5 mistakes the Buffalo Sabres and Kevyn Adams must avoid this offseason
Making the wrong decision at goaltender
We’re not talking about Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s upcoming extension, as it’s a foregone conclusion that the 25-year-old is staying in town. Luukkonen’s 0.910 save percentage and 2.57 GAA are easily the best numbers from a Sabres goaltender in quite some time. And when you take into account his five shutouts, 34 quality starts, and breaking even with xGA at even strength, there is no way Adams won’t re-sign Luukkonen.
But we don’t need another three-goaltender rotation heading into 2024-25, so he must make the right decision on whether Luukkonen and Devon Levi will be in a timeshare or if the latter is going back to Rochester. If Adams feels Levi is ready for a full-time role in Buffalo, it’s time to keep him there and sign an AHL-caliber goaltender to use as an insurance policy.
If not, then sign the NHL-caliber backup or 1B and keep Levi in the Flower City all season. We don’t need more goaltender controversies or Levi mishandlings. It was something we saw far too often until they did the right thing and put Levi in Rochester, but not before they continually flip-flopped on which goaltender should be in the crease. Adams can, and should, make this job easy for himself over the summer.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)