​Sabres’ Ryan McLeod could be key to Connor Hellebuyck trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Buffalo Sabres have a lot of forward depth, including some exciting young talent, and that gives them a real chance of pulling off a Connor Hellebuyck trade.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNames like Konsta Helenius, Zach Benson and Josh Doan are often thrown around in speculation as the types of players the Winnipeg Jets might want for their superstar goalie.The key to a compromise, though, might be Ryan McLeod.McLeod has a connection to the Jets already, and he might be a bit more of a fair value to give up in Buffalo’s eyes than those aforementioned rising stars.”Ryan McLeod would be a more reasonable target and has already dominated alongside Jets forward Cole Perfetti,” The Athletic’s Murat Ates wrote in a new article on Wednesday. “The 26-year-old playmaking center played with Perfetti on the Saginaw Spirit’s top line during their OHL playoff run in 2019. Jack Quinn and Peyton Krebs may each have appeal, too, but wouldn’t represent the same kind of home run swing. A return of McLeod and a substantial secondary piece could be viewed as a success.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE:How a 3-team Dylan Larkin, Jason Robertson trade could workMcLeod will turn 27 in September and is conceptually beginning his prime right about now.In 2025-26, he played 81 regular season games and finished with 14 goals and 40 assists.McLeod is 6-foot-3, but he doesn’t make an impact as a hitter or a blocker, so he has to produce on the offensive end to really make his presence felt.After four seasons with the Oilers, McLeod has had the two best campaigns of his career with Buffalo.Can the Sabres parlay McLeod’s continued improvement into a potential deal for Hellebuyck? That’s what everyone wants to know, but until a trade indeed does (or definitively doesn’t) happen, no one will know for sure.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement7-foot-1 draft pick is impossibly tallCale Makar is about to become a lot more expensiveSidney Crosby trade plans did a 180 for the PenguinsIt’s time to ask a serious Matthew Knies questionOilers’ Frederik Andersen signing is a massive bargain