Sabres’ Luukkonen Deserves to Be Team’s Masterton Nominee

The Sabres were attempting to make Eric Comrie their new starter after he was impressive in Winnipeg as a backup, but the experiment failed. Comrie was shaky from the outset and when he was injured that November, Luukkonen was recalled for a third time and it proved to be the charm. Despite experiencing his own share of issues, his play was good enough to improve the Sabres’ fortunes and they had no choice but to keep him around.

He shouldered the weight of the team for the remainder of the schedule and turned in some remarkable performances along the way. However, that seemed to be quickly forgotten when the highly-touted Devon Levi arrived at the end of March.

Levi Steals the Show

Sabres fans had been chomping at the bit for their first glimpse of the former Northeastern Husky and they got their wish as he became the de facto number one for the remainder of the season. He started seven of Buffalo’s last nine games and played very well despite the pressure of a last-ditch playoff push.

With the Sabres focused squarely on their shiny new toy, the man who had carried them all season was cast aside. Luukkonen appeared just once after Levi’s arrival and wasn’t even dressed for a number of the last games of the season. It was obvious that Levi was being taken for a test drive and the Sabres also had the soon-to-be-retired Craig Anderson in the mix as well, but it was tough to deny that Luukkonen suddenly felt like an afterthought.

Luukkonen reportedly met with Kevyn Adams after the season, during which the general manager reassured him of his place on the Sabres despite Levi seeming to more to the forefront in the eyes of fans and the team alike. The 24-year-old became determined to reclaim the top spot and worked diligently over the summer to improve his game both physically and mentally (from “Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s circuitous path from top prospect to Sabres’ No. 1”, The Buffalo News, 3/23/24).

It appeared as if none of that would matter as the 2023-24 campaign began, however. After his impressive run in April, the Sabres wanted another glimpse of Levi and named him the starter to begin the season. Luukkonen wasn’t even in the lineup on opening night (Comrie was chosen as the backup) and he didn’t get his start until Oct. 24, Buffalo’s seventh game of the season. It genuinely seemed as if the organization had lost interest in him and doubts about his future began to rise.

Luukkonen Steals It Back

Though the excitement for him was incredibly high, it quickly became evident that Levi wasn’t ready for the role he had been thrust into and, frankly, the Sabres were foolish if they believed that he was. Despite his best efforts, the 22-year-old simply wasn’t up to the challenge (through no fault of his own) and looked like a shadow of the man who had been so electrifying in the spring. The Sabres’ incompetent play in front of him only compounded the issue and he was left to endure a number of tough outings and Don Granato stuck with him in goal despite all of it. It seemed as if the organization was making a concerted effort to destroy his potential.

Luukkonen returned after Levi and Comrie were both injured in late October and he was about to make everyone who disregarded him look foolish. After splitting his first two contests, he zeroed the always-dangerous Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 29 for his first career shutout and it was off to the races from there. His play grew stronger and stronger and it forced the Sabres to hand him the keys and make him the number one once again.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing from that point. Luukkonen came down with a severe illness in early December and struggled after returning, losing three straight games. But though it seemed his momentum had been derailed, he quickly regained himself and has been one of the NHL’s best goaltenders since the calendar flipped to 2024. He’s posted four additional shutouts since the new year, including back-to-back in January, and his five total are the most by a Sabre since Ryan Miller in 2011-12.

It’s been a truly transformative campaign for the Espoo native. While last season he undeniably gave the Sabres a boost that they badly needed, there were times when he had to rely on the team’s scoring to bail him out of a bad performance. One would think therefore that his play this season would have regressed along with Buffalo’s offense, but it hasn’t. Ironically enough, he’s been far more impressive despite the significant drop in support and has bailed the Sabres out countless times when they’ve gone flat.

Once chided for his over-aggressiveness and struggles with positioning, the aforementioned efforts Luukkonen made to improve last offseason have paid off in spades. He now seems to have a calmer and more confident approach that’s increased his abilities in just about every aspect. His positional play and rebound control are vastly better as is his puck tracking, all of this in spite of a continually lackluster defense in front of him.

In a very disappointing season for the Sabres, their goaltender’s efforts have been one of the only things keeping them above water and it’s unnerving to think of where they might stand if he hadn’t been as good as he has all year. As of April 7, Luukkonen has played to a 2.57 goals-against average (GAA) and .910 save percentage (SV%), vast improvements over his 3.61 GAA and .892 SV% of last season. Despite this, his record sits at 26-21-3, a testament to how bad the Sabres have been at points.

UPL Completely Deserves Masterton Nod

The Masterton Trophy is awarded every season to the player who best embodies perseverance and dedication. In the scope of the Sabres, nobody has exemplified those qualities more than Luukkonen. Over the past three years, he’s had to deal with injuries, setbacks and questionable handling by management but has stayed the course and emerged as the best goaltender Buffalo has had in quite some time. His performance amidst an otherwise dud of a season is one of the few things that suggests that there’s still hope for this team and he’ll start next season as the rightful top guy.

This time last season the 6-foot-5 behemoth was a castoff and it looked as if his time in Buffalo could have been coming to an end. One year later he’s successfully reclaimed his place and made everyone who doubted him look stupid in the process. He more than likely won’t be a finalist, but he’s more than deserving to be the Sabres’ Masterton nominee and there could be more hardware coming in his future.