Insiders Weigh in On Sabres’ Rumored Interest in Hellebuyck

As per a report from The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Eric Duhatschek, the Sabres have a genuine interest in acquiring Hellebuyck. Landing a goalie of his caliber could take them one step farther along their path to be considered serious contenders, while also providing a mentor and insurance policy for promising young prospect, Devon Levi. Levi might be the goalie of the future in Buffalo, but whether he’s ready to take that step now remains to be seen.

Fellow Athletic scribe Matthew Fairburn weighed in on the discussion and agreed that Hellebuyck would be the best option for the Sabres, especially when considering the limited choices available in this summer’s free agent and trade markets. Fairburn suggests exploring the possibility of a trade if the Jets’ makes sense if the team can do so without sacrificing their top prospects like Matthew Savoie or Jiri Kulich.

Joe Dibiase of @WGR550 and Locked on Sabres tweets, “Say what you want about irresponsibility paying that much for a goaltender, but Connor Hellebuyck would make the Buffalo Sabres a Stanley Cup contender IMMEDIATELY.”

Not Everyone Agrees Hellebuyck Is The Right Choice

Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News isn’t as sold on Hellebuyck as the others are. He suggests Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do his due diligence and look into Hellebuyck’s availability, there is a major risk in acquiring a player who could potentially become a free agent next summer. The high cost associated with such a trade and then opening themselves up to the possibility he decides to explore other options in free agency is not ideal.

Pursuing Hellebuyck would undoubtedly strengthen their goaltending position but adding the pending free agent must be weighed against the cost of acquiring him in a trade and the likelihood he’s not a part of the team very long. Some don’t care about the consequences, as Joe Marino of The Charging Buffalo points out, “It’s jarring seeing the amount of Sabres fans saying “no thanks” to the idea of Connor Hellebuyck after we’ve dealt with the steaming hot pile of garbage between the pipes for the last 10 years. It can’t hurt to pair Levi with a stud, who cares if he’s a rental.”

The speculation surrounding the star goaltender’s future will be a major storyline this offseason.