The Sabres didn’t make a splash when they brought in Matt Villalta in early July. But Rochester has been leaning hard on that quiet depth move, and the Amerks are getting exactly what they needed.
Villalta has steadied the net for the AHL club, posting a 1.86 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in seven appearances. That kind of start has made him a fixture for a Rochester team leaning on a very young blue line.
“I don't know if I have enough time on the show to talk about him,” Rochester head coach Michael Leone said Wednesday on Sabres Live. “Before we get to the hockey, he's an incredible teammate, he's incredible person. A goalie's never gonna be your captain but I bet if I polled the group, I bet he'd be the captain of the team.
"... He's been fantastic so far. Really fortunate to have him.”
For a goalie with an AHL résumé that includes a .904 save percentage and 10 shutouts in 242 games, plus an .895 mark with the Tucson Roadrunners last season, this is a noticeable step forward. Villalta, 27, was a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2017 and spent three years in the Utah Mammoth organization before landing in Western New York.
The timing matters, too. Rochester has been asking a lot of Radim Mrtka, Gavin McCarthy and Maxim Strbak on the back end. Having a veteran in net who can absorb some mistakes has value beyond the box score, especially for a young defense still finding its footing.
It also gives Buffalo something to monitor closely. The Sabres are sitting 29th in team save percentage at .873 through 12 games, and their goaltending picture has been uneven.
Buffalo entered the season hoping to stick with its three-goalie setup from last year - Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis - but Lyon hasn’t played in the regular season while recovering from an upper-body injury. Luukkonen and Ellis have both struggled for consistency in his absence.
Villalta owns three games of NHL experience from his time in the Mammoth organization, and if he keeps this up, it wouldn’t be a shock if he gets a look with Buffalo later this season.
For now, he’s the guy Rochester is counting on. The Amerks were set to face the Hershey Bears on Wednesday night, and Villalta remains their best bet to keep the fort standing.
Elsewhere in the organization, the Sabres’ goaltending pipeline has been slow to produce early this season. Scott Ratzlaff and Topias Leinonen were both sent to the ECHL in the opening stretch of the year, and neither appears to be on a clear NHL path right now.
Yevgeni Prokhorov and Samuel Meloche had stronger showings in 2025-26, but both have opened 2026-27 in a funk. Prokhorov has an .893 save percentage in three games for Belarus’ Yunost Minsk, while Meloche is at .880 in 10 games with the QMHJL’s Saint John Sea Dogs.
There’s still time for either to recover, but neither looks close to the NHL conversation at the moment. Buffalo also entered 2026 with only five draft picks and passed on taking a goalie, which leaves the organization with a question it can’t really avoid: where’s the next one coming from?
Right now, Villalta is answering a different question for the Sabres - how far one unexpected goalie can go in helping hold things together.
In Other News...
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Reports from The Fourth Period and TSNs David Pagnotta say Kekalainen is exploring the trade market, though no deal is close and no specific target has been identified. Around the league, the rumor mill has linked Buffalo to a few familiar names, but for now the Sabres are still searching for a possible answer rather than landing on one, which leaves the next move very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]
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One name now floating around is tied to Detroit, though any pursuit comes with obvious complications. The buzz around Buffalo is that Jarmo Kekalainen would like to explore a deal for a proven center, but the Sabres are working against a crowded field of suitors and the reality that the player in question has already narrowed his options elsewhere. For a team trying to turn a promising core into a consistent winner, it is the kind of trade idea that sounds easy in theory and becomes much harder once the negotiations actually start. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres May Already Be Feeling Better About The Zellweger Deal
Olen Zellwegers first stretch in Buffalo has given the Sabres a reason to feel pretty good about the move, even if the deal is still in its early stages. The defenseman has settled in quickly after arriving from Anaheim, bringing more offense to the blue line and looking like a fit in Lindy Ruffs system. He has collected five points in seven games, which is the kind of immediate contribution Buffalo was hoping to get from a player with his upside.
For the Sabres, the part that matters now is whether Zellwegers strong start becomes a trend rather than just a hot first impression. Buffalo gave up prospect Anton Wahlberg and a 2026 draft pick to get him, so the evaluation is already tied to how Zellweger holds up over time. Wahlberg, meanwhile, has been turning heads with the Ducks AHL affiliate in San Diego, which only adds another layer to a trade that could look very different as both sides keep developing. [Read more 🡒]