Buffalo Hunt: Sabres Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Aims To Help Buffalo Get Back To Post-Season

On a sunny autumn afternoon in Buffalo, Sabres fans eschewed the outside warmth in favor of the cold grasp of LECOM Harborcenter, where the franchise’s prospects were dominating their peers from the Columbus Blue Jackets system as part of an annual rookie tournament. As the Buffalo faithful high-fived in celebration of Jiri Kulich’s latest snipe, members of the here-and-now Sabres were getting in a skate before training camp at KeyBank Center, the NHL arena conveniently connected to LECOM by a pedestrian bridge. Among the skaters was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the 25-year-old goaltender who has positioned himself as Buffalo’s best hope between the pipes as the Sabres attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Coming off career-best totals of 54 games, 27 wins and a 2.57 goals-against average, the towering goalie known as ‘UPL’ was far from the weak link on last year’s Sabres team, which felt like it could’ve broken through for a post-season slot in the Atlantic. Instead, it was a combination of injuries to key players and a slow start – prefaced by what felt like a misstep in forcing prospect goalie Devon Levi into an early starter’s role – that doomed Buffalo.

But there is reason to believe the Sabres can exorcise their demons. Lindy Ruff, who guided the franchise to its most recent Stanley Cup final way back in 1999, is back behind the bench, replacing Don Granato – a fantastic development teacher of a coach who unfortunately couldn’t get the team enough wins in the end. “Everybody’s really excited that we have Lindy here now,” Luukkonen said. “Donny pushed us and helped a lot of players get to another level, but now getting a new coach and everybody knowing what the goal is, we want to be more ready for the season. We know how important this season is. I’m really excited, and everybody else is, too.”

For the most part, Buffalo will have to rely on internal growth (and health) to improve, though off-season additions Ryan McLeod, Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn will fortify the bottom six up front. A full season of Bowen Byram – acquired before the 2024 trade deadline from Colorado – will elevate the blueline. But enough about the Sabres on paper; they know they have to prove their worth on the ice. “I feel like everybody has a chip on their shoulders,” Luukkonen said. “Even though I personally had a good year last season, it doesn’t matter how well you do yourself. In the end, all that matters is how well the team does. It’s a passionate sports city, and everybody feels that. We want to make the playoffs, but the more important thing is to start well. That was the problem last year. We were sliding from the start.”

The Sabres made sure to give Luukkonen a big vote of confidence as they head into this crucial campaign, and it came during the summer in the form of a new five-year contract with a $4.75-million annual cap hit. With new backup James Reimer making $1 million on a one-year pact, and Levi and Felix Sandstrom making even less, it is Luukkonen’s crease to lose. “Taking a deep dive with goaltending coach Mike Bales, to the analytics, to looking at everything, gave me comfort that he’s still getting better,” said Sabres GM Kevyn Adams. “When you make a long-term commitment to a player, you really want to feel confident that they still have room to grow and get better, and we felt that ‘UPL’ took a big step last year, but he has an opportunity to continue to grow and get better and better. I just think he showed a maturity about him last year, a calmness, and it takes time. Especially as a young goaltender, to get to that spot where you believe every time you step on the ice that you can win hockey games.”

For his part, Luukkonen spent the summer both recharging and continuing to push his game. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Finn went back to Helsinki, where he spent time with family and friends at cabins, taking in the famous Finnish saunas while also golfing and swimming in lakes. When it was business time, he honed his game on the ice. “It’s always good to go back home and work on the game,” he said. “There’s always details you can smooth out. Just focusing on how important patience is. And my stance, being more balanced on my feet, keeping my chest more upright, finding more power from there. And, of course, getting stronger in my legs and core so I can move better and be faster on the ice.”

I feel like everybody has a chip on their shoulders. Even though I personally had a good year last season, it doesn’t matter– Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Should the Sabres manage to finally end their playoff drought, goaltending will be key in a stacked Atlantic Division. Not only does the Atlantic boast top scorers such as Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak and Nikita Kucherov, but many of Buffalo’s rivals have excellent goalies of their own, including Andrei Vasilevskiy, Linus Ullmark (now in Ottawa), Sergei Bobrovsky and Jeremy Swayman. For Luukkonen, he doesn’t mind the competition. “It’s great to see all the great goalies,” he said. “Every night, you have to perform and beat the guy at the other end. Being a goalie, you try to be somewhat of a friend because you know how it is to be a goalie, but when the puck drops, all that matters is winning. It’s great having that competition in the division.”

Just how many starts Luukkonen can earn against those friendly foes this season remains to be seen. Ruff and Adams agreed that it takes more than one netminder to be successful in today’s NHL, though it’s worth noting that if Levi needs starts, the AHL may be the best place for him to do so at the moment. Reimer is a capable backup at this point in his career, so there are options to make sure Luukkonen doesn’t burn out. “It’s really a two-goalie league now,” Adams said. “And, to be quite honest, that’s why I feel good about the depth we added in the off-season with Reimer and Sandstrom. You could need three, and we’ve been in a position where we needed four. I think we’re set up with depth, which I think is really helpful, but we’ll monitor it.”

We felt that ‘UPL’ took a big step last year, but he has an opportunity to continue to grow and get better and better– Sabres GM Kevyn Adams

Needless to say, the Sabres know their fans have been far beyond patient when it comes to the team’s lack of success. That goalie depth is one way of ensuring that no scenario is left unprotected. And while injuries can’t be forecast, this iteration of the Sabres feels deeper than the franchise has seen in a long time.

In the meantime, Luukkonen has found a second home in Buffalo. “The more time I’ve spent here, the more I like it,” he said. “For a Finnish guy, it feels kind of like home, not only weather-wise, but also it’s not too big of a city. Everybody is really friendly, and I’ve gotten to know some people outside of hockey, too.”

He cheers for the NFL’s Bills and gets out to games when he can, so Luukkonen knows what it’s like when things are good for a sports team in Buffalo. The challenge now is to get those good vibes going on the ice and keep them going until the city is again warm enough for short sleeves – and hot for some Stanley Cup playoff action.

This article appeared in the Oct. 7, 2024 edition of The Hockey News. In this edition, we turn to goaltending, putting a focus on three-time Stanley Cup champion goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, during the final season of his NHL career. Also in this issue, we analyze which teams have the best and worst tandems in the league. In addition, we take a look at the six revealed PWHL team names and logos following the league’s inaugural season.

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