BUFFALO, NY — The Buffalo Sabres’ roster crunch is creating a tricky situation for general manager Kevyn Adams as the trade deadline approaches.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has emerged as the team’s No. 1 goalie, so the Sabers have been carrying three goalies since Eric Comrie returned from his injury. But since Luukkonen is still exempt from waivers, while Comrie and Craig Anderson are not, Buffalo has been making paper transactions to loan Luukkonen to Rochester on days when he is not playing. When Luukkonen does play, the Sabers have sent other players who are waivers exempt down in a similar paper move. Last week that was Jack Quinn. Over the weekend it was Peyton Krebs.
But Adams has also been working on another solution. Veteran forward Vinnie Hinostroza, who re-signed at a $1.7 million salary this offseason, has been out of the lineup for 19 of the last 21 games. He jumped back last week while the Sabers gave Quinn and JJ Peterka a few nights off, but Hinostroza was again a healthy scratch on Monday when the Sabers lost to the Panthers. Hinostroza, 28, has eight assists in 19 games this season and has been passed on the depth chart by Buffalo’s younger forwards.
Adams has talked to every team in the NHL in an effort to find a better situation for Hinostroza. As Elliotte Friedman of “Hockey Night in Canada” initially reported, the Sabers want to put Hinostroza in a position to get back on the ice. He doesn’t have a clear path to playing time with the Sabres, so if Adams can find a deal that makes sense for the team, that could open up a roster spot. Hinostroza’s $1.7 million salary might be prohibitive to contenders who are up against the cap, but he’s shown in limited action this season that he’s a solid depth forward who can bring energy to the bottom six of a lineup. Granato has known Hinostroza dating back to his days in Chicago when he had to fight his way into the NHL lineup. In his time with the Sabres, Hinostroza has become a favorite in the locker room and he has continued to bring energy to practice and been a good teammate even when out of the lineup.
“I know competitively he’s not happy,” Granato said last week. “He’s not satisfied being out of the lineup. It’s a challenge to keep yourself ready to go. But when you look at the big picture of an NHL season, what players in that position have to do is be ready for their opportunity because the opportunity’s going to come. We just can’t tell you exactly which game, which night. But we know in an 82-game season, it’s going to come. Until that happens, it’s a tough situation I think specifically for him or a player in that situation.”
If Hinostroza were to leave, the Sabers do have options in Rochester if they need to call up another forward in case of injury. Rasmus Asplund has also been in and out of the Sabres’ lineup this season and is waiting for an opportunity for more regular minutes. Last week, the Sabers waived defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and lost him to the Florida Panthers. It makes sense to try to move an older player rather than risk losing another younger one like Fitzgerald.
The Sabers are also exploring their options with goalie prospect Erik Portillo. According to multiple sources, Portillo and his camp don’t think it’s in his best interest to sign with the Sabers when his college season at Michigan is over. The 2019 third-round pick has the option to test free agency since he is four years removed from his draft year.
Portillo’s decision isn’t a direct result of Luukkonen’s recent performance, but Luukkonen’s presence in the organization has undoubtedly been a factor in Portillo’s decision-making process. The Sabers also have Northeastern goalie Devon Levi in the pipeline and drafted Finnish goalie Topias Leinonen in the second round of the 2022 draft. There is a lot of youth for Portillo to contend with in Buffalo’s organization.
The Sabers still think highly of Portillo as a prospect and have made it clear to him that they would love to sign him. He’s 12-7 this season with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage playing for a Wolverines team that is ranked in the top 10 in the country. But with Portillo making it clear he plans to sign elsewhere, the Sabers are exploring all of their options on the trade market.
Adams has been clear that he doesn’t want to make rash decisions at the deadline that could jeopardize the future the Sabers are trying to build. He doesn’t want to hit fast forward on the rebuild and is interested in giving young players every opportunity to grow. But this team is also on the fringe of playoff contention and could use more depth to get over the edge. So Adams has decisions to make on what type of moves, if any, would be worth it making that happen. Having Portillo as a trade chip could be useful in that he could net a decent return and the Sabers won’t be sacrificing the long-term by moving him.
(Timothy T. Ludwig / USA TODAY Sports)
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