The Buffalo Sabres continue to tweak their goaltending depth chart. They claimed goaltending prospect Colten Ellis on waivers from the St. Louis Blues. Additionally. the team placed Alexandar Georgiev on waivers. The Blues originally selected Ellis in the third round of the 2019 amateur draft.
“When Ellis became available as an organization we felt really highly about,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. “Unfortunately, it put us in a situation where Georgiev had to go on waivers.”
Ellis, 25, played in 58 games the past two seasons with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. He won 29 matches. Moreover, he posted save percentages of .924 in 2023-24 and .922 in 2024-25.
Entering this season Ellis was no longer waiver exempt, allowing Buffalo to claim him. Meanwhile, he described his Buffalo arrival as “a whirlwind.”
“I like his puck play. I like how quick he is. Watched a good part of his games yesterday. He has a calmness about him. I can see why he’s kind of been on the radar,” Russ said of Ellis.
Sabres provide partial Luukkonen update
Sabres starting goalie Ukko-Pekka-Luukkonen has made progress. However, his availability remains uncertain as the regular season begins. Meanwhile, Buffalo also has an experienced option in goal with new addition Alex Lyon. The Sabres lack elite goaltending. Nevertheless, they don’t lack for talent.
Free agent signing Georgiev did not show enough in training camp and the preseason to instill confidence in a bounce back year. Nevertheless, Ruff and the Sabres took the high road.
Ruff said, “I’ve been around him. He’s a good person. He’s done everything we asked. We just felt we couldn’t pass up on this opportunity.”
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