Sabres Sign Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen To Five-Year Contract
The Buffalo Sabres have solidified their goaltending situation for the next half decade as the team announced they signed Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to a five-year, $23.75MM contract. The deal will pay Luukkonen an AAV of $4.75MM each year of the contract and keep the young netminder in Buffalo until the 2028-29 NHL season.
The deal comes just under the current contract of Vancouver Canucks’ netminder Thatcher Demko who secured a five-year, $25MM contract back in 2021. Luukkonen is arguably coming off a better season than when Demko signed his extension in 2021 which may indicate this deal is somewhat of a bargain for the Sabres.
If any positives came from Buffalo during the 2023-24 season, they largely centered around Luukkonen. The start of the year was disappointing as he produced a 6-8-2 record in his first 17 games with a .893 save percentage. At the turn of the calendar, however, Luukkonen went on an impressive stretch to end the season.
Since his first game at the start of the calendar year, Luukkonen concluded the season with a 20-14-2 record in 36 games while maintaining a .919 SV%. Luukkonen finished the season with a 27-22-4 record in 51 starts while earning a .910 SV% and 2.57 goals against average.
Aside from becoming the undisputed starter for the Sabres, the young Finnish netminder recorded five shutouts, 10.1 goals saved above average, and 2.65 adjusted goals against average according to HockeyReference. All of these served as career highs for Luukkonen after coming off a disappointing season the year prior.
This will be the major question surrounding this contract in Buffalo as Luukkonen has only produced one good season in the NHL. This is not to take away from his dominance last year but he has failed to produce back-to-back quality seasons in the best league in the sport.
Luckily, the Sabres do have a fallback option if this contract doesn’t pan out as expected with Devon Levi ready for full-time NHL responsibilities. The young netminder split time between Buffalo and the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans and he produced a 16-6-4 record in the AHL with a .927 SV% and 2.42 GAA.
General manager of the Sabres, Kevyn Adams, acknowledged this in the announcement when he said, “We really like the position we’re in with having UPL and Devon Levi as still young, developing goaltenders, guys we think are going to continue to grow and get better, that are extremely talented, hard-working, and character people“.
Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen An Emerging Starter Amid Competition
The Buffalo Sabres faced an exciting question entering the 2023-24 season – “how high will Devon Levi climb?” It seemed like Levi was set for certain stardom coming off a historically good collegiate career, with some even claiming him as a pre-season favorite for the Calder Trophy opposite Connor Bedard. But Levi’s first full year of pro hockey proved to be much more human than anticipated, and it was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who stole Buffalo’s starting role while Levi split time between the NHL backup and AHL starter roles. Luukkonen performed well in the spotlight, managing 27 wins, a .910 save percentage, and five shutouts while handling a commendable 54 games. Now, nearly a month into the off-season, Luukkonen sits as an unsigned restricted free agent and Buffalo faces a new, much bleaker question: “who is our starter?”
The clearest answer seems to be Luukkonen, who’s still just 25 years old and coming off a year that would make any starter proud. It’s been a long march for the Finnish netminder, who struggled to find his footing through his first three years in North American pros. He kicked off his career by earning an AHL promotion on the back of 23 strong ECHL games, though he’d stall out with the Rochester Americans, ultimately recording a bleak .894 save percentage in 60 AHL games between the start of the 2018-19 and the end of the 2021-22 seasons.
But injuries forced Buffalo to recall Luukkonen twice in 2021, ultimately awarding him the first 13 NHL games of his career. He performed well in the spot starts, managing a .913 save percentage despite winning just three games. That was a bright enough flash to earn him a share of backup minutes in the 2022-23 campaign – an opportunity that he took in stride. In a reverse of his early stat line, Luukkonen found strong success in the win column despite a sub-.900 save percentage, posting a team-leading 17 wins and standing as the only Sabres goaltender with a winning record that year. His winning tendencies and strong stat lines merged in the starting role this year, ultimately leading to a season that was hard to ignore. Luukkonen’s 27 wins stand as the most of any Sabres goaltender since Ryan Miller in 2012, and his .910 save percentage is the team’s highest since Robin Lehner in 2017.
Simply put, it’s been a while since Buffalo has seen a goalie season as capable as Luukkonen’s 2023-24 campaign. The team now faces the dreaded task of putting a price to the starring performance, without much supplementary info to go on. Levi’s presence only makes Buffalo’s decision harder. The 22-year-old top prospect managed a .899 save percentage in 23 games as an NHL rookie this season – certainly nothing to bluff at – and a .927 in 26 AHL games – the second-highest save percentage in the minors. Levi still carries a blue chip, even if his highly-anticipated rookie year fell short of the history books. Any long-term extension for Luukkonen would have to consider Levi’s rightful shot at opportunity. And while Buffalo can dream of a perfectly balanced duo akin to Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, it seems more likely that each of Luukonen and Levi’s success comes on the back of a consistent role.
So what could a new deal look like for Luukkonen – and what kind of time share is awaiting him? Thatcher Demko is currently riding a five-year, $25MM extension earned after a pair of limited but promising seasons with the Vancouver Canucks where he managed 29 wins and a .910 save percentage across 62 games. That falls closely in line with Luukkonen’s strong 2023-24, though Demko carried the prestige of a higher draft pick and stronger track record. The Sabres could instead vie for a deal more comparable to Alexandar Georgiev – who joined the Colorado Avalanche on a three-year, $10.2MM deal in 2022 after holding well in the New York Rangers backup role. Like Demko and Luukkonen, Georgiev’s deal came with little to go on, save for a strong stat line in limited minutes.
Unfortunately for the Sabres, both Demko and Georgiev followed their signings with 60-game seasons – and both performed well with the opportunity. That precedent, and Buffalo’s plea for strong consistency in net after so long without it, could force the Sabres to commit to a full year of Luukkonen. That would set them up for a situation more closely related to Nashville’s than Boston’s, with a top-end, young goaltender burgeoning out of the AHL starter role, but an all-too-capable starter hogging the limelight. Or the Sabres may bridge the gap between the two teams – a benefit of a nearby AHL team – finding ways to incorporate Levi into the lineup whenever available, while still honoring Luukkonen’s deserved chance at a full-time role. Either way, the team’s vision for their goaltending will be spelled out by the contract they sign Luukkonen to – and it will be a decision with major ramifications.
14 Players Elect For Salary Arbitration
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and originally produced by the National Hockey Leaguer Players’ Association, 14 players have elected for salary arbitration this summer. The deadline for team-elected arbitration is tomorrow. Friedman also notes the arbitration hearings will happen between July 20th and August 4th. To add context, not every one of these players will appear for a hearing with their respective teams as they may continue to negotiate on a new contract. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet. Here is a list of the players that have elected for arbitration:
F Beck Malenstyn (Buffalo Sabres)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres)
F Martin Necas (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Jack Drury (Carolina Hurricanes)
D Jake Christiansen (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings)
D Spencer Stastney (Nashville Predators)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (New York Islanders)
D Ryan Lindgren (New York Rangers)
D Ty Emberson (San Jose Sharks)
D J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning)
F Connor Dewar (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Sabres Unlikely To Move Goalie, Won’t Extend Young Players This Summer
The Buffalo Sabres used a trio of netminders last season as they searched for stability in the crease. Now, it appears that two-thirds of that group will be back next season as the Sabres are planning to roll into the 2024-25 season with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi as their netminders (as per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News). The news isn’t all that surprising given where the Sabres are at, however, they were recently linked to a pair of netminders in Linus Ullmark and Filip Gustavsson(as per The Fourth Period).
The Sabres have good reason to be optimistic about Luukkonen’s development as the 25-year-old took a massive step forward last season, dressing in a career-high 54 games and posting a 27-22-4 record. The Espoo, Finland registered an above-average .910 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average to go along with 9.4 goals saved above expected (per Money Puck). Levi also had good underlying numbers with 10.7 goals saved above expected in just 23 games. He did spend significant time in the AHL but appears poised to spend all of next season in the NHL. Luukkonen is an RFA, while Levi has one more year left on his entry-level contract.
Lysowski also tweeted that Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has talked with the agents for Bowen Byram, JJ Peterka, and Jack Quinn to discuss getting new contracts done as they are eligible for extensions on July 1st. However, Adams doesn’t believe that those contract extensions will get done this summer, and there isn’t a lot of urgency as all three players will be restricted free agents on July 1st, 2025.
Peterka is the likeliest of the three to get a long-term extension done as the 22-year-old posted 28 goals and 22 assists in 82 games last season. The Sabres might look at a bridge deal for Quinn as he has dealt with injury issues and hasn’t been able to establish himself as a regular NHLer.
Byram could get a longer-term deal depending on how this upcoming season goes. The 23-year-old struggled before his trade to Buffalo but was very good offensively for the Sabres after his trade from Colorado. The Cranbrook, British Columbia native posted three goals and six assists in 18 games with Buffalo while he averaged almost 22 minutes of ice time per game.
East Notes: Luukkonen, Senators, Kuznetsov
Buffalo News reporter Lance Lysowski writes that the Buffalo Sabres and the agent for goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen have opened up talks on a contract extension for the young netminder. The 25-year-old hadn’t been able to find consistency in the NHL prior to last season but was able to assert himself and provide the Sabres with excellent goaltending as he went 27-22-4, with a .910 save percentage and a 2.57 GAA.
Luukkonen is due for a big pay increase from the $925K he made last season, and it will be interesting to see whether he and the Sabres opt for a bridge deal or a long-term commitment. If the two sides opt for arbitration or a bridge deal, Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov would be a good comparison after he signed a one-year contract for $3.55 million last summer. The alternative to a short-term pact would be a longer-term deal and according to Jeff Marek of Sportsnet, that type of contract could run the Sabres between $4-5 million per season.
In other Eastern Conference notes:
- With the NHL draft lottery complete, the Ottawa Senators will have 24 hours to decide whether to forfeit this year’s first-round pick or push the decision to 2025 or 2026 because of the invalid Evgenii Dadonov trade. Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun tweets that he doesn’t think the Senators will forfeit this year’s pick as Ottawa’s new management group headed by Steve Staios has ramped up their scouting efforts in preparation for this draft. The Senators hold the seventh overall pick after another disappointing season and will likely use the top-10 pick to add to their young core.
- Luke DeCock of The News & Observer tweeted that the Carolina Hurricanes made Evgeny Kuznetsov a healthy scratch for game 2 of their second-round series against the New York Rangers. Max Comtois will make his NHL playoff debut, skating in Kuznetsov’s place. Carolina dropped the first game of the series on Sunday and have been receiving offensive contributions from Kuznetsov, despite him playing predominantly in a fourth-line role with limited power play time. The 31-year-old struggled in the regular season but has been good offensively in the playoffs, posting two goals and two assists in six games.
Morning Notes: Luukkonen, Mantha, Blackhawks, Oilers
The Buffalo Sabres are working on signing goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to an extension, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shares in the latest 32 Thoughts article. Luukkonen is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Goalie partner Eric Comrie is also set to enter free agency this summer, while rookie Devon Levi is signed through the end of next season.
Luukkonen unexpectedly found his way into the starter’s net this season, appearing in 54 games despite competition from Levi and Comrie. He performed well with the chance, recording 27 wins and a .910 save percentage. – serving as the only Sabres goalie to record a save percentage above .900. This season marked Luukkonen’s first year in a full-time NHL role, after splitting the last three years between the major and minor leagues. And while he performed well, he wasn’t the starter many Sabres fans expected entering the season. That weight was instead on 22-year-old Levi’s shoulders – but he quickly lost the role after posting four wins and a .887 save percentage through his first 10 games. Luukkonen stepped in as relief and didn’t let go of the role.
At 25, Luukkonen seems poised for at least another chance at a starting role, though Levi’s presence could make a long-term extension challenging for the Sabres to commit to. How they decide to organize their goaltenders for next season could be very telling into Buffalo’s long-term plans.
Other notes from around the league:
- Anthony Mantha returned to the Vegas Golden Knights practices on Saturday, donning a no-contact jersey, per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (Twitter link). Mantha has been red-hot with Vegas since the Trade Deadline, scoring 10 points in his first 18 games with the club – though he missed the team’s season finale with an undisclosed injury. Still not taking contact, Mantha will likely be on the fringe of the lineup as the Golden Knights prepare for Monday’s Game One.
- Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson shared that it’s time for the team to build up, says Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Chicago finished second-last in the league this season, on the back of a forward group that looked desolate when it lost Connor Bedard and Taylor Hall to injury. Finding offensive support will likely be the focus of their building efforts, as the Hawks prepare to weaponize their $38MM projected cap space this summer.
- Both Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark are expected to return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup for their Monday Game One against the Los Angeles Kings, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kane sat out of the team’s final three games of the season with injury, capping his year off at 24 goals and 44 points in 77 appearances. Meanwhile, Janmark was able to finish out the season but missed the team’s Saturday practice. Neither injuries have been disclosed.
Atlantic Notes: Luukkonen, Imama, Tkachuk
Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News is reporting that Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen won’t play for Team Finland at the upcoming IIHF World Championship. The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent on July 1st and without an extension in place has elected to not play in the event. The news is not surprising given that Luukkonen would be risking injury without the security of a long-term deal in place. It will be a blow to Finland’s roster for the tournament.
Luukkonen’s future looked murky at the start of the season, but the native of Espoo, Finland put up terrific numbers on a weak Sabres team registering a record of 27-22-4, along with five shutouts, a 2.57 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. His underlying numbers were also strong as he posted 9.4 goals saved above expected in 54 games. His contract negotiations will be interesting to watch as the Sabres will have to make a bet on whether or not Luukkonen can carry his strong play into the next few seasons.
In other Atlantic Division notes:
The Ottawa Senators have re-assigned forward Bokondji Imama to their AHL affiliate in Belleville. The 27-year-old was recalled two weeks ago by Ottawa and registered zero points and 7 PIM in six games while averaging 5:35 of ice time. He suffered an upper-body injury in Monday’s game against the Rangers and missed the Senators season finale against Boston on Tuesday. The Montreal, Quebec native is a former sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and has registered a single goal in 15 career NHL games. Imama has spent the bulk of his seven-year professional career in the AHL where he has 29 goals and 43 assists in 310 career AHL games.
Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun reports that Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will represent Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Championships. A day after being nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the 24-year-old spoke with the Ottawa media and talked about the disappointment with his team’s season but expressed excitement about representing his country on the world stage. The former fourth overall pick had another strong season for the Senators, posting 37 goals and 37 assists in 81 games to lead the team in scoring for the second time in three years.
Nominees Announced For 2024 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Nominees are selected by members of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association, with finalists being named near the end of the regular season. Previous winners include Kris Letang (2023), Carey Price (2022), and Oskar Lindblom (2021). Today, a new list of 32 nominees has been named.
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Urho Vaakanainen
Arizona Coyotes – Connor Ingram
Boston Bruins – Danton Heinen
Buffalo Sabres – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Calgary Flames – Oliver Kylington
Carolina Hurricanes – Frederik Andersen
Chicago Blackhawks – Colin Blackwell
Colorado Avalanche – Jonathan Drouin
Columbus Blue Jackets – Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars – Matt Duchene
Detroit Red Wings – Alex Lyon
Edmonton Oilers – Vincent Desharnais
Florida Panthers – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Los Angeles Kings – Viktor Arvidsson
Minnesota Wild – Marco Rossi
Montreal Canadiens – Joel Armia
Nashville Predators – Michael McCarron
New Jersey Devils – Curtis Lazar
New York Islanders – Cal Clutterbuck
New York Rangers – Jonathan Quick
Ottawa Senators – Claude Giroux
Philadelphia Flyers – Sean Couturier
Pittsburgh Penguins – Sidney Crosby
San Jose Sharks – Justin Bailey
Seattle Kraken – Joey Daccord
St. Louis Blues – Nathan Walker
Tampa Bay Lightning – Michael Eyssimont
Toronto Maple Leafs – Ilya Samsonov
Vancouver Canucks – Noah Juulsen
Vegas Golden Knights – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington Capitals – T.J. Oshie
Winnipeg Jets – Laurent Brossoit
Evening Notes: Tokarski, Jankowski, Barabanov
The Buffalo Sabres have loaned netminder Dustin Tokarski to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League just a few days after recalling the 34-year-old. Tokarski was recalled and reassigned last week before being recalled again over the weekend due to an illness to Sabres backup Eric Comrie.
Tokarski backed up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen‘s today in a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks and was nearly summoned to play as Luukkonen struggled stopping just 11 of 15 shots in the loss. Tokarski hasn’t played in an NHL game since February 18th, 2023, and is 7-7-2 with a .887 save percentage in 17 AHL games this season.
In other evening notes:
- A day after sending forward Mark Jankowski to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, the Nashville Predators have recalled the 29-year-old. Jankowski has a goal in five games this season in the NHL but is currently third in AHL scoring with 15 goals and 32 assists in 40 games. He was named the AHL’s Player of the Month for January and will now re-join the Predators as they continue their five-game road trip tomorrow night in Vegas when they take on the Golden Knights.
- The San Jose Sharks healthy scratched forward Alexander Barabanov today in their 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year-old has seen his name in trade rumors over the last few months despite struggling through a poor offensive season with just three goals and six assists in 34 games. Barabanov has put together a couple of solid offensive seasons in San Jose but hasn’t had the same quality of teammates this year which has led to poor offensive results. Barabanov is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but it doesn’t appear he was held out of action for a pending trade. Based on reports, it seems as though Barabanov was scratched for his defensive play in a previous game.
Sabres Notes: Tokarski, Luukkonen, Quinn
The Buffalo Sabres have recalled goaltender Dustin Tokarski from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The 34-year-old has yet to play in the NHL this year and has sat fourth on the Sabres goaltending depth chart this season. The veteran of 80 NHL games will split duties with Eric Comrie for the time being as the Sabres have opted to leave youngster Devon Levi in the AHL.
A standout junior goalie in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs, Tokarski has never been able to put it together in the NHL. He last dressed for an NHL game nearly a year ago to the day for the Pittsburgh Penguins surrendering four goals on 42 shots in a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. This season in the AHL, the native of Watson, Saskatchewan has struggled to a 7-7-2 record with an .888 save percentage and a 3.47 goals-against average.
In other Sabres notes:
- Another Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury during the team’s morning skate. The 24-year-old was slated to start his fifth straight game tonight but will be sidelined for a few days. Luukkonen has started 10 of Buffalo’s last 11 games and is coming off his fourth shutout of the season on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings. The native of Espoo, Finland is 13-13-2 this season with a 2.51 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
- The Sabres also placed forward Jack Quinn on the injured reserve today with a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old underwent surgery on January 29th and is expected to be out for eight weeks meaning that his IR placement won’t affect a potential return when he is ready to get back into the lineup. The Ottawa, Ontario native has struggled with injuries this season and has played just 17 games. He was heating up before the injury with four points in his last two games and had been productive most of the season, posting five goals and seven assists.