Elliotte Friedman reveals the new team that Connor Hellebuyck could be joining
Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Elliotte Friedman's goalie math for a Buffalo trade left out one name, and that omission says everything.
On the FAN Hockey Show, Friedman laid out what the Buffalo Sabres' crease looks like if Connor Hellebuyck arrives for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
"If Connor Hellebuyck goes to Buffalo for UPL, then you don't need three goalies, you've got Alex Lyon and you've got Colten Ellis; I know teams out there that would really like Lyon."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
Notice who's missing. Devon Levi, Buffalo's 2023 first-round goalie prospect, doesn't appear in that sentence anywhere.
That's not an accident. Friedman has separately said that if a Hellebuyck deal gets done, Luukkonen clearly goes the other way, and Levi's future in Buffalo becomes the real open question, not a footnote.
Levi was already on the outside looking in
Edmonton reportedly did "some real research" on Levi over a recent weekend, even with no deal in place.
That interest only makes sense if teams around the league already assume Buffalo's three-goalie math has no room left for him.
Levi can't clear waivers given his draft pedigree, which means Buffalo can't simply stash him in the minors.
A trade becomes close to mandatory the moment Lyon and Ellis get locked in as the backup tandem.
The real domino isn't Luukkonen
Most coverage treats UPL as the player Buffalo gives up. The actual squeeze play is on Levi, who goes from former first-rounder to trade chip without ever touching the Hellebuyck headline.
If Buffalo moves him this summer, the return will tell you more about how the league values Levi than anything that happens with Hellebuyck.
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