Sabres sign Alexandar Georgiev: What does it signal about Buffalo’s goalie situation?
The signing of Georgiev is, in part, a response to an injury to starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
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The Buffalo Sabres signed 29-year-old goalie Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year deal worth $825,000 on Thursday. This is the second goalie they’ve signed this offseason after signing Alex Lyon to a two-year contract worth $1.5 million per year in July.
The signing of Georgiev is, in part, a response to an injury to starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. According to a league source, Luukkonen reported to camp with what is described as a “tweak.” The team is unsure of the extent of the injury and doesn’t have an exact timetable for when Luukkonen will be back to 100 percent.
Georgiev gives the Sabres another goalie with NHL experience as an insurance option. Whether Luukkonen ends up missing regular-season time or not, the Sabres were short on experience in the event of an injury to either Luukkonen or Lyon. Devon Levi is the next goalie on the organizational depth chart, but the 23-year-old spent the bulk of last season in the AHL. In nine NHL games last season, he had a 4.12 goals against average and an .872 save percentage. The team seems committed to letting Levi develop in the AHL a bit longer.
Georgiev, 29, split last season between the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks. He struggled, playing 49 games and posting a 3.71 goals against average and an .875 save percentage. He was 65th in the league in goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck. It was his second straight season with a save percentage below .900 and a goals against average above 3.00. Georgiev started 62 games in each of the previous two seasons for the Avalanche. His best season came in 2022-23 when he had a .919 save percentage, 2.53 goals against average and five shutouts, all career bests.
Goaltending will be a major question mark for this Sabres team. Last season, Luukkonen was fresh off signing a five-year contract extension worth $4.75 million per year. But he failed to repeat his breakout performance from the year prior. He finished 55th in the NHL in goals saved above expected, had a 3.20 goals against average and an .887 save percentage. The team turned to veteran James Reimer late in the season to provide more stability at the position.
While neither Lyon nor Georgiev has a lengthy track record of success, both have experienced some high moments in recent seasons. They are also more experienced than the 26-year-old Luukkonen and should help create more internal competition at the position. The Sabres also focused many of their offseason moves on improving the team’s defense to make life easier on the goalies.
If everyone is healthy, Georgiev could end up in the AHL playing in tandem with Levi. That would allow Scott Ratzlaff and Topias Leinonen, two recent draft picks who signed entry-level contracts this year, to get games in the ECHL.