Earlier this week, the Buffalo Sabres and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen reached a contract extension. The Sabres gave the Finnish goalie a 5 year, $23.75 million contract extension on Wednesday. After waiting for a possible arbitration case, UPL and Buffalo avoided that and came to terms on a new deal.
Luukkonen is coming off a career year. In 54 games played, Ukko had a record of 27-22-4. He also registered a goals against average of 2.57 and a .910 save percentage. In addition, UPL recorded five shutouts. Even though it was a drop off year for the itself, Ukko gave them a chance in each game he played.
LUUUUUUK ⚔️
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 24, 2024
We have agreed to terms with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a five-year contract with an AAV of $4.75 million.
→ https://t.co/DBkLSgSFF6 pic.twitter.com/iOskHtgepE
Back in April, I talked about how Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams needed to proceed with caution. I discussed that a 3-5 year deal should be perfect with Luukkonen. As we all know, he received a five year deal. In my opinion, Adams got it right with the length. Anything over five years would be a roll of the dice.
It might a surprising it was for five years, but Luukkonen deserved the payday. His AAV of $4.75 million is totally deserving after what he did last season. He didn't win it, but you could make the case for Ukko to be a Vezina candidate. Luukkonen was that good for the Sabres in 2023/2024.
While it was a disappointing season for the team, Luukkonen gave the Sabres a chance for their slim playoff hopes. Now that Ukko is locked up, Devon Levi is the other goalie who needs an extension. Levi will be a RFA in 2025/2026. It did take awhile but it's good to see Luukkonen and the Sabres agree on a deal.
We will see if Adams has anything else planned to improve the roster but giving Luukkonen an extension was the top priority and it is no longer an issue.