Jack Quinn has Lindy Ruff staring at Buffalo's biggest Connor Hellebuyck decision.
David Pagnotta's latest note matters because it sharpens the Sabres side of the Hellebuyck chatter. Around the draft, Ryan McLeod and Quinn were both around those talks, but Pagnotta says Buffalo has shown more appetite to explore moving Quinn than McLeod.
That is a revealing split. It tells you the Sabres may value McLeod's role more than outsiders expected, especially on a team that just broke through and does not want to rip out too much speed and center depth at once.
McLeod gave Buffalo a lot last season. He played 81 games and posted 14 goals with 54 points, while also finishing plus-25.
He also led the NHL with 5 short-handed goals and finished tied for second in short-handed points with 6, which is the kind of detail coaches and front offices do not brush aside.
That makes Quinn the more understandable chip, even if it is still a tough sell. Buffalo already signed him to a 2-year contract with a $3.375 million AAV last summer, and he is young enough that another club can still dream on more offense.
The catch is obvious. Hellebuyck is not a soft target. He is signed through 2030-31 at an $8.5 million cap hit, so any team even sniffing around him has to be ready to pay for both the player and the contract.
" David Pagnotta: Re Sabres/Connor Hellebuyck talks: Around draft we heard Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn's name floating around; I think there's been more of an appetite for Buffalo to explore a Quinn move verses McLeod - Hello Hockey (7/11) "
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Sabres reportedly choose who they'll sacrifice for Connor Hellebuyck
This is where the Sabres' posture gets interesting. Buffalo is not acting like a rebuilding team throwing futures around for a headline. It is acting like a 50-23-9 club that believes its window just opened and wants to see if a true No. 1 goalie can shove it wider.
That is why protecting McLeod may matter so much. A team that finally found traction does not want to solve one problem in net by weakening its structure up front more than necessary.
Quinn may still have strong value, and that is exactly why his name keeps surfacing. He is the kind of winger Buffalo can move without tearing a hole straight through the middle of the lineup.
The hard part is whether that is enough. Hellebuyck is one of the few goalies in the league who can change a franchise's ceiling, and Winnipeg is not going to move him for a light package just because Buffalo is ready to talk.
So Pagnotta's report says something important. The Sabres are willing to get uncomfortable in these conversations, but they are also drawing a line, and right now that line looks a lot more protective of Ryan McLeod than Jack Quinn.
Should the Sabres trade Jack Quinn if it helps land Connor Hellebuyck?
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