If you have been watching the Buffalo Sabres this season, you knew that as soon as Linus Ullmark went down with an injury, it was going to lead to significant issues for Buffalo. Yesterday, the Sabres made two moves that had some big changes to Buffalo’s goalie room.
The first move the Sabres made was signing goaltender Michael Houser to an NHL contract. The contract is a one-year deal worth $700,000. Houser is currently 28 years old and has never played a game in the NHL, as he has spent a majority of his professional hockey career bouncing between the ECHL and AHL. Houser played in 26 games in the ECHL in the 2019-2020 season for the Cincinnati Cyclones. He posted a 2.27 GAA and a .902 SV%.
This move was announced yesterday morning, and it was also reported that Sabres goalie Jonas Johansson was not on the ice for Buffalo’s morning practice. This led to the speculation the Johansson could be getting traded.
This speculation was correct. Later in the day yesterday, it was announced that the Sabres and Colorado Avalanche had struck a trade for Buffalo’s backup goalkeeper. The Sabres received a 6th round draft pick in the 2021 NHL Draft in exchange for Jonas Johansson.
Johansson was struggling mightily this season for the Sabres. In seven games played (started in six of them) for Buffalo, he had a record of 0-5-1. Johansson has allowed an average of 3.79 goals per game and posted a .884 SV%. Once Linus Ullmark was injured, we knew that Johansson would get much more playing time. It is a shame that he could not perform better, but now he will get a change in scenery by going to Colorado.
Buffalo’s goalie depth now consists of Carter Hutton, Dustin Tokarski, and Houser once he joins the team. Once Ullamrk is ready to return, either Houser or Tokarski will join Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on the Rochester Americans.