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Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen An Emerging Starter Amid Competition

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The Buffalo Sabres faced an exciting question entering the 2023-24 season – “how high will Devon Levi climb?” It seemed like Levi was set for certain stardom coming off a historically good collegiate career, with some even claiming him as a pre-season favorite for the Calder Trophy opposite Connor Bedard. But Levi’s first full year of pro hockey proved to be much more human than anticipated, and it was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who stole Buffalo’s starting role while Levi split time between the NHL backup and AHL starter roles. Luukkonen performed well in the spotlight, managing 27 wins, a .910 save percentage, and five shutouts while handling a commendable 54 games. Now, nearly a month into the off-season, Luukkonen sits as an unsigned restricted free agent and Buffalo faces a new, much bleaker question: “who is our starter?”

The clearest answer seems to be Luukkonen, who’s still just 25 years old and coming off a year that would make any starter proud. It’s been a long march for the Finnish netminder, who struggled to find his footing through his first three years in North American pros. He kicked off his career by earning an AHL promotion on the back of 23 strong ECHL games, though he’d stall out with the Rochester Americans, ultimately recording a bleak .894 save percentage in 60 AHL games between the start of the 2018-19 and the end of the 2021-22 seasons.

But injuries forced Buffalo to recall Luukkonen twice in 2021, ultimately awarding him the first 13 NHL games of his career. He performed well in the spot starts, managing a .913 save percentage despite winning just three games. That was a bright enough flash to earn him a share of backup minutes in the 2022-23 campaign – an opportunity that he took in stride. In a reverse of his early stat line, Luukkonen found strong success in the win column despite a sub-.900 save percentage, posting a team-leading 17 wins and standing as the only Sabres goaltender with a winning record that year. His winning tendencies and strong stat lines merged in the starting role this year, ultimately leading to a season that was hard to ignore. Luukkonen’s 27 wins stand as the most of any Sabres goaltender since Ryan Miller in 2012, and his .910 save percentage is the team’s highest since Robin Lehner in 2017.

Simply put, it’s been a while since Buffalo has seen a goalie season as capable as Luukkonen’s 2023-24 campaign. The team now faces the dreaded task of putting a price to the starring performance, without much supplementary info to go on. Levi’s presence only makes Buffalo’s decision harder. The 22-year-old top prospect managed a .899 save percentage in 23 games as an NHL rookie this season – certainly nothing to bluff at – and a .927 in 26 AHL games – the second-highest save percentage in the minors. Levi still carries a blue chip, even if his highly-anticipated rookie year fell short of the history books. Any long-term extension for Luukkonen would have to consider Levi’s rightful shot at opportunity. And while Buffalo can dream of a perfectly balanced duo akin to Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, it seems more likely that each of Luukonen and Levi’s success comes on the back of a consistent role.

So what could a new deal look like for Luukkonen – and what kind of time share is awaiting him? Thatcher Demko is currently riding a five-year, $25MM extension earned after a pair of limited but promising seasons with the Vancouver Canucks where he managed 29 wins and a .910 save percentage across 62 games. That falls closely in line with Luukkonen’s strong 2023-24, though Demko carried the prestige of a higher draft pick and stronger track record. The Sabres could instead vie for a deal more comparable to Alexandar Georgiev – who joined the Colorado Avalanche on a three-year, $10.2MM deal in 2022 after holding well in the New York Rangers backup role. Like Demko and Luukkonen, Georgiev’s deal came with little to go on, save for a strong stat line in limited minutes.

Unfortunately for the Sabres, both Demko and Georgiev followed their signings with 60-game seasons – and both performed well with the opportunity. That precedent, and Buffalo’s plea for strong consistency in net after so long without it, could force the Sabres to commit to a full year of Luukkonen. That would set them up for a situation more closely related to Nashville’s than Boston’s, with a top-end, young goaltender burgeoning out of the AHL starter role, but an all-too-capable starter hogging the limelight. Or the Sabres may bridge the gap between the two teams – a benefit of a nearby AHL team – finding ways to incorporate Levi into the lineup whenever available, while still honoring Luukkonen’s deserved chance at a full-time role. Either way, the team’s vision for their goaltending will be spelled out by the contract they sign Luukkonen to – and it will be a decision with major ramifications.

Snapshots: Sprong, Misiak, Julien

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The Vancouver Canucks are among the teams interested in free agent winger Daniel Sprong, shares Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News (Twitter link). Sprong is the top remaining free agent from PHR’s Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents.

Sprong has fought his way into NHL legitimacy over the last two seasons, kicked off with a breakout 2022-23 with the Seattle Kraken. He recorded career-highs across the board – netting 21 goals, 25 assists, and 46 points in 66 games despite a measly role on Seattle’s third line. It was a flash-in-the-pan season for the veteran Sprong, who had only managed 70 points in 202 career games up to that point. And he held onto the scoring through a move to the Detroit Red Wings last summer, netting 18 goals and 43 points despite averaging just 12 minutes of ice time. He’s seemingly proven his ability to produce in a depth role, though it’s hard to ignore the long streak of struggles that started his career. Now 28, Sprong doesn’t seem destine for a long-term deal, though he could prove a valuable late-market add for a Canucks team in need of boost down their wings.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Martin Misiak is expected to return to the OHL next season shares Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Misiak played through his first year in the OHL this season, netting 23 goals and 47 points in 60 games with the Erie Otters. He signed his entry-level contract with the Hawks at the end of Erie’s season, coupling the deal with an amateur try-out in the AHL. But it seems he’s now quite ready to jump to the pros, instead focused on finding another layer of scoring after a meager debut in the OHL.
  • The St. Louis Blues are sitting happy with their addition of long-time NHL head coach Claude Julien, who joined the team as an assistant coach last June. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong compared the hire to when Larry Robinson, an NHL Hall-of-Famer, joined Craig Berube’s coaching staff ahead of the team’s 2019 Stanley Cup win, telling Lou Korac of NHL.com that he hopes this move will have similar long-term ramifications. He said, “The experience Larry Robinson showed a young staff, it was really impressive. I think Claude’s at a portion of his life now where I think accepting this is easier and seeing the joy of working with young coaches and making them better, sharing his experiences, sharing his experiences with players.” Julien, a 19-year veteran of NHL head coaching, seems set on maintaining his mentoring role in St. Louis, as the team promotes up-and-coming coaches in Drew Bannister and Steve Ott.

Snapshots: MHL, Arbitration, ESPN

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The KHL will be testing a new backcourt violation rule in their junior hockey league, the MHL (Twitter link). The rule that will come into effect for the 2024-25 season will forbid players from skating the puck back to their side of center in overtime more than one time. A first violation will cause a stoppage in play and the team guilty of the backcourt violation will see a faceoff occur in their defensive zone. Any additional violation in overtime will cause a minor penalty to be called.

The trial run will be interesting to watch as there have been calls for this type of rule in North America, although no change to the rule is pending. NHL clubs have been utilizing their defensive zone in recent years as a reset during overtime and it has made 3 on 3 overtime in the NHL far less exciting than it was when it was first introduced.

In other news from around the hockey world:

  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that the NHLPA has taken a new approach to arbitration hearings, opting not to release a full schedule ahead of the hearings. The news makes sense given that very little information is available about the scheduled hearings and they will begin tomorrow. The pivot means that fans won’t know about the time and date of hearings until an arbitrator has decided the outcome or the team and player have settled before arbitration. Arbitration can be contentious between teams and their players and might be something that is looked at the next time the NHL and NHLPA renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement.
  • ESPN released a list ranking the top 100 professional athletes of this century. The list was largely absent of hockey players but there were a handful that made the cut. It isn’t shocking to see so few players on their list but keep in mind that this is the network that owns a lot of NHL distribution rights and streaming rights at the moment. Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby topped this list for hockey players, finishing 22nd, while Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin was 54th, and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid finished a shocking 98th.

Predators Sign Adam Wilsby

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The Nashville Predators have signed defender Adam Wilsby to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a $775K salary at the NHL level.

Nashville drafted Wilsby in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, selecting him in his final year of eligibility after a strong season with Sodertalje SK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. Wilsby recorded 30 points in 41 games that year, helping Sodertalje earn promotion to the SHL and following the performance up with two strong seasons at the top flight to help keep them there.

With a successful run in Sweden in the rearview, Wilsby signed an uncommon two-year entry-level contract with the Predators in 2022. But he struggled to carry his momentum over from Sweden, posting just 18 points as an AHL rookie, though he did play in all 72 games. He also appeared in 16 postseason games, where a quicker pace boosted him to a productive eight points. He improved to 21 points in 61 games this season, though still seems far from finding the comfortable footing he had in the SHL.

Still, there’s reason to be excited about Wilsby’s stout control of the blue line and ability to spark transition. He’s a young defender who seems to have more to give and will get a chance to prove his worth to the Predators next season, fighting for a much hardier NHL deal next summer.

Flames To Begin Building New Arena

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The Calgary Flames are expected to reveal plans for, and finally break ground on, a new arena this coming Monday, shares Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link). Francis adds that the Flames’ new stomping grounds will include 18,000 seats, a community rink, indoor and outdoor event plazas, and a parking deck. The new arena will cost $926MM and be built two blocks north of the current Saddledome, with the hope of being operational for the 2027-28 season.

Sportsnet adds that $330MM of the funds for this arena will come from the Alberta government, who also plan to demolish the existing Saddledome as a part of their plans.

This news finally puts into motion the Flames’ move out of the Scotiabank Saddledome, where they’ve played since 1983. It stands alongside Madison Square Garden as the two oldest arenas in the league – with the Saddledome not receiving major renovations since 1995.

That’s beginning to change, with the team set to receive a new scoreboard this summer, though the Saddledome is still missing many of the amenities that had the Flames pushing for a new arena in 2017. The team could not reach an agreement with the city at the time, sparking strong comments from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who said in an interview with TSN, “This building was built in the 1980s, they don’t build buildings like this any more… it’s historic in many ways. But these aren’t the facilities that our hockey teams typically have.” Bettman’s comments came amid Detroit’s move to Little Caesars Arena and Seattle’s bid for the top-of-the-line Climate Pledge Arena.

Calgary will now join the list of top-end facilities, though they’ll be leaving a truly incredible arena behind. The Saddledome’s sloped roof and expansive, high-ceiling interior made it quickly iconic. It would enter hockey legend within a decade of being built, after hosting parts of the 1988 Winter Olympics and the 1989 Stanley Cup-winning Calgary Flames. The arena, which also hosts the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers and WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, has stood as a testament to hockey’s history in Calgary – giving any new build a hefty past to live up to.

Evening Notes: Ceci, Hrkac, Kovalenko

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The Edmonton Oilers will have a market of teams interested in defenseman Cody Ceci, should they want to trade him away, per Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff on Bob Stauffer’s Oilers Now podcast. Seravalli added, “Right (shot) defensemen in that pay range are always in demand. Just go look at the pay range this summer and look at some of the money thrown around. Cody Ceci at that number is probably quite palatable.”

Ceci carries a $3.25MM cap hit through next season, before entering unrestricted free agency next summer, making him a manageable rental on a new team. But it’s hard to imagine Edmonton, who still carries $6.2MM in cap space, will be quick to move Ceci unless they need urgent relief. The 30-year-old defender held firm to his quant role in the middle of Edmonton’s lineup this year, posting five goals and 25 points through 79 regular season games. It was the second-most he’s scored int he last five seasons, though three points shy of his career-high. Nonetheless, Ceci provided the hard, two-line passing and general defensive stoutness to properly back Edmonton’s top lines, even if his performances with the Oilers have been far from exciting. On the open market, Ceci offers the presence of an 11-year vet with 88 career playoff games – just enough to warrant a cheap return.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Anaheim Ducks have hired former NHL forward Tony Hrkac as their Director of Professional Scouting, shares Derek Lee of The Hockey News. Hrkac has served as a pro scout with the Tampa Bay Lightning since the 2015-16 season, after serving in a variety of coaching roles in Wisconsin. He’ll now take the next step in his managerial career at an apt time, joining the team amid a Mighty Ducks rebrand having played in 140 games as a Mighty Duck during his own career.
  • Dynamic Colorado Avalanche prospect Nikolai Kovalenko has returned to the United States for training after a brief vacation, shares Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. That news should set Kovalenko up for a full run at the NHL lineup next season, after scoring three points in four AHL games and appearing in two Stanley Cup Playoff games at the end of the season. The 24-year-old became a highly acclaimed prospect with 54 points in 56 games during the 2022-23 KHL season – a performance he followed with 35 points in 42 games. He’ll now look to bring his dynamic scoring ability to the NHL, where fans should get a much clearer picture of his long-term upside.

Utah Exploring Extension Or Trade With Victor Söderström

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The Utah Hockey Club is reportedly exploring the possibility of either an extension or a trade of defenseman Victor Söderström, shares Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). Söderström is Utah’s only remaining restricted free agent after the team extended both Barrett Hayton and Egor Sokolov last week.

Söderström’s contract is a bit harder to work out. The 2019 11th-overall pick failed to earn a consistent NHL role on his entry-level deal. He’s instead muddled between the NHL and AHL lineups, with his playing time becoming somewhat of a spectacle for Coyotes fans. Söderström has spent plenty of time with the NHL roster since his debut in 2021, though routine healthy scratches have limited him to just 53 games since. He’s done little with the chances, netting just one goal – scored in his third career game – and 10 assists at the NHL level. He similarly struggled to score in the AHL early in his career, with just 50 points through his three seasons and 108 games in the minor leagues. Söderström started to buck that trend this year, though, playing through his first full season spent in one spot since 2019-20. He posted nine goals and 32 points in 62 games with the Tuscon Roadrunners this season – career-highs in every category.

It was a promising year for the 23-year-old defender, even if his stat line didn’t jump off the page. Still, fans got a strong glimpse of what Söderström offers at a top level. He showed a strong ability to champion transition up the ice, with heads-up passing and strong positioning, helped along by an improving ability to close down opponents as they enter the attacking zone. While not high-scoring, Söderström showed he could bring those positives on a nightly basis, underlined by added confidence in stepping into space in the offensive end.

Söderström showed glimpses of a former blue-chip prospect this season, though he still seems far off from vindicating his top-15 draft selection. There are reasons to hold onto hope, though, as he showed distinct improvement under a consistent role. Matching that at the NHL level could pay dividends – and Utah has an open spot on their second pairing that Söderström could push for. But he’ll face distinct competition from Michael Kesselring, Juuso Valimaki, and top prospect Maveric Lamoureux for the role – having already lost a fight for minutes with the former two last season.

That competition is enough to have Utah gauging that Söderström may garner on the open market. It’s hard to think many teams would be quick to pay up for a former top prospect yet to vindicate his draft capital – nor is Utah likely too eager to make a move that won’t favor them with a signing still a possibility. This has all of the makings of trade winds bound to drag on for a while, but with an attractive offer, a new team could land the talents of a former top pick with plenty of room to grow next season.

Hurricanes Sign Dominik Badinka To Entry-Level Contract

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed 2024 34th-overall selection Dominik Badinka to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry a league-minimum $775K salary at the NHL level, an $85K salary at the AHL level, and $282.15K in signing bonuses. Badinka becomes the third player from this year’s second round to earn his first NHL contract, joining Pittsburgh forward Tanner Howe and Washington defenseman Leon Muggli.

Badinka earned a near-first-round selection with a standout season in Sweden, where he fought his way into routine SHL ice time with the Malmo Redhawks on the back of 13 points in 17 U20 games. That production didn’t carry to the top flight, though, with Badinka posting just four points in 33 SHL games. Still, his aggressive edge and strong puck skills shined through despite the low scoring. He didn’t shy away from physicality, either, showing no fear engaging in puck battles with players 10 or 15 years his senior. He’s at his best with the puck on his stick, a knack for carrying the puck into the neutral zone and joining the rush. Badinka knows how to match the pace of a pro game – and did well at using quick passes and sharp skating to create space in the offensive end. But his aggressive positioning and naive fundamentals are both apparent drawbacks, and will no doubt be Badinka’s key areas of improvement as he prepares for North American pros.

Badinka is currently committed to joining Malmo for next season, surely hoping to take his first step forward in the SHL after planting his feet last year. But this entry-level contract could be enough to sway the young, feisty defender towards making a move to America before the end of the season. Badinka shared his eagerness to move to North Carolina with Chip Alexander of The News & Observer, saying he feels he can be NHL-ready within a year or two. He’ll become the next in a long string of Hurricanes defenders to jump to the pro level should that hold true, joining Scott Morrow and Ronan Seeley in the fight for NHL ice time.

Steven Kampfer Expected To Sign In KHL

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Utah Hockey Club defenseman Steven Kampfer is expected to sign a one-year deal with the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk, per Craig Morgan of Go PHNX Sports and Mikhail Zislis of Russia’s Sport-Express (Twitter link). The deal will take him out of unrestricted free agency in the NHL, after not re-signing with Utah. Kampfer will be returning to Russia after spending the 2021-22 season with the Kazan Ak-Bars. He proved plenty productive on the international trip, posting 30 points – a career-high in Kampfer’s professional career.

Once a stout seventh defenseman in the NHL, Kampfer’s role has since dwindled into a starring role in the minor leagues. Utah, then Arizona, traded for Kampfer ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline, sending future considerations in return for the Tuscon Roadrunners’ new top defender. That’s exactly the role that Kampfer assumed, totaling 29 points in 60 games with the club since the trade and donning their captaincy this year.

Kampfer, 35, kicked off his pro career with a fourth-round selection in the 2007 NHL Draft, hearing his name called by the Anaheim Ducks though he’d begin his career three years later with the Boston Bruins. He showed stout defense and good grit in a 38-game rookie season in 2010-11, though Kampfer quickly struggled to score at the top level. He’d go on to spend the next 11 seasons bouncing between strong AHL minutes and minimal NHL minutes, ultimately slotting into just 231 career games and posting a measly 39 points. He’s bucked that trend a bit in the minors, with 170 points across 378 career games, though it’s clear that Kampfer’s best offense came overseas. He’ll return to that well next season, looking to make the most of the final years of his career.

Hurricanes Sign Joakim Ryan

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Joakim Ryan to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal carries a league minimum $775K salary at the NHL level and a $110K salary at the AHL level. Ryan rejoins the Hurricanes organization after spending the last three years with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks. He filled a prolific role with the Swedish club, appearing in all 156 games and totaling 64 points. That includes Ryan’s 31-point season in 2021-22, which marked the second-highest scoring of his professional career, behind a 49-point year in the 2016-17 AHL season.

Ryan’s move to Sweden marked his first time playing hockey outside of the United States, after playing through juniors in the USHL, college hockey with Cornell University, and then being drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Draft. Ryan closed out the final two years of his collegiate career before turning pro, ultimately totaling 78 points in 123 games with the Big Red. That production proved strong momentum as Ryan moved to the AHL, where he managed 28 points in 66 games as a rookie in 2015-16. He followed that with a career year in his second pro season, ultimately doing enough to earn a full-time NHL role in 2017-18. But Ryan didn’t do much with the opportunity, posting just 12 points through 62 games as an NHL rookie and slowly losing his grip on a daily role over the next three seasons.

That grip didn’t become stronger even as Ryan moved clubs, with one-year, league-minimum contracts pulling Ryan through stints with the Los Angeles Kings and Carolina Hurricanes. He’s since totaled 24 points in 145 career games. Ryan showed flashes of rediscovered offense in Sweden, though he’ll need to continue developing that knack should he want to hold onto his returning role in North America.

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