare for Minnesota, and the mood around the organization is a little broader than just the NHL club, with the Manitoba Moose also back at work after a two-game road swing that ended with a loss and a win before a weekend set against Dallas.
There was some scattered positive news beyond the main roster, too, as Jets prospects Owen Martin, Zach Wooten and Alexandre Taillefer each chipped in offense in recent CHL and NCAA action. For a team trying to manage the wear and tear of a heavy stretch while keeping an eye on the pipeline, those small developments matter, even if the bigger question still sits in front of Winnipeg as it heads into a game that suddenly carries more weight. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Practice Just Raised A Big Question Before Minnesota
After a two-day break, the Jets were back on the ice in Winnipeg on Monday with a few lineup clues beginning to emerge before their meeting with Minnesota. Josh Morrissey, listed as day-to-day after the injury he sustained against Colorado, was seen working with skills coach Matt Larke, a small but notable sign as the team tries to sort out its blue-line picture. Elias Salomonsson also took a step forward by ditching his non-contact jersey, even if he still stayed out of full-contact work.
Up front, the lineup tinkering continued as Winnipeg mixed things up at practice. Nino Niederreiter rejoined the group while Brad Lambert slid into the 13th forward role, giving the Jets a little more flexibility but also leaving one of the clubs biggest questions hanging heading into the Minnesota game: just how close they are to getting the full regular look back together. [Read more 🡒]