- NHL.com lists goaltending among the three biggest questions facing Buffalo in 2026-27
- Four goalies are on the roster and the Connor Hellebuyck rumors have not gone away
- Read below for what assistant GM Josh Flynn said about the young core and that Game 7
Buffalo is heading toward training camp with four goalies and no answer.
NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin broke down the Sabres in the league’s 32-in-32 series, and the crease landed on her list of three questions facing a team that just ended a 14-year playoff drought. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis and Matt Villalta are all under contract. Only Villalta didn’t dress for Buffalo last season.
Luukkonen went 22-9-3 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 35 games. Lyon finished 20-10-4 with a 2.77 and a .907 in 36. Neither one took the job.
The playoffs made it messier. Lindy Ruff alternated the two in the second round against Montreal, and Lyon came out of that series at .847 while Luukkonen sat at .897.
So Connor Hellebuyck’s name keeps drifting back toward western New York. David Pagnotta reported in July that the three-time Vezina winner would approve a move to Buffalo, and the Jets went as far as leaving him out of their own schedule reveal.
Here’s Pagnotta’s report from last month:
Up front, Buffalo lost its third-leading scorer. Alex Tuch and his 66 points went to Washington in a June sign-and-trade, and Bowen Byram was shipped to Chicago. Tage Thompson is now one of the oldest players in a top nine stacked with guys born in 2001 or later.
Flynn was asked how much of Buffalo’s next step has to come from inside the room. He started with Zach Benson, who signed a seven-year, $52.5 million extension in June.
“We all believe he’s just scratching the surface of his potential, so the expectation is just that he’s going to keep growing and keep uncovering more of his potential and keep emerging into a player who’s going to help us get to the promised land.”
Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, Jack Quinn, Josh Doan and Noah Ostlund sit in that same bucket, and Helenius has already drawn Calder buzz for this season.
Catch Benson and Luukkonen right after the Game 4 win in Montreal:
All of that belief traces back to one night in May. Flynn described what the building felt when Game 7 ended in overtime.
“You’re there, you’re in Game 7 in overtime and you’re one bounce of the puck away from moving on and everybody feels it, from the players all the way to every staff member.”
Watch the overtime that ended Buffalo’s season:
Camp opens in September with the same three goalies who finished last season. That stays true until somebody makes a trade.
