Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen dealing with offseason injury

When the Buffalo Sabres signed Alexandar Georgiev this week, many people wondered why the team wanted to crowd their crease even more. Turns out, there could be a method to the madness as reports have surfaced stating starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been dealing with an offseason injury.

According to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, the Georgiev move took place because Luukkonen is not going to be available to start the new season. The Sabres tender reported to training camp this week with an injury, which is described as a tweak, and shouldn't be a long-term concern. At this time, no timelines have been discussed or announced by the player, or team.

Buffalo added Georgiev to battle it out alongside Devon Levi and Alex Lyon for the backup role, which has quickly turned into a chance to start for the team heading into preseason action. Lyon signed a two-year deal worth $1.5 million AAV, meanwhile Georgiev landed a one-year deal at $825,000. Levi, on the other hand, is one of the team's top prospects who has yet to get a consistent run at minutes in the Sabres' crease.

As for Luukkonen, he went 24-24-5 last season with a .887 save percentage. He was among the league's worst goaltenders in goals saved above expected with a -4.83 rating 5v5.

The Sabres are a mess, and will be lottery contenders this season. They've been busy this summer moving out contracts, as they've traded Connor Clifton, Sam Lafferty, and J.J Peterka.

Photo credit:  Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images