Sabres push for blockbuster Connor Hellebuyck trade involving Rangers in three-team deal

The Buffalo Sabres have chased Connor Hellebuyck for months, and a new report says they are pushing hard on a three-way trade to finally land him.

The framework sends Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets to Buffalo, while goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen heads to the New York Rangers.

Here is why this matters.

Luukkonen has a five-team no-trade list, and the Jets are on it, which has been viewed as a big reason a direct swap with Winnipeg stalled.

The Rangers apparently are not on that list, so sending him to New York could open a door that was shut.

The Rangers lost Igor Shesterkin for the season, and Dylan Garand has reportedly handled the starting job well so far.

Taking on Luukkonen would not be cheap for them, though.

He carries a $4.75 million cap hit, and Shesterkin still counts for roughly $11.57 million.

General manager Chris Drury would want a real sweetener before agreeing to anything.

The Jets suspended Hellebuyck after he skipped training camp following his trade request, and there is chatter he could rejoin the team this week while a deal gets sorted out.

That would be awkward. Several Jets reportedly feel he turned his back on them.

He is also said to have no interest in Montreal or Edmonton, even though both clubs showed interest.

Buffalo is the destination he reportedly wants, with the Carolina Hurricanes and Utah Mammoth lurking as backup options if the Sabres stall.

Nothing is final, of course. Buffalo still has to give Winnipeg and New York what each side wants in assets, and the Jets under general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff have not been eager to move their franchise goalie for less than a strong return.

If the pieces line up, this gets real fast.

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