Connor Hellebuyck traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a large haul via insider's latest blockbuster proposal
Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Connor Hellebuyck's move to Buffalo hinges on a second goalie nobody is watching, and his contract just gained a say on July 1.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported this week that Winnipeg and Buffalo keep circling a deal, with any package built around Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a forward, and a piece like defense prospect Radim Mrtka.
Re Connor Hellebuyck/Jets: "You've gotta imagine the conversations will continue, if it's with Buffalo, to include a forward, to include UPL, and other pieces...whether it's Radim Mrtka or something else."
- David Pagnotta
- David Pagnotta
The coverage is grading that price and debating timing. Barely any of it asks whether Luukkonen will approve going the other way.
That question stopped being hypothetical on July 1.
Luukkonen's five-team no-trade list, confirmed months ago by Pagnotta's own outlet, went live.
Buffalo controls the assets, and Hellebuyck controls his no-move clause, a wrinkle Elliotte Friedman has hammered on 32 Thoughts.
Luukkonen is the third lever, and he is the only one who has gone silent.
Two goalies now have to say yes
A Hellebuyck trade was always framed as one waiver: his. Naming Luukkonen as the centerpiece quietly added a second.
Buffalo is comfortable dealing him because Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis, and prospect Devon Levi remain, but comfort on Buffalo's side doesn't move Luukkonen's.
Winnipeg just shipped out its franchise goalie and is stepping back. A 26-year-old finally settled as a playoff starter has little reason to greenlight a reset market, and he holds the paperwork to steer where he lands.
Why the talks stall instead of dying
The price gap explains why Buffalo walked at the draft. It does not explain why the calls resumed afterward.
The likelier reason is structural.
Jarmo Kekalainen and Kevin Cheveldayoff aren't only haggling over Mrtka versus a pick; they're waiting to see which teams Luukkonen shields, because that list can force a different centerpiece.
So the real domino isn't Hellebuyck's willingness or Buffalo's checkbook. It's a quieter goalie whose contract just handed him a vote nobody has counted.
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