The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have signed goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to a five-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4.75 million.
Luukkonen took a big step in his development last season and took over as the starting goaltender for the Sabres. After some uncertainty about his position with the club, Luukkonen emerged as their best option and played 54 games for the club last season.
Luukkonen’s Break-Out Year
At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the expectation was that Luukkonen would be the third-string goaltender for the club as they had Devon Levi and Eric Comrie taking the top two spots, but during the season, Luukkonen took over the starting job.
“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,” says general manager Kevyn Adams.
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In his 54 games, Luukkonen posted a record of 27-22-4 and had a save percentage (SV%) of .910. Considering the steps back the Sabres took and the defensive struggles the team had, being above league average is a remarkable season for the 25-year-old netminder.
With a five-year extension, the Sabres and Luukkonen have avoided arbitration, which was scheduled for July 29. Having the two sides come together and agree on a deal gives Luukkonen security, rather than a one or two-year deal out of arbitration, and gives the Sabres some stability in the net while they figure out their next steps.
Future of the Crease in Buffalo
The aforementioned Levi is still the goalie of the future in the Sabres’ organization. Locking up Luukkonen for five years gives time for Levi to establish himself as the high-end goalie he projects to be, and if that happens sooner rather than later, the cap hit of $4.75 million is still low enough to be a part of a strong tandem.
Luukkonen’s season has clearly given the Sabres confidence in his game. With him as the starter, the Sabres have options for their backup position, including Levi, who hopes to be in the NHL full-time next season, but also the newly signed James Reimer.
From January 1, 2024, until the end of the season, Luukkonen was one of the top goaltenders in the NHL by stats. With 36 games in that span, Luukkonen had a .919 SV% and a goals-against average of 2.31. While the late start to the season wasn’t enough to get any Vezina Trophy votes, if he played that way over the course of a full season, he would certainly be on some ballots.
The Sabres are currently looking to take a step into the playoffs as they just extended their league-longest 13th straight season without postseason hockey. Having Luukkonen emerge as a true starter is huge for them, and if he can continue his dominant play, he will scratch off one of the things needed to take that step.
