BUFFALO — By now, eight years into his pro career, Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has grown accustomed to hearing his name in trade talk.
The Finn earned the label as the Sabres’ goalie of the future in his teens before injuries, struggles and a goalie prospect named Devon Levi, who was traded July 1, took some of the shine off him.
Over the years, rumors have swirled Luukkonen’s time in Buffalo could be ending.
Fresh off a career season in which he helped the Sabres end their NHL-record 14-year playoff drought, his name materialized again in trade rumors in late June as they reportedly pursued three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.
To pry the disgruntled Hellebuyck away from the Winnipeg Jets around the NHL Draft, the Sabres needed to send a goalie back. If the teams could’ve agreed to other parts of the deal, Luukkonen, according to reports, would’ve headed to Manitoba’s capital.
“It’s business, I guess,” Luukkonen said following Friday’s session of training camp in LECOM Harborcenter. “I’ve been part of those conversations before. There’s been talks about it before, so you can’t really do anything about that. You focus on a moment. I’m really happy to be here. … I want to be here.”
Luukkonen, who allowed the overtime winner May 18 in the Sabres’ Game 7 home loss to the Montreal Canadiens, said he never felt like a trade was coming.
“Nobody called me about it,” said Luukkonen, who also played early in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before struggling and getting yanked. “There wasn’t really anything I would say that was, like, serious to me that it would happen. But, of course, you always think about that.”
On July 1, the five-team no-trade list in Luukkonen’s five-year, $23.75 million contract kicked in. You can sure as heck bet Winnipeg was one of those teams.
Hellebuyck recently went public with his trade demand. The Jets suspended him Wednesday after he did not report to training camp.
As long as he’s available, the Sabres will likely be one of the teams linked to him. But it’s likely Luukkonen can’t be included in any potential deal.
Right now, Luukkonen wants to concentrate on the new season. Coach Lindy Ruff, whose team will scrimmage this morning at KeyBank Center, said after camp opened earlier this week the Sabres “in all probability” will carry three goalies again.
Luukkonen and Alex Lyon formed a dynamic tandem and regularly alternated starts last season, playing 35 and 36 games, respectively. Colten Ellis, a waiver claim before the season, earned 16 appearances as a rookie.
If they share the net again, that’s fine with Luukkonen.
“We made a decision … that nothing else matters than winning,” he said. “That’s the only way to get to the playoffs. Every goalie wants to play as much as they can, but in the end, it’s about winning, and that’s the best stat you can have as a goalie is to win games.”
Luukkonen understands his past performance – he compiled a 22-9-3 record with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage last season – hardly guarantees him playing time.
“If there’s one thing I learned in this league, nothing is … given to you,” Luukkonen said. “You have to earn stuff. It doesn’t matter how long you’re playing in this league. Every guy wants to play.”
Luukkonen played Game 7 after replacing Lyon two days earlier with the Sabres trailing 3-0 early and facing elimination in Montreal. The Sabres rallied to stun the Canadiens in Game 6, scoring eight unanswered goals.
After Alex Newhook scored 11:22 into overtime in Game 7, Luukkonen’s eyes were red and moist as he spoke to the media
He said that gut-wrenching loss and learning what it takes to make and compete in the playoffs helped him find motivation during the offseason.
Throughout his career, he has consistently responded to adversity and matured
“I got a lot of respect for all the challenges he’s had and he’s grown through, even in my short period here,” said Ruff, who’s beginning his third season back in Buffalo. “I got a lot of respect for how hard he works. He’s come off injuries, and he’s battled some ups and downs during seasons that he’s been able to battle through it and play good hockey for us.”