Sabres head coach will benefit from having relative stability in goal
The Buffalo Sabres will likely see changes this summer with the return of Lindy Ruff if they are serious about snapping their lengthy playoff drought and getting back to the postseason for the first time since 2011, but one of the areas that will see some continuity will be between the pipes.
The Sabres GM Kevyn Adams and head coach Don Granato made the fatal decision after Devon Levi impressed in a seven-game stint at the end of the 2022-23 season to give the young phenom the starting job out of training camp. The 22-year-old was not ready and the team in front of him was not good enough, and when the club went to Plan B in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, they dug themselves a hole too deep to climb out of.
Ruff’s demise in New Jersey was directly connected to GM Tom Fitzgerald’s failure to upgrade in goal this season. Last year, goalies Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek helped get the Devils past the NY Rangers in the first round before losing to Carolina. This season that tandem could not repeat their success and only after Ruff was fired in early March did New Jersey deal for Kaapo Kahkonen and Jake Allen.
In his introductory presser, Ruff made reference to Luukkonen as the club’s likely starter after finishing with a 27-22-4 record, 2.57 GAA, and .910 save %, but there could be a battle at training camp and throughout next season with Levi, who thrived in AHL Rochester after being demoted in January. With goaltending and the blueline likely to remain intact, the area that will see more of a dramatic changeover will be at forward, where the club took a big step backward offensively after scoring 296 goals in 2023.
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