The Buffalo Sabers took care of some of their offseason business on Tuesday, agreeing to a two-year, $2.7 million contract extension with forward Beck Malenstyn before the two sides headed to salary arbitration. , but the club still faces a similar situation with goalkeeper Ukko- Pekka Luukkonen, whose arbitration hearing is scheduled for Monday.
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Malenstyn was acquired from Washington for a second-round pick on June 29.th and didn’t have much influence in the officiating, coming off his first full season in the NHL (6 goals, 15 assists in 81 games) after three seasons splitting time between the AHL Hershey and NHL Capitals.
Luukkonen coming off a career-high 51 games in which he posted a 27-22-4 record, 2.57 GAA and .910% save in the final year of a two-year bridge deal worth $1.675 million. Sabers GM Kevyn Adams last month spoke with the 25-year-old after the season and believes they are on the same page in terms of wanting to continue his career in Buffalo, but to date, the club and his agent Markus Lehto was unable to agree on a new deal.
“These conversations started during the season, in March or something like that,” Adams said. “(Ukko-Pekka) has made it very clear that he loves this team, he loves the city, he wants to be here. We’re excited about him and we’re going to work on it. We continue to have conversations… (and) there will be a few more.”
As with Malenstyn, most players who opt for arbitration reach an agreement before a decision is made, but the risk with Luukkonen is that he is two years away from unrestricted free agency and it is possible that before the arbitration hearing Monday, we hear that both sides have agreed to a long-term extension. Signing him for a year gives him the opportunity to strengthen his negotiating position next summer, with the possibility of becoming a UFA in 2026.
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