The Buffalo Sabres are walking into the 2026-27 season with more on the line than they’ve had in years, and that makes the crease the loudest question on the roster. After snapping the 14-year playoff drought last season, Buffalo now has expectations attached to it. That means one position can tilt the whole year one way or the other.
That position is goaltender, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the name that matters most.
There is competition here, at least on paper. Colten Ellis has a real chance to push for the starting job, and Alex Lyon is also in the mix.
But the way things stand, Luukkonen is still the goalie to beat. Lyon and Luukkonen both gave Buffalo solid work last season and helped get the Sabres into the playoffs.
Once the postseason started, they split the workload almost evenly, with Lyon appearing in one more game.
Even so, Buffalo has more reason to trust Luukkonen going into this season. And the Sabres need that trust to pay off in a big way.
The roster around him has changed. Alex Tuch, one of the team’s top scorers, and defenseman Bowen Byram were traded during the offseason. That leaves more weight on the core that already runs through captain Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson, or it puts the pressure on the younger players to step into bigger roles.
Either way, Luukkonen is the one who can make the difference.
If he’s sharp, Buffalo has a real chance to keep the momentum going. If he isn’t, the whole season can slide in a hurry. His .876 save percentage in the 2026 playoffs is the kind of number the Sabres can’t afford to carry into another big year.
Right now, the expectation is that head coach Lindy Ruff starts with UPL as the No. 1 goalie. Lyon and Ellis both have arguments, but Luukkonen looks like the guy who gets the first crack. If he struggles early, though, the conversation changes fast.
That matters because Buffalo opens with four hard-nosed Central Division teams in its first five games, and a slow start there would put the crease under a spotlight immediately.
The Sabres may still be looking at some version of a three-goalie rotation, but it’s fair to wonder whether that approach can deliver the results Buffalo wants.
In Other News...
Sabres Face One Trade Debate They Cant Ignore This Summer
With Alex Tuch gone, the Sabres are staring at the kind of summer that can shape more than a roster, because the forward group may be heading into the new season without a major external addition. Trade chatter around Buffalo has quieted, but the conversation has not disappeared, and it has naturally turned toward the sort of impact names that would change the conversation overnight.
Among the possibilities floating around, Dylan Larkin has emerged as the kind of player Buffalo insiders believe would move the needle, even if getting him out of Detroit looks like a long shot. The Red Wings are said to be protective of their top center and the asking price would be steep, which leaves the Sabres waiting on a market that has not offered many easy answers. Connor Hellebuyck has also been part of the broader speculation, but the more immediate question in Buffalo is whether a bold swing is coming at all. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Just Entered The NHL Tier Fans Have Waited For
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For Buffalo, that makes this offseason approach worth watching. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen stayed cautious, passing on splashier moves such as a trade for Connor Hellebuyck or a signing of Patrick Kane and instead leaning into internal development, a bet on the roster growing together as the window opens. The hope from here is less about a one-year leap than building the kind of consistent playoff presence that confirms the Sabres are finally settling into the tier fans have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Development Pipeline Shifts Again With Another Familiar Face Moving On
Rochesters bench will look different again when the AHL season opens, and that matters in Buffalo because the Americans remain such an important part of the Sabres development pipeline. Head coach Michael Leone is set to work with a new staff after both of his assistant coaches from the previous two years moved on to other roles, leaving another familiar layer of continuity to be replaced.
Nathan Paetsch is among the departures after three seasons with the Americans, and his exit underscores how much turnover can ripple through an organization that leans on its farm team for growth and stability. For the Sabres, the changes in Rochester are more than a personnel note, since the people working closest to prospects often shape the daily habits and details that carry over when players make the jump. [Read more 🡒]