The NHL roster freeze has come and gone, and the Buffalo Sabres, with new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, can get to work making tweaks to the roster. At this point, Kekalainen may be hesitant to do much of anything because this team continues to win and extended the win streak to eight with a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins.
Even if he isn't prepared to make significant changes, one thing that he probably will do, even with the win streak, is move one of the goalies. During his first press conference, he mentioned wanting to end the three-goalie experiment, but the question remains of who they will move.
For most of the season, there hasn't been one clear answer, and whether it is Alex Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, or Colten Ellis, all three come with big pros and cons. Alex Lyon has been the team's best and most consistent goalie, but has never been a true starter. Meanwhile, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has the biggest contract that might be tough to move, and Colten Ellis has shown flashes but is unproven.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been excellent in net as of late and that changes everything
If it were strictly based on performance a few weeks ago, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would have been the goalie to trade. He has struggled for most of the season, but has now been the starting goalie for two of the wins in this current win streak.
Luukkonen was not only the winning goalie but a big reason for the win as he allowed only one goal in each game and has a save percentage of .959 during this stretch. However, this has been the story around Luukkonen the past few seasons, where he strings a couple of great performances together, followed by a run of disastrous starts.
This time though it might work as the Sabres should keep Luukkonen but not have him as the starter but split the responsibility with Alex Lyon. These two operating as 1A and 1B is the winning formula in net for the Buffalo Sabres.
Why risking Colten Ellis on waivers is a calculated gamble the Buffalo Sabres must take
The Buffalo Sabres claimed Colten Ellis off waivers at the beginning of the season when it was clear Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wouldn't be ready to return from injury. The former third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues had yet to make his NHL debut but would do so against the Detroit Red Wings early in the season and help the Sabres win 4-2.
While Ellis has looked great at times, he has also struggled and has allowed four or more goals in four of his seven starts. He was on injured reserve earlier this month due to a head injury, but has since been cleared, although he has not made his return to the ice.
This should be the biggest indication that Ellis is probably the odd man out at this point, and the Sabres are ready to move forward with Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. For a team that is trying to get back to the playoffs, this is probably the right call.
It would be a risk, but the Sabres should look to try to put Ellis on waivers instead of trading him. He has exhibited glimpses of top-tier play at the NHL level but might not be ready for a consistent role.
While putting him on waivers does allow for other teams to claim him, it does give the Sabres a chance to bring him back if he clears waivers. By having a player like Ellis at the AHL level, it gives them a backup plan if Luukkonen suffers another injury at some point this season.
The policy of 'hoping for the best' is never a great plan, but the return for Ellis in a trade would be minimal at best, and the Sabres wouldn't be risking much. However, the chance for him to return to the organization would be a huge windfall for this team and set up the position in the best possible way for the remainder of the season.