The Buffalo Sabres signed goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year contract worth $850,000 on Thursday. With save percentages (SV%) well below .900 and goals-against averages (GAA) above 3.00, Georgiev has struggled the last few years.
The Sabres also signed free-agent Alex Lyon to a two-year contract this offseason, and the team still has goaltending prospect Devon Levi.
Luukkonen Is Dealing With a Nagging Injury
It was reported late Friday morning by Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic that Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is dealing with a nagging injury, as he described it as a “tweak.” As of right now, there is no timetable for his return. With training camp scheduled for next week, there is now uncertainty with their goaltending position.
🚨UPDATE🚨@fatteybeer @BuiltInBuffalo_
— 2 Goalies 1 Mic (@2Goalies1Mic) September 12, 2025
Per @MatthewFairburn, Sabres signed goaltender Alexander Georgiev as a result of an injury to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
“According to a league source, Luukkonen reported to camp with what is described as a “tweak.” The team is unsure of the… pic.twitter.com/f1DTvOiZJf
Luukkonen is entering year two of his five-year contract, which he signed last offseason. Last season, he did struggle a bit, recording a SV% of .887 and a GAA of 3.20. He’ll be looking to improve those numbers this season; however, depending on how long he is sidelined, it might have to wait.
Georgiev Signing Is Strictly for Depth Purposes
Levi has been called up as an injury replacement over the last two seasons, and it seems the Sabres are reluctant to rely on that option. They are committed to giving him a full season of development in the minors. Levi is still seen as the Sabres’ future franchise goaltender, and he needs to play as much as possible to develop into the team’s starting goaltender in a couple of seasons.
Levi has some NHL playing time under his belt, but it has not been particularly significant over the last three seasons, which is why keeping him in the minors is so essential this season. Each season, he has gotten time in the NHL, but his stats have gotten progressively worse; however, his numbers have been significant in the American Hockey League (AHL), and you can never keep a goaltender in the minors too long.
Look at Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames. He played three full seasons in the minors, earning significant NHL playing time during the 2023-24 season, where he played 17 games, but his numbers weren’t the greatest. Now, he was a Calder Trophy finalist last season and is looking to improve on it. My point is, keeping Levi in the AHL is a smart move by the organization, and signing a proven NHL goaltender in this instance was the right call.
Georgiev has shown he’s a capable goaltender in the NHL. During the 2022-23 season with the Colorado Avalanche, he played 62 games with 40 wins, a 2.53 GAA, and a .919 SV%. Granted, the Sabres are not the Avalanche, but a .919 SV% and 40 wins are fantastic numbers.
The last two seasons have not been great for Georgiev. In 2023-24, despite recording 38 wins in 63 games, he still posted a lackluster 3.02 GAA and a .897 SV%. Even though he had a down season, the Avalanche still made the playoffs and advanced to the second round before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars.
Last season, he didn’t start well for the Avalanche, recording a 3.38 GAA and a .874 SV% in 18 games before management traded him to the San Jose Sharks, where he earned a 3.88 GAA and a .875 SV% in 31 games.
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Now he will be looking to make a case and show why he deserves to be on an NHL roster in Buffalo, because of the Luukkonen injury, or if Lyon misses time due to injury at some point during the season. Otherwise, he will be assigned to the Rochester Americans, the Sabres’ affiliate team in the AHL. It’s also easy to forget that Georgiev was a solid backup goaltender for the New York Rangers a few years ago. He then signed with the Avalanche, where he became a great starting goaltender before his performance declined significantly in 2023-24.
While we don’t know the severity of Luukkonen’s injury, the Sabres took a proactive approach by signing Georgiev as they look to stabilize the net in hopes he can be a stopgap until Luukkonen is ready to come back.
