Buffalo Sabres re-sign Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to two-year contract

The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to a two-year contract, the club announced Wednesday.

Luukkonen’s new contract runs through the 2023–24 season and carries an NHL cap hit of $837,500. PuckPedia reported Luukkonen’s deal includes one-way compensation of $925,000 in 2023–24.

The Sabres originally selected Luukkonen in the second round (No. 54 overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. The Espoo, Finland product was the second goaltender taken in 2017, following only Jake Oettinger (No. 26 to Dallas).

Playing in his third professional season in North America, Luukkonen split time between the Sabres and the AHL’s Rochester Americans in 2021–22. The 6’5″, 217-pound netminder posted a 2–5–2 record and a .917 save percentage in nine appearances with Buffalo last year.

Luukkonen spent most of the season on a middling Rochester team, ending up with a 15–14–6 record and a .900 save percentage in 35 games. In 60 career AHL games with the Americans, Luukkonen has gone 26–23–11 with one shutout and an .894 save percentage.

The Sabres have just three goaltenders signed for the 2022–23 season: Luukkonen, Eric Comrie, and Craig Anderson. Luukkonen was the Sabres’ final restricted free agent left to sign this summer.