Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has until June 1 to sign prospect Ryerson Leenders to an entry-level contract or the goalie will be eligible to enter the 2026 NHL Draft class.
Buffalo selected Leenders, who's spent the past four years in the OHL with the Mississauga Steelheads and Brantford Bulldogs, in the seventh round of the 2024 draft.
PuckPedia reported the 19-year-old Canadian netminder is one of 10 NHL prospects from major junior leagues eligible for draft reentry in they remain unsigned by the start of June.
The Sabres would also retain Leenders' rights if he makes an NCAA commitment to play college hockey starting next season before the deadline, per PuckPedia.
Leenders is coming off a strong 2025-26 season with the Bulldogs, who are led by head coach Jay McKee, a former Buffalo defenseman. The goaltender posted a 2.69 goals against average and .910 save percentage across 39 appearances.
The 6-foot-1 prospect added a .903 SV% in 14 playoff contests as Brantford advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Barrie Colts in seven games.
McKee previously likened Leenders' play style a Sabres legend.
"I think if I were to compare him style wise, he really mimics Ryan Miller," McKee told Tyler Millen of Sabres.com in December. "He's always in position. He has the ability to move quick if he does happen to be out of position, but he's just a guy that looks big in the net, takes up a lot of space, he's calm. A lot of younger goalies in the league, puck will hit them, they'll bounce off into scoring areas. They just seem to stick to him."
Although Leenders is tracking to exceed the seventh-round investment the Sabres made in him two years ago, the franchise's crowded depth chart between the pipes leaves uncertainty about whether he'll be offered a chance to remain in the Buffalo farm system.
The Blue and Gold maintained a three-goalie rotation this season with Alex Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis, all of whom are under contract for 2026-27. Then there's prized prospect Devon Levi with the AHL's Rochester Americans who's waiting for an NHL opportunity.
Beyond that quartet, the Sabres also have prospects Yevgeni Prokhorov, Topias Leinonen, Scott Ratzlaff and Samuel Meloche aiming to climb the ranks in the next few years.
It could lead Buffalo to let Leenders' rights lapse since the organization is already using 49 of its 50 slots available for standard player contracts.
Future of Buffalo Sabres prospects Joel Ratkovic Berndtsson and Gustav Karlsson also uncertain
The Sabres drafted Ratkovic Berndtsson and Karlsson out of Europe in 2022. In turn, both players are eligible to become unrestricted free agents if not signed by June 1, according to PuckPedia.
Ratkovic Berndtsson (seventh round) just finished an impressive season with Karlskrona HK in the Hockeyettan, which is the third tier of Swedish hockey. He posted 38 points (16 goals and 22 assists) in 38 regular-season games and added 14 points in 13 outings during the qualification tournament.
The third level of competition in Sweden is a long way from the NHL, however, especially for a prospect who's already 22 years old. It's unlikely the winger done enough to earn an ELC from Buffalo.
It's a similar story for Karlsson (sixth round), who's also 22 and played in the HockeyEttan with Lindlovens IF this season. He tallied a modest 10 points (five goals and five assists) in 18 games.
The center was coming off a breakthrough campaign (48 points in 41 appearances) with Orebro HK's U-20 team when the Sabres drafted him four years ago. His offensive development stalled the following year and hasn't translated against pro-level opponents, though.
He's tracking toward a career in Europe and probably doesn't fit in Buffalo's future plans.
Meanwhile, the Sabres will get a chance to restock their prospect pool on June 26-27, when the 2026 NHL Draft takes place at the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo.
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