The Buffalo Sabres were heavily linked to a potential blockbuster trade for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck over the summer, but the organization opted to open the new season without making a change in the crease.
So Buffalo, at least for now, is running it back with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon (currently injured) and Colten Ellis for a second straight year.
UPL has come out of the gates slow — .784 save percentage through two starts — and it's caused angst among Sabres supporters after the 27-year-old goaltender also failed to impress during last season's playoff run (.876 SV% in six appearances). His postseason issues were lowlighted by allowing a goal from center ice in a first-round series against the Boston Bruins.
Owen Parker of WGR 550 Radio said Thursday he doesn't believe it'll be possible for Luukkonen, who reportedly added Hellebuyck's Jets to his five-team no-trade list, to ever regain the full trust of the Buffalo fanbase.
"Yeah, I think it's a combination of [the no-trade clause usage] plus the bouncer in the playoffs last year will forever stick in a lot of people's minds. I don't think that's fair but I think it's gonna happen. And I think that the ride we've been on with him throughout his career already, just in general, sort of all adds up to, I think, a guy that's gonna have a really hard time having anybody believe in him in this town.WGR's Owen Parker on UPL
It's tough because I don't think he necessarily deserves that but that's what I think is going to happen here. I think it's done. I think he's cooked here."
Parker may very well be right.
Luukkonen has played well in stretches across seven years with the Sabres (four full seasons), including a .910 SV% in 35 regular-season games in 2025-26, but he's never been able to fully establish himself as the club's go-to netminder for big moments.
Although the 6-foot-5 Finland native, who joined the Buffalo organization as a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, is under contract through 2028-29, it may be tough for the front office and coaching staff to keep viewing him as the team's No. 1 goalie.
Then the question becomes whether UPL would be comfortable in a lesser role, either because the Sabres acquire someone like Hellebuyck or Ellis rises up the depth chart.
Regardless, the point of no return may soon arrive (if it hasn't already) when it comes to Luukkonen being the best long-term answer between the pipes for Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabres' organizational goalie depth chart is murkier than ever
Go back a few years and it felt pretty clear the Sabres would one day feature a UPL and Devon Levi tandem in net.
Time passes. Things change.
Luukkonen may eventually move on from Western New York for a fresh start elsewhere, and Levi already did so, having been traded to the Edmonton Oilers over the offseason. He's currently making a strong bid to emerge as the Western Conference club's new starter.
Ellis has showcased a lot of promise since joining Buffalo's roster off waivers from the St. Louis Blues last October. He's compiled a .903 SV% across 17 outings, including 18 saves on 20 shots in Tuesday night's comeback win over the Minnesota Wild.
The 26-year-old Canadian deserves a longer look this season, but it's far too soon to declare him the Sabres' new goaltender of the future.
Meanwhile, Lyon was the team's best player during the early stages of last season, but he's 33 years old and scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Even if he sticks around, it'll probably be in a reserve or rotational role.
Buffalo's prospect situation is similarly unsettled.
Even though Samuel Meloche and Yevgeni Prokhorov have both illustrated some long-term upside, neither one is anywhere close to NHL minutes. Scott Ratzlaff and Topias Leinonen are closer to hockey's highest level, but don't yet look like future 60-start goaltenders. The Blue and Gold also didn't add any netminders to their system in the 2026 NHL Draft.
So, if someone asked who'll be the Sabres' Opening Night starter three or four years down the line, it'd be difficult to give an answer with any level of confidence right now.
Perhaps UPL pulls off one of the greatest narrative reversals in Buffalo sports history, or maybe Ellis continues his upward trajectory to ultimately claim the crease as his own. Conceivably, one of those prospects could turn a corner and prove they're the ultimate solution. A trade for Hellebuyck remains possible as long as he remains in Winnipeg, too.
None of those outcomes are guaranteed, however, and that leaves general manager Jarmo Kekalainen in a tricky spot given the roster's strength up front and on the blue line.
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