Sabres likely to move forward with this goaltending tandem

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

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, 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, 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, native 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 noted 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 1. 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 1, 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 averaging almost 22 minutes of ice time per game.

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