The Sabres’ crease has become a full-blown talking point again, and Lindy Ruff isn’t pretending otherwise.
With Buffalo getting shaky results in goal to open the 2026-27 season, the chatter around a possible swing at Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck has only grown louder. That noise has also dragged Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen back into the spotlight, with questions piling up about whether he can still be the long-term answer for the Sabres.
Ruff was asked Wednesday what it means for Luukkonen to keep hearing his name come up in trade rumors while still being asked to carry a major load for Buffalo.
"He understands that. He's aware of it obviously.
He's had his ups and downs, and I think we've seen some good hockey out of him even through it. It's part of what you have to deal with.
I don't know sometimes where half the crap comes from. Not that I go looking for it, but I'm made aware of some of the stuff that's out there.
In today's game, you're gonna deal with some of that."
Luukkonen’s start has not been pretty. After putting up a .910 save percentage in 35 appearances last season, he has opened this year with an .860 mark in his first seven outings. That drop has only sharpened the questions around consistency, which has long been the 27-year-old’s biggest hurdle.
The Hellebuyck speculation has been hanging around Buffalo for months. There was even buzz that the Sabres and Jets were close to an agreement before the 2026 NHL Draft in late June, but nothing ever got done.
Now the talk has surged again because the other options haven’t stabilized things. Luukkonen, Colten Ellis and Alex Lyon have all been part of the early-goalie mess, with Lyon still working back from injury.
There’s also another wrinkle: Luukkonen has reportedly added Winnipeg to his no-trade list. That could force another team into the picture if Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen decides to reshape the position, and the New York Rangers have been floated as one possible fit after Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury.
Kekalainen tried to pour some cold water on the outside speculation Tuesday, but the conversation hasn’t gone away.
For now, Luukkonen is at least showing signs of life. He was rough early, posting a .782 save percentage over his first three starts, but he has settled in lately and helped Buffalo go 2-0-2 over his last four appearances while posting an .897 save percentage.
That’s not enough to erase the bigger concerns, but it is a step forward as the Sabres keep searching for stability in net.
Ellis gave Buffalo a good first start, then struggled against the Utah Mammoth and was pulled partway through a comeback win over the Florida Panthers after allowing a couple questionable goals. He hasn’t played since that exit.
Lyon’s setback in his recovery from an upper-body injury has complicated matters further, and his status for the upcoming road trip is uncertain. After Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres won’t be back at home until Nov. 4 against the Ottawa Senators.
So unless Buffalo makes a move, Luukkonen is likely to keep carrying a heavy workload in the short term. He has done that before, especially in 2023-24 when he finished with a .910 save percentage in 54 games, but holding that level consistently has been the challenge.
Goaltending hasn’t been the Sabres’ only problem, either. Their power play and penalty kill have both been sputtering at an unacceptable rate, leaving a strong 5-on-5 game to do too much of the lifting.
Even with all of that, Buffalo sits at 4-3-2 - and that record looks better when you consider how often the Sabres have had to chase games and fight back just to collect points.
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