Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Focused On Buffalo Despite Ongoing Trade Rumors
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is focused on getting the Buffalo Sabres back into the Stanley Cup Playoffsin 2026-27. Yes, he's well aware there's been a slew of trade rumors running wild about a potential deal for Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck, but it's obvious UPL is focused on what he can control.
The 27-year-old netminder hasn't fully moved on from the disappointing finish to last season, and wants another shot at making some noise with this group in Buffalo. “It stings for a week or two, but you try to look at the big picture,” Luukkonen said at the European Player Media Tour in Munich last month. “There’s a lot of other things too that went wrong during the season, during the playoffs and there’s a lot of good about the season and the playoffs. So, you kind of need to see what it took you to get to that point.”
The Sabres were a great second-half team last season, and managed to not have a 11-14-4 start ruin their season. UPL feels the dressing room, and culture changed once Kevyn Adam was fired from his GM position. “When the GM gets fired everybody kind of realizes, ‘This is it, we have to change the way we do things or we really have to start winning now or next it’s the players who get traded,’” Luukkonen said. “So, I think things just boiled down on that point and then we kind of realized that we have to start to play more active and more puck possession and more speed style hockey.”
The Sabres continue to be linked to the Jets, as trade talks date back to the NHL Draft in June. If Hellebuyck is moved to Buffalo, there's a very good chance UPL is involved in the deal. “My dad told me about it,” Luukkonen said. “I don't follow it too much. Of course, no hockey player is completely out of it, so I knew that it was going on, but in the end, I didn't hear anything from my agent or anybody else either. So, I don't know to what extent those (talks) went.”
Trade or not, as of right now, UPL is focused on training camp, preseason, and starting the regular season off on the right foot in Buffalo. At least, for now. “Just starting well in the season, playing a sustainable style of hockey which we can repeat every night, I think will be huge for us,” Luukkonen said. “We kind of saw that in playoffs. When you have a style of play which has been working for you during the regular season, you can't really start to change anything when the playoffs start. So, it’s just getting comfortable with the way we play, everybody getting comfortable with their own role, and what they have to do for the team to win. And through that, be ready for the playoffs.”