Sabres Committed To Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Sabres GM Jarmo Kekäläinen believes in his team’s goaltending. He spoke earlier on WGR 550; A Buffalo-based radio show.

The hosts asked about the Sabres’ current goaltending situation and how specifically Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has handled being in trade rumors, to which Jarmo stated;

We believe in our goaltending. They had really good numbers last year and they were good for us; all three of them. Alex Lyon‘s been hurt and is close to coming back and we’ll see where he’s at when he does. Colten Ellis played some excellent games for us last year. He hasn’t been quite as good as he was last year, but we believe he’ll get there again. He’ll be a big part of our team, but (UPL) is a really good goaltender that has a lot to give to the Buffalo Sabres and, he’ll be a big part of our future.”

So are the Sabres going to keep their goaltending carousel going? The three aforementioned netminders take up 6.8% of Buffalo’s cap, at a $7.1MM total payroll. How that has fared for them went well last season, considering it was euphoric, ending a drought where they missed the playoffs for 14 years. All three goaltenders contributed to that, combining for a 26.0 goals saved above expected, and an average .907 save percentage with a 2.69 goals against average. All of it was enough to will the Sabres to finish with 50 wins and 109 points, winning the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history.

This season, however, at nine games, they sit at 4-3-2, currently in the wild card two position. Those numbers don’t seem to be trending towards replication. Luukkonen and Ellis (Lyon is out with an upper-body injury) have garnered a -7.1 goals saved above expected and combined for an .861 save percentage and 3.48 goals against average.

The rumors the hosts were talking about were brought up over the summer with the potential intrigue of gaining a true No. 1 goalie in Connor Hellebuyck. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had previously reported on the Sabres, which he discussed that Hellebuyck was willing to move his no-movement clause to be traded to the Sabres during the week of the 2026 NHL Draft. Had this trade gone through, the Sabres were looking at utilizing Hellebuyck in tandem with Ellis as a backup.

Winnipeg, in return, wanted the fourth-overall pick and, at the same time, hoped to keep the eighth-overall pick in this deal. The Sabres weren’t looking to make that trade without swapping draft capital within the top 10. The Jets, who were very fond of Viggo Björck before eventually taking him at eighth, weren’t likely to select him with the plethora of top-end talent available at fourth overall. Further to this, Friedman believes that Sabres netminder Luukkonen has the Winnipeg Jets as one of five teams on his modified no-trade list for the 2026-27 season, so the value for Winnipeg to gain a goalie in return wouldn’t add up there.

How much of an upgrade would Hellebuyck be? Well a four-time all-star, three-time Vezina trophy winner as the league’s best goaltender, and 2024-25 league MVP makes $8.5MM per season and will earn $59.5MM by the time he’s 38 years old in 2031, that would certainly hype up Sabres fans in acquisition, but wouldn’t come without a cost, and a hefty one at that if Luukkonen is not willing to waive for Winnipeg.

Hellebuyck’s suspension has drawn out, after failing to report to the Jets’ training camp, awaiting a move from his trade request. The NHL regular season is well underway but a return is inevitable as his suspension, as reported, is set to end this Friday, October 23rd. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, three teams remain in the mix for Hellebuyck. If the Jets are unable to trade him by Friday, Kaplan reported that Winnipeg will continue to pay him but will try to keep him away from the team.

Curious to wonder if Buffalo is one of those three teams, which seems likely but the inability to send UPL out to western Canada makes things tricky. The Sabres, who were one goal away from the Eastern Conference Finals last playoff, should be looking to upgrade but unless they’re patient based on the fact that they haven’t seen Lyon yet this season. If that upgrade in the pipes is Hellebuyck, it would add a major peice for a Sabres team trying to remain competitive in a stacked Atlantic.