Finally, in the move that we all knew was coming, the Buffalo Sabres announced Wednesday night the re-signing of goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The pending RFA signed a two-year deal with an AAV of $837,500. Per Lance Lysowski from The Buffalo News, a source told TBN that the second year is a one-way deal.
It’s a slight adjustment from Luukkonen’s most recent contract, which he signed back in 2018. That four-year deal had a cap hit of $778,333 and an AAV of $910,833 in the final year.
The second-round pick (54th overall) from 2017, Luukkonen has appeared in 13 NHL games to date over the past two seasons. In NHL action, he’s played 920 minutes with a record of 3-8-2, a 3.08 GAA and .913 save percentage.
Luukkonen has spent most of the time since his draft year with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Last season, he appeared in 35 games with a 15-14-6 record, 3.28 GAA and .900 save percentage.
With UPL’s signing, here’s a look at the current Sabres goaltending situation:
- Eric Comrie (27 years old): $1.8 million, signed through 2023-24 (2.2% cap)
- Craig Anderson (41 years old): $1.5 million, signed through 2022-23 (1.8% cap)
- Malcolm Subban (28 years old): $850,000, signed through 2022-23 (1.0% cap)
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (23 years old): $837,500, signed through 2023-24/
Considering the Sabres’ goaltending situation of the future, there’s also Devon Levi and Erik Portillo to contend with. Both are heading back to their respective NCAA teams in Northeastern and Michigan for this season. A lot can happen in a year, much less two when UPL’s contract ends, so we’ll see how things pan out when it comes to Levi, Portillo and Luukkonen.