On July 11th, the Buffalo Sabres extended qualifying offers to RFAs Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Brett Murray, Victor Olofsson, and Arttu Ruotsalainen.
The Buffalo Sabres only had four players in the organization eligible to receive qualifying offers and they found value in all four of them. Each RFA has given the Sabres immense value either at the NHL or AHL level, and they all, regardless of how little or how much, have NHL experience and could eventually become permanent fixtures on the NHL roster.
While extending a qualifying offer does not guarantee any of the four players will be around next season, it does extend the probability that they will wind up back with the organization. So under the purpose of this exercise, let’s act under the assumption that they all return next season.
So today, I am going to break down each tendered RFA and show why they bring so much value to the organization. I will also project where they will end up next season and whether they could possibly carve their way onto the Sabres roster. Let’s start with perhaps the most polarizing prospect of the four.
Breaking down all four Buffalo Sabres who received qualifying offers: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
I can see Luukkonen, at worst, winding up in the AHL for another extended stint of playing time. With a 13-game sample size in the NHL, we are not yet sure whether Luukkonen is the guy moving forward, but he will get every opportunity in 2022-23 to prove he can man the Buffalo Sabres net as their franchise goaltender.
But, he will need more consistent performances in the net following his so-so season in Rochester in which he only posted a 0.900 save percentage and 3.28 GAA. He also struggled with injuries, missing all 10 playoff games.
Luukkonen projects best as a backup goaltender if the Sabres keep three of them on the main roster – this is also projecting that they sign another goaltender in free agency. Or, another option will be that he starts the season and receives ample playing time in the AHL, playing ahead of newly re-signed goaltender, Malcolm Subban.