Entering training camp, the plan was pretty clear for the Buffalo Sabres as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was expected to be the starter and Alex Lyon was brought in as a free agent to back him up. Over the past month it has been a rollercoaster at the position, starting with Luukkonen entering training camp with an injury.
The Sabres remained cautious bringing him back, and he would make one appearance in the preseason but last only one period before suffering another injury. The questions would remain going into the regular season as they would waive Alexandar Georgiev and claim Colten Ellis, who had never appeared in an NHL game, on waivers.
What ended up happening was the Sabres seemed to fall into some great goaltending as Alex Lyon has been exceptional in his six games, and Ellis had a brilliant debut earlier this week against the Detroit Red Wings. It became a little more complicated as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen looked ready to return after a rehab start with Rochester.
The challenge is that the Sabres can't afford to trade Alex Lyon or waive Colten Ellis, as he would almost certainly be claimed along with the concerns of Luukkonen's durability.
This situation was complicated going into Saturday, but became even worse after Luukkonen had a lackluster performance. He would save only 18 of 22 shots against the Maple Leafs, and there is a case to be made that Luukkonen got the best defensive performance in front of him of any Sabres goalie this season.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is clearly the third goalie but the Buffalo Sabres will find it tough to move him
After the game on Saturday, Lindy Ruff mentioned that Ellis was supposed to start this game for the Sabres. However, his back tightened up earlier in the day, and the team decided it was better to err on the side of caution and hold him out.
The fact that Ellis was supposed to get the start, even though Luukkonen just returned, shows where the depth chart currently sits. Even before the performance, the coaching staff appears to have more confidence in Ellis than in the veteran.
The stats back this up as Lyon leads the Sabres in Goals Saved Above Average at 1.54, with Ellis second at 0.61, according to Natural Stat Trick. Meanwhile, Luukkonen is well behind both at -2.15 after his performance against the Maple Leafs.
One thing that has stood out over the first part of the season is that Lyon and Ellis have made big-time saves at critical moments. A perfect example of this was on Friday night against Toronto when Lyon made a power-play save in the third period that almost immediately turned into a short-handed goal by Alex Tuch on the other end of the ice.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Sabres were holding onto a third-period lead late before Luukkonen was beaten for a goal by Dakota Joshua that should have been saved.
Looking ahead, the Sabres should stick with Alex Lyon as long as he continues to deliver in the crease. They should view Colten Ellis as the backup and be the spot starter when Lyon needs a break, with Ukko-Pekka Luukonen the emergency third goalie.
If this rotation works out that way, it could be a while before the Sabres even need to think about starting Luukkonen. The Sabres have no back-to-back games until the middle of November when they have three games in four nights.
In an ideal world, the Sabres find a way to trade Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen but it is going to be very tough with the contract he has. If they can find a team, it won't be so much about the return because moving his contract would be a huge win.
A position that had plenty of questions entering the season now is overcrowded but Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis give them the best chance to win and that is who they need to stick with.