Buffalo Sabres Send Young Goaltender To AHL

It's official - the Buffalo Sabres will be heading into the regular season with Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell as their goaltenders. The team has sent Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to the Rochester Americans.

We have assigned forwards Matej Pekar, Ryan MacInnis, Sean Malone and Linus Weissbach, defenseman Oskari Laaksonen, and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to @AmerksHockey.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 5, 2021

Luukkonen suited up in four games this past season with the Sabres. In them, he had a 1-3-0 record and .906 SV%. He struggled with Rochester, though, as he had a 7-5-2 record, but also an .888 SV%. Therefore, it may be the best move for his development to spend some more time in the AHL. Furthermore, the Sabres are expected to be at the bottom of the NHL this season, so it may best for him to stay away for now.

However, one could argue that the 22-year-old could have been Buffalo's backup this season in terms of his skill level. Dell is likely to take on that role with the team instead. In seven games this past season with the New Jersey Devils, he had a 1-5-0 record, 4.14 GAA and .857 SV%. However, he played much better during the 2019-20 season with the San Jose Sharks, as evidenced by his .907 SV%.

If Luukkonen ends up playing well in the AHL this season, he will very likely get called up at some point this year. Many view him as a future starter for the Sabres. For now, though, he will continue to work on his craft in Rochester.