Connor Hellebuyck trade with one specific team is back on after Elliotte Friedman's report
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Elliotte Friedman says Buffalo and Winnipeg haven't closed the book on Connor Hellebuyck.
The real obstacle isn't the draft pick everyone's fixated on.
In his 32 Thoughts column, Friedman wrote he assumed talks died once the 4th overall pick went elsewhere in the draft.
Then he heard otherwise.
Re Connor Hellebuyck: "I thought when the 4th overall pick in the first round was done, any hope of a Buffalo-Winnipeg deal was over; I don't know what the likelihood is...but I heard it wasn't over."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
That detail is interesting, but it skips past a bigger problem.
Buffalo already has three goaltenders under contract for 2026-27: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said as much heading into the draft, telling reporters goaltending isn't a weakness for his team.
He called it a strength.
The crease is already full before Hellebuyck even enters it
That's not the language of a GM clearing room for a $8.5 million starter.
Luukkonen posted a .910 save percentage in the regular season behind a team that won the Atlantic Division and reached the second round.
Adding Hellebuyck doesn't just cost an asset package.
It means moving at least one of the three goalies Buffalo already committed to, on a roster that entered the offseason with limited cap flexibility after trading for Olen Zellweger and extending Zach Benson and Beck Malenstyn.
Winnipeg's motivation is clearer than Buffalo's path
The Jets' side makes more sense.
Kevin Cheveldayoff is rebuilding around a team that finished 26th overall, and Hellebuyck at 33 is a sellable veteran asset before his value erodes further.
Buffalo wanting an upgrade in net is believable.
Buffalo actually having the goaltending depth chart and cap sheet to make room for one is the part nobody's verified yet.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
Elliotte Friedman confirms critical trade news involving the Vancouver Canucks
Elliotte Friedman confirms critical trade news involving the Vancouver Canucks