Inside the Sabres: Questions in goal loom large with prospects going back to school

Even though Power is only four games into his NHL career, and less than 14 days removed from his final college game with the University of Michigan, he has averaged 22:02 of ice time with immense responsibility at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill.

Power will improve through his crash course of defending the world’s best, Granato said Sunday in Philadelphia. And the Sabres aren’t asking the 19-year-old to fix their defense. The club’s blue line has transformed into a short- and long-term strength, led by Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju. Casey Fitzgerald and Jacob Bryson have also played well.

The outlook of the Sabres’ forward group also brightened considerably with Tage Thompson’s move to center in the days leading up to his 36-goal breakout season and the acquisitions of Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs in the Jack Eichel trade.

Yet for all that’s been solved in Granato’s first full season as coach, the Sabres still have uncertainty in goal beyond this season.

Craig Anderson, Dustin Tokarski, Aaron Dell and Malcolm Subban are pending unrestricted free agents. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s statistics in the AHL have been blemished by poor defensive play in Rochester. Unsigned prospects Devon Levi and Erik Portillo chose to return to Northeastern and Michigan, respectively.

Kevyn Adams, the Sabres’ general manager, beamed recently when discussing the long-term possibilities in goal. But the prospects' potential isn’t a surefire answer to a goaltending problem that’s plagued the organization since Ryan Miller’s departure in February 2014.

A stopgap will be needed until a franchise goalie emerges.

All signs point to Luukkonen receiving his first full-time run as an NHL goalie in 2022-23. At 23 years old, he’s in his third professional season and owns a .913 save percentage in 13 appearances with the Sabres. But he has an .893 save percentage in 56 appearances with the Amerks since 2019.

The inconsistency shouldn't be considered a red flag. It’s typical for goalies to struggle with the chaotic nature of the American Hockey League, compared to the more predictable read-and-react game of the NHL. And the Amerks’ defense corps hasn’t been a strength the past two seasons when Samuelsson and Fitzgerald aren’t in the lineup.

Still, Luukkonen’s game is showing signs of growth. In 19 appearances since returning from injury Feb. 11, the 2017 second-round draft choice has a .904 save percentage despite facing an average of 35.3 shots per game. He had a perfect 5-on-5 save percentage while starting back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, the latter of which Rochester won with help from his 36 stops in goal.

Dell, meanwhile, has an .895 save percentage while facing a similar workload in his last seven outings.

There have been difficult goals against for Luukkonen, like many goalies at the highest level. But Granato and Adams boast about Luukkonen’s poise and response in those moments. That’s a trait Luukkonen showed when he led Finland to a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in January 2019, one year after he struggled at the tournament.

Luukkonen’s permanent arrival in Buffalo was delayed by the decision to keep Anderson and Tokarski at the trade deadline in February. But this has allowed Anderson to provide stability and leadership for the Sabres while Luukkonen gains valuable experience trying to help the Amerks reach the playoffs. Rochester, which is outside of a playoff spot with five games remaining, hosts Springfield on Tuesday night.

The Sabres will want a starting-caliber goalie to pair with Luukkonen in the fall, though. Anderson has the inside track because of his strong play since returning from a neck injury in late January. At 40 years old, he posted a combined .927 save percentage in Buffalo’s recent victories over Toronto (x3), Minnesota, Vegas, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Carolina. Anderson has a 10-5-2 record in his last 17 games and his 304 career wins rank 34^th in league history.

But Anderson isn’t sure if he’ll play a 20^th season in the NHL – he plans to discuss his playing future with his wife, Nicholle, this summer – and it’s fair to wonder if he’d prefer an opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup closer to his home in Florida, even if that came with less playing time.

The Sabres are projected to have $40.58 million in salary cap space this summer, according to CapFriendly.com, but Adams has said repeatedly that he doesn’t want to add a goalie that will block Luukkonen, Levi or Portillo.

While the Sabres are equipped to overpay an experienced goalie on a short-term contract, there are few intriguing pending unrestricted free agents.

The open market could include Darcy Kuemper, Mikko Koskinen, Jaroslav Halak, Braden Holtby, Ville Husso, Joonas Korpisalo, Casey DeSmith, Thomas Greiss and David Rittich. DeSmith has a history with Sabres assistant general manager Jason Karmanos from their time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Most goalies on the list have endured recent struggles. The others might not want to sign with the Sabres, despite the team's strong play late this season.

The more likely acquisition route, as always, is through the trade market. The Sabres previously had interest in Alexandar Georgiev of the New York Rangers. Georgiev, 26, is a pending restricted free agent whom CapFriendly projects will receive a $2.65 million qualifying offer this summer. But he's performed poorly this season and could cost more than Buffalo is willing to pay.

Jonathan Quick and Semyon Varlamov are veterans entering the final year of their contracts and their respective teams might want to clear cap space. A two-time Vezina Trophy winner and Stanley Cup champion, Quick, 36, will count $5.8 million against the salary cap next season and his base salary is only $3 million.

The Los Angeles Kings might not want to dedicate a combined $10.9 million in cap space to Quick and goalie Cal Petersen next season. Varlamov, meanwhile, has a 16-team no-trade list that could complicate a deal. The 14-year veteran has a $5 million cap hit for next season and a career .916 save percentage.

John Gibson could be the top goalie available this summer. At 28 years old, Gibson owns a career .915 save percentage and his underlying numbers the past three seasons have been hurt by the Anaheim Ducks’ lackluster supporting cast.

Gibson is a Pittsburgh-area native who might embrace a move closer to home. However, he’s owed $6.4 million in each of the next five seasons, holds a 10-team no-trade list and will want a trade to a Stanley Cup contender.

The Sabres would have to pay a premium for Gibson – likely one of their first-round draft choices and at least one prospect – and he’s the type of goalie that would block the prospects.

Anderson, or a goalie of similar big-game experience like Holtby who won't require a long-term commitment, are the most logical bridge options. Holtby won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals and is amid a bounce-back season with the Dallas Stars. He’s only 32 and might like the opportunity to share the workload with a young goaltender.

Unless the Sabres make a surprising signing, they won’t have a prospect to start for Rochester next season. Subban could be a fit with the Amerks. He’s an athletic 28-year-old goalie with 86 games of NHL experience and will seek an opportunity to prove that he can have success at the highest level.

Subban has fit well with the Sabres’ young core and has remained around the team while recovering from a wrist injury that ended his season in January. 

Adams is in the unenviable position of having to decide what to do with an unsigned prospect. While the Sabres hold Levi’s NHL rights for two more seasons, Portillo can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023. The 21-year-old would have many suitors based on his impressive play at Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to the Frozen Four during his first season as the starter.

The Sabres will push to sign Portillo next spring following his junior season, but they can trade his NHL rights if both sides can't come to an agreement.

Levi, like Portillo, has only one year of experience as a starting goalie in the NCAA. He was named the top goaltender in Division I men's hockey after his record-breaking season. Levi, 20, is methodical with his development and wanted more experience playing on a Northeastern team that should contend for the Hockey East title. He watched the Frozen Four semifinal between Michigan and Denver in a suite at TD Garden with Adams and owner Terry Pegula. Levi also spoke highly of the Sabres recently at the college hockey awards.

There's time for Adams to prepare for what's next. He won't have to worry about the unsigned prospects for another 11 or 12 months and has expressed confidence that he'll add both to the fold. The draft isn't until July 7-8 and free agency begins July 13. But even with a trio of promising young goalies, the Sabres need to concoct a plan to ensure the club has a reliable netminder to pair with Luukkonen next season.