The Sabres went into the new season without the crease makeover plenty of people expected, and now the early returns are only turning up the heat on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Buffalo spent the summer tied to Connor Hellebuyck trade chatter, but the organization chose to stay put and open the year with the same goalie group it had in place before: Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis. Lyon is injured, which leaves Luukkonen in the spotlight right away - and so far, the results haven’t helped him.
Through two starts, he’s sitting on a .784 save percentage, a rough opening that follows a disappointing playoff stretch last spring, when he posted an .876 save percentage in six appearances. One of the defining low points came when he gave up a goal from center ice against the Boston Bruins in the first round.
That’s why Owen Parker of WGR 550 Radio sounded so blunt on Thursday when he talked about Luukkonen’s standing in Buffalo.
"Yeah, I think it's a combination of [the no-trade clause usage] plus the bouncer in the playoffs last year will forever stick in a lot of people's minds. I don't think that's fair but I think it's gonna happen. And I think that the ride we've been on with him throughout his career already, just in general, sort of all adds up to, I think, a guy that's gonna have a really hard time having anybody believe in him in this town.
It's tough because I don't think he necessarily deserves that but that's what I think is going to happen here. I think it's done. I think he's cooked here."
WGR's Owen Parker on UPL
Parker may be overstating it, but the skepticism around Luukkonen is real. He’s had stretches where he’s looked the part over seven years in the organization, including a .910 save percentage in 35 regular-season games in 2025-26. Even so, he’s never fully locked down the job as Buffalo’s unquestioned answer in goal, and that matters now more than ever.
The issue is bigger than one bad week or even one bad postseason. Luukkonen, a 6-foot-5 Finland native and a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, is under contract through 2028-29. But if the Sabres no longer see him as their No. 1 option, the conversation shifts fast: would he accept a lesser role, or would Buffalo eventually look elsewhere?
That uncertainty is what makes the goaltending picture so messy. A few years ago, the Sabres’ future in net seemed obvious, with Luukkonen and Devon Levi projected as the tandem to carry things forward.
That plan has already changed. Levi was traded to the Edmonton Oilers over the offseason, and he’s now pushing to become their starter in the Western Conference.
Ellis, meanwhile, has given Buffalo something to think about. Claimed off waivers from the St.
Louis Blues last October, the 26-year-old has shown promise with a .903 save percentage in 17 games. He also stopped 18 of 20 shots in Tuesday night’s comeback win over the Minnesota Wild.
He’s earned a longer look, but it’s still too early to crown him the goalie of the future.
Lyon brought value early last season and was Buffalo’s best player during that stretch, but he’s 33 and set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he remains in the picture, it likely won’t be as the clear-cut starter.
The depth behind them doesn’t settle much either. Samuel Meloche and Yevgeni Prokhorov have shown long-term upside, but neither is close to NHL minutes.
Scott Ratzlaff and Topias Leinonen are nearer to the big leagues, though neither looks like a sure bet to become a 60-start workhorse. Buffalo also didn’t add a goalie in the 2026 NHL Draft.
So if you’re trying to map out the Sabres’ Opening Night starter three or four years from now, there’s no clean answer. Luukkonen could flip the script.
Ellis could keep climbing. One of the prospects could break through.
Hellebuyck could still be on the table if he stays in Winnipeg.
For now, though, the Sabres are stuck in a gray area, and that’s a difficult place for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to be when the rest of the roster looks stronger up front and on the blue line.
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There is also some positive momentum building around individual pieces, with the top of the lineup producing and the blue line getting recent contributions that matter in October. The bigger question is whether Buffalo can turn that into a bigger run at home, because a win here would push the club closer to a kind of early-season rhythm it has been chasing and would make this a lot more than just another night on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]