The Buffalo Sabres didn't trade for Connor Hellebuyck. 10 thoughts on where they go from here New York Times (Online) Matthew Fairburn BUFFALO, N.Y. — While the Buffalo Sabres were practicing on Friday, the Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils were putting the final touches on a trade involving Connor Hellebuyck. After practice wrapped up, Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was standing at his locker stall, and I asked if there was some sense of relief now that Hellebuyck was finally traded. “Is it official?” Luukkonen asked. “Where's he going?” Not Buffalo. And that fact brings some finality to months of speculation. Luukkonen was at the center of that, both because he was a potential piece in a trade and because Hellebuyck would have been his replacement. So, yes, relief was an appropriate description for how he was feeling. “It's going to quiet a lot of conversation around the league,” Luukkonen said. “I mean that's part of sports, and that's what makes sports great is that there's always those conversations and names thrown around, but I think there's just so much talk about it. Around the league, around our team. I think it's good for everybody that some of that noise quiets down. But in the end, it's always gonna be there, especially when you're at the top level of sports. You're going to have to learn to deal with it. But in the end, I think it's a good thing for everybody.” Luukkonen has dealt with trade speculation before, but he acknowledged that this was on a different level. He appreciated that general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen publicly expressed confidence in him this week and also sought him out privately to reassure him. But he also knows nothing is guaranteed in the NHL, and he repeatedly said Friday he's focused on playing better. There's no question Hellebuyck getting traded is healthy for everyone involved, including those in the Sabres' dressing room. But it also leaves a conversation about where Buffalo goes from here. Here are a few thoughts on that. 1. Let's start with what the Devils gave up to get Hellebuyck. I'd say the Jets got a good, not great package in return for their star goalie. But in the context of the Sabres, it's more important to view it through the lens of what an equivalent package for Buffalo would have been. The inclusion of Dawson Mercer, a 24-year-old scoring winger who can play center, leads me to think the Sabres would have needed to include Jack Quinn or Jiří Kulich. The Devils also got Alexander Command, a two-way center prospect who was just drafted at No. 12. The equivalent might have been Konsta Helenius or Kulich. The draft picks (a second and a seventh) would have been easy to match, and Colten Ellis might have satisfied the same need that Nico Daws did in this deal. The Sabres could have sent a depth forward who was the equivalent of Nick Bjugstad as well. 2. If you believe the Sabres trading one of Helenius or Kulich in a Hellebuyck deal might have been worth it, that's fair. But the Sabres aren't really in a position to be parting with a player like Quinn, who is tied for the team lead in goals and leads the team in points. The Sabres are lacking scoring wingers right now on the NHL roster and in the system. Quinn is arguably the best they have. 3. This deal got a lot more complicated for Buffalo after July 1 when Luukkonen's five-team trade clause kicked in. Josh Norris also got trade protection on the same day. Moving out Luukkonen's $4.75 million salary wouldn't have been easy, especially with two years left on the contract after this one. I'm not saying it couldn't have been done, but that was a roadblock the Devils didn't have. 4. Radim Mrtka's name got thrown around a lot in trade rumors this summer, including in this deal. I think that's likely a function of the Sabres having a tremendous amount of defenseman depth both in the NHL and in their system. If the Jets were focused on a forward prospect, though, that doesn't necessarily mean Mrtka is an equivalent piece. For what it's worth, I still think Mrtka has an NHL future. I also think the Sabres can afford to move him in the right deal. 5. Ryan McLeod's name also seemed to come up a lot in trade speculation. The Sabres have to hope this deal being done will be a weight off for him, too. He has one goal and one assist in 10 games this season and hasn't made a positive defensive impact often enough, either. They need the McLeod of the last two seasons back. 6. The Sabres have more needs than just goalie. The absence of Alex Tuch has been noticeable on the ice and in the dressing room. Finding another top-six caliber forward could arguably impact this team in 2026-27 more than Hellebuyck would have. Buffalo still has the assets and the cap space to make that type of deal. It's a bit early in the season to know which teams will be selling and which players might be available, but trading for Hellebuyck would have come with an opportunity cost given the assets and cap room required to get him. Those assets are still available, and it's fair to want Kekäläinen to use them to help this team now. The Sabres' competitive window is just starting to open, but making the playoffs this season is important to build on the leaguewide respect the franchise gained last season. Hellebuyck was willing to come here for a reason. That shouldn't be taken for granted. 7. One of the most appealing aspects of adding Hellebuyck would have been stabilizing the goalie position for the next five seasons. Goaltending is a question for the Sabres in the short term, but it's also a long-term question. They don't have a top prospect coming at the position. Alex Lyon is in the final season of his contract. Luukkonen has been inconsistent this season and during his career. Ellis has some potential , but he's far from a sure thing. While I think there are more pressing short-term issues with this team, the Sabres do need to figure out their goalie situation beyond this season. 8. We'll see how Luukkonen responds to finally having this situation behind him. Over the last five games, Luukkonen has an .895 save percentage and a 3.22 goals-against average. It's not stellar, but he's looked better in the last week than he did in the first few starts of the season. He knows just because Hellebuyck is traded doesn't mean the pressure on him will be any less. “People can say what they want,” Luukkonen said. “If it's good, if it's bad, in the end it doesn't matter. If you don't trust yourself, nobody will. So just focus on your own stuff, finding the confidence in your game, getting comfortable with your own game, and just playing that. It's a long season. You can't get caught up on one or two games.” 9. Lindy Ruff wasn't sure if Lyon would be able to travel with the team on its upcoming road trip. He's still on injured reserve with an upper-body injury that occurred during the preseason. The Sabres really need him back, and they need him to be the steady presence he was last season. In the short term, that's the only thing that could take some of the focus off Luukkonen. 10. Ellis wasn't sharp in his last game against Florida, but it feels like the Sabres might want to get him into a game soon. Luukkonen has started four straight games and came in for Ellis halfway through that Florida game. The organization believed in Ellis enough to claim him on waivers last season and commit to him over Devon Levi. They need to see what they have in more than just a couple of games.