Speculation: Speculation, rumours and trade & free agency ideas thread

[CanMerc]

I'd be okay with Rielly if he can be had for cheap. He's an upgrade on Fleury.

Not at 7.5m

 

[Daximus]

Not at 7.5m

We have some cap to burn, maybe we can get Chayka to retain. Good chance he won't waive for Winnipeg anyways.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

The Jets move so slow lol.

Also, what a sellers market damn. Would be a good time to kick off the rebuild if that is what management thought was the right play, some very nice returns out there.

 

[ps241]

Interesting approach. Losing Byram and potentially Tuch after the first playoff run in 15 years hurts, so the natural fix is... let's check... to hate the idea of strengthening the roster with pieces that aren't contributing next year? Do I have this right?

I thought the blueprint of a WPG-BUF trade for Hellebuyck was clear as day 24 hours ago, and now things have changed and it's even clearer. We take on UPL and Norris, which gives them the cap flexibility to keep Tuch. For that, we charge either #4+, Helenius+, or Östlund++. If they bite on McLeod+UPL instead of Norris+UPL, that works too (just don't think the cap does for the Sabres). One plus means a minor piece.

We can afford to take the gamble on whether Norris is healthy enough, because we'll be left for a top C prospect for our troubles anyway. UPL is a good enough replacement for now - we aren't going to be better next year, but if we're dealing Hellebuyck, that's just how it is.

They'll be left with two of Östlund/Helenius/"Björck/Malhotra/Stenberg" to sort out their forward depth chart. Part of the value prop for the Sabres is getting to keep Tuch without jeopardising their long-term extension to Benson. They improve their goaltending massively.

It makes so much sense. What doesn't make sense is for Buffalo to look at their current situation and decide that keeping all their futures is worth it. Thompson, Samuelsson, and Dahlin are all in their prime - now it's not the time to wait for the next wave to roll around.

Very well thought out. Although the Buffalo fans want them to use the #4 pick to draft a player I have trouble seeing that. Buffalo finally broke through and had a big season and decent playoffs. They are losing roster players and they will desperately want to add roster players and so I would be stunned to see them pick at #4.

Became it makes sense, is probably why it won't happen.

This sums it all up!

See…I went the other way…I think with what they now have in assets, they should chase Thomas again…upgrade their C

Thomas would be a great piece for them to add. So would Helle but I would take Thomas before Helle all day if it was ever an either or.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Hellebuyck for Helenius a UPL ia underwhelming. 4 and 8 are a wash in this draft. Need 20 coming back.

4 and 8 are not quite a wash. Moving up to get Carels is worth something. But I get your point. We were always talking at least 1, maybe 2 more pieces from Buffalo. I still want Quinn.

 

[Maukkis]

1. From the reports that are out there now, Tuch is gone. "Cap flexibility" to re-sign him doesn't matter much if he's decided he's not sticking around.

2. So the question they need to ask themselves is, are they better off with Hellebuyck but minus Helenius/Östlund/Byram? Better off enough that they can compete right now? That's assuming that Hellebuyck sees that Tuch is likely gone and Byram is out and decides to waive to go there anyway.

3. I know the answer on this board would probably be don't trade 4th overall and a young roster player for a 33 year old goaltender.

4. I think they'd probably be better suited to use it for more skaters than a goaltender, myself.

1. If so, then agreed.

2. You aren't phrasing the question correctly, Byram leaving has nothing to do with whether Helle makes them better from here. Are they better off with Hellebuyck instead of UPL + Östlund (+Norris in this case, if he is involved), assuming they just roll back the rest of the roster next year? Given that UPL has only shown flashes of being starter quality and Hellebuyck's average season has been better than any season from a Buffalo goalie in the last 16 years, I'd say yes, they're much better off with Hellebuyck.

3. And probably don't trade a Hart winner for a pick and an unproven prospect either, I guess. If we treat Hellebuyck as something that isn't immensely valuable to a team that has an open window now, we might as well not bother discussing this.

4. They have the means to address both skaters and goaltending. Replacing Byram might be the most pressing need, but what they probably want to avoid too is having UPL and Lyon falter in a division with some of the offensively stacked teams around. With the core guys in their mid-20s and locked up for a while still, now would be an extraordinarily bad time to penny-pinch on goaltending (this goes even more for Florida, although they have considerably less tradeable assets than the Sabres do).

 

[CanMerc]

4 and 8 are not quite a wash. Moving up to get Carels is worth something. But I get your point. We were always talking at least 1, maybe 2 more pieces from Buffalo. I still want Quinn.

So do I but I don’t think they’d move him

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Draft is in Buffalo.

I could see them taking Bjorck with 4. Maybe trading 20.

Buffalo is not in a great place.

Their top C is Norris, Thompson is better as a winger. Norris is made of glass. Kulich injury was serious. Ostlund might end up a winger.

As is without Tuch their top 9 is

Benson-Norris-Thompson
Zucker-McLeod-Quinn
Ostlund-Helenius-Doan

Kulich, Ostlund and Helenius are all still waivers exempt so it"s possible the weakest of the 3 starts in Rochester until Norris gets hurt.

Sabres probably feel internally they need to improve at C after these playoffs, but like the Jets NTC works against them.

Is the draft actually in Buffalo though? They are doing that remote draft again this year. It isn't really anywhere. But yeah, nominally it is in Buffalo. IDK if that is a factor or not.

You may consider Thompson to be a winger but he plays C. If they can move him to W they are overflowing with C's.

 

[ps241]

So am I the only one who woke up today and was surprised a few deals weren’t done in the middle of the night .

 

[Gil Fisher]

Sabres defintely have the assets to get Hellebuyck and Thomas. Blues would likely be satisfied with something around 4oa.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Yeah, no chance the Jets take American Reid over Carels, and I dont blame them.

Never mind where they are from, except for handedness consideration I take Carels anyway.

 

[CanMerc]

Is the draft actually in Buffalo though? They are doing that remote draft again this year. It isn't really anywhere. But yeah, nominally it is in Buffalo. IDK if that is a factor or not.

You may consider Thompson to be a winger but he plays C. If they can move him to W they are overflowing with C's.

With Tuch leaving they could use Thompson on the wing

 

[CanMerc]

So am I the only one who woke up today and was surprised a few deals weren’t done in the middle of the night .

I fully expected to wake up to a Helle trade

 

[CanMerc]

Sabres defintely have the assets to get Hellebuyck and Thomas. Blues would likely be satisfied with something around 4oa.

I think they’d be asking at least #4 + Helenius…I know would… Byram just pulled #4 +

 

[ps241]

I fully expected to wake up to a Helle trade

The Helle trade has me off balance. I am probably overthinking it a bit right now. I can 100% see both paths (trade and not traded). If the market is soft for Helle then Chevy won’t trade for the sake of a trade yet. I think this would suck and be a distraction but it just feels so Winnipeg Jets like (doing a good deal the hard way). That being said I would not be surprised to see one buyer team blink. The market feels very action driven right now so hopefully its contagious (Chevy will not catch the bug he will wait for his price).

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Not only a lot of trades, but big ones! 2 top 10 picks were traded, 1 of them twice!! Crazy day, but Jets extended Walker Duehr last week.

 

[CanMerc]

Not only a lot of trades, but big ones! 2 top 10 picks were traded, 1 of them twice!! Crazy day, but Jets extended Walker Duehr last week.

Yeah….Chevy did his big work early…he’s back at the cottage in his favourite chair.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

People don't want Norris because he is always hurt but are clamoring for Dach.

Norris 47.2 games a season.
Dach 43.7 games a season.

Nobody is clamouring for Dach.

 

[gojetsgo]

The Helle trade has me off balance. I am probably overthinking it a bit right now. I can 100% see both paths (trade and not traded). If the market is soft for Helle then Chevy won’t trade for the sake of a trade yet. I think this would suck and be a distraction but it just feels so Winnipeg Jets like (doing a good deal the hard way). That being said I would not be surprised to see one team blink. The market feels very action driven right now so hopefully it contagious (Chevy will not catch the bug he will wait for his price).

I've been going back and forth on a helle trade all day yesterday since the early insider trading where dreger talked about the offers needing to get better, then I saw the byram trade and thought that some gm is surely going to step up, but at the same time we are looking for specific pieces and not strictly futures so this may be harder then expected and the only teams that really makes sense from my perspective is buffalo and anahiem depending on how confident they still are in dostal, so all in all I'm at 50/50 he's traded

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

So do I but I don’t think they’d move him

Well, that is another story.
I'm beginning to doubt that Hellebuyck is moved and I don't think staying put will turn out well after this.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

With Tuch leaving they could use Thompson on the wing

True. But apparently they are suddenly short on C's.

 

[Finnflash]

This is bs. Nothing is going to happen is it?

 

[Gil Fisher]

I think they’d be asking at least #4 + Helenius…I know would… Byram just pulled #4 +

They may ask for a significant plus, but Byram isn't a comparable because everyone knows Chicago got hosed.

 

[ps241]

I've been going back and forth on a helle trade all day yesterday since the early insider trading where dreger talked about the offers needing to get better, then I saw the byram trade and thought that some gm is surely going to step up, but at the same time we are looking for specific pieces and not strictly futures so this may be harder then expected and the only teams that really makes sense from my perspective is buffalo and anahiem depending on how confident they still are in dostal, so all in all I'm at 50/50 he's traded

Also goalies are different than skaters. Both teams got to the final this year with sub optimal goaltending that got hot at the right time of the year (until it went stone cold in the final for both teams until Buzzi picked up the ball).

That being said Bob was the difference for Florida vs Edmonton two cup runs in a row. Once again back to debating myself

 

[DRW204]

This is bs. Nothing is going to happen is it?

well if nothing happens regards to Helle then it's on Chevy to have this team a cup contender for 2026-27. which probably requires acquisitions.