Sabres Netminder Emerging as a Trade Candidate: 3 Teams Make Sense

The Buffalo Sabres are dead last in the Eastern Conference, and just got blown out 6-2 on home ice by the 32nd-place Calgary Flames; changes are coming. It’s a tough scene for an organization that, barring a major turnaround, is on the precipice of extending its playoff drought to a 15th consecutive season.

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That extreme lack of success has generated trade rumors around just about every player on the roster, and the latest name to emerge in the chatter is goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

An injury, inconsistent performance, and the surprise emergence of Colton Ellis have all culminated in Luukkonen being one to watch, according to insider Elliotte Friedman. Friedman said:

“Buffalo still has a lot of goalies there. It’s clear they really like Ellis… So, I wrote on Thursday about Luukkonen, and I had a couple of people call me and they say that that’s going to be an interesting one to watch.”

The 26-year-old is in the second season of the five-year, $23.75 million extension he signed with the Sabres in 2024.

Who Could Have Interest in Luukkonen?

There will always be teams around the NHL in need of help in goal, so who should we expect to kick tires on acquiring Luukkonen?

The Edmonton Oilers have been looking for an upgrade in net for years, the Montreal Canadiens are all of a sudden struggling mightily at the position, and the Vancouver Canucks are once again trying to salvage their season without Thatcher Demko.

We also just got the news that Connor Hellebuyck will be out 4 to 6 weeks following a knee procedure, so we’ll see how comfortable they feel riding Eric Comrie as their starter for the next month-plus.

Keep an eye on these teams, and of course, any other injuries at the position around the league could create more potential landing spots for Luukkonen, who, with a fresh start, could be an interesting buy-low target that still has the potential to live up to being a second-round pick (54th overall, 2017).

Next: Insiders Provide Clarity on the Nature of Auston Matthews’ Injury