Though it’s extremely early in the season, Buffalo Sabres management and fans alike should still be concerned about their starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen‘s performance.
Looking to successfully rebound after struggling in last year’s playoffs, where he posted an .876 save percentage in six games, Luukkonen’s grasp as the Sabres’ first-string goalie is slowly slipping away as the 27-year-old has started the season by going 1-2 with a 4.02 GAA and a .782 save percentage after three starts.
Luukkonen, who surrendered 12 goals in those three starts, was extremely blunt about his early-season struggles by stating, “My job is to keep the pucks out of the net, and right now it’s not happening at a good enough pace. It’s only three games in, but you don’t want to start a season like this. It’s not like they’re all bad goals or anything, but I think there’s something to clean up every game.”
In Buffalo’s October 1st season opener at Nationwide Arena, Luukkonen allowed five goals on 22 shots in an eventual 6-3 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Two days later, in the Sabres home opener, Luukkonen stopped 12 shots in a 4-3 win versus their divisional rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.
Unfortunately for Sabres fans, they couldn’t build from that momentum as Luukkonen, on October 8th at American Airlines Center, had a 14-save performance during an eventual 4-0 loss against the Dallas Stars.
“That’s not good enough from me tonight,” Luukkonen said afterwards. “I don’t care if they score four on breakaways; you don’t win hockey games by letting in four goals. That’s just how hockey goes. Sometimes your team doesn’t have the best night, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good night (in net).”
While Luukkonen is a solid goalie who, last year in 35 starts, went 11-9-3 with one shutout, a 2.52 GAA and a .910 save percentage, Buffalo, if they are this coming spring looking to have a long playoff run, must pull the trigger on a deal for three-time Vezina Trophy-winning netminder Connor Hellebuyck, who, as hockey fans know, is holding out with the Winnipeg Jets.
Sabres Must Acquire Connor Hellebuyck if They Hope for a Long Playoff Run
Back in June, prior to the 2026 NHL Draft, both Buffalo and the Jets were discussing a major blockbuster multi-player trade involving Hellebuyck coming to Buffalo.
Besides Buffalo, other teams that have shown tremendous interest in trying to trade for this future Hall of Fame goalie are the San Jose Sharks and the defending Stanley Cup champions Carolina Hurricanes.
Last February, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Hellebuyck showed that he was indeed a money goalie as he led Team USA to a gold medal. Hellebuyck has an impressive list of achievements, including being a three-time Vezina Trophy winner (2020, 2024, 2025) and a four-time All-Star (2018, 2020, 2023 and 2024), and, as illustrated by the 2026 Winter Olympics Gold Medal, knows how to win.
As already mentioned, Luukkonen is a quality teammate and goalie, but hasn’t proven to know what it takes to win in the playoffs. While Hellebuyck hasn’t enjoyed great playoff success, he is an elite goalie who brings star power and, most importantly, has said that he would accept a trade to Buffalo. It’s a move that the Sabres have to make if they hope to be a team on the fringes of being a Stanley Cup contender.
Last season, Hellebuyck played only 57 games, where he had an average at best season which saw him go 23-23-11 with a 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage.
Sabres Back in June Came Close to Pulling Off a Blockbuster Trade for Hellebuyck
According to rumors, the trade talks last June would have seen the Sabres trade their 2026 fourth overall draft pick and an impact player on the roster (rumored to have been forward Jack Quinn), with future considerations being offered to the Jets in a deal involving Hellebuyck.
A big roadblock was that Buffalo wanted the Jets’ eighth overall draft pick, which was a big reason why the deal couldn’t be worked out, as Winnipeg wanted two top-10 first-round draft picks.
Earlier in the off-season, Buffalo obtained the fourth overall pick from the Chicago Blackhawks in a deal which saw the Sabres deal away defenseman Bowen Byram and physical forward Jordan Greenway in exchange for not only the Hawks’ fourth but also their 45th-overall draft pick along with defenseman Louis Crevier.
Trading For Hellebuyck Has Become More of a Challenge For Buffalo
More than likely, any deal from last June would have involved Luukkonen as part of the package heading off to Winnipeg. However, now that likely won’t ever happen, as the Sabres goalie has a modified no-trade clause in his contract, which last July 1st kicked in involving five teams, including the Jets.
In terms of the Sabres’ intense negotiations last June with the Jets, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman stated, “Buffalo was the closest to getting something done. I think Anaheim and Utah were among those that took a peak.”
Now, with Luukkonen in a position to more than likely veto a potential deal to Winnipeg, the Sabres need to improve and must go back to the drawing board in making a deal for Hellebuyck happen.
