The Buffalo Sabres made a goalie roster move on Tuesday, although not any of the ones that the fanbase is waiting for.
Alex Lyon remains out with an injury. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen hasn’t been traded. The idea of acquiring Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets remains just an idea.
The Sabres’ move on Tuesday was a smaller one, but one that does give a little indication about how Buffalo feels about its goalie depth.
Sabres Demote Goalie
The move the Sabres made on Tuesday was to demote goalie Topias Leinonen from the AHL Rochester Americans to the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.
Leinonen had only recently returned from injury, but he didn’t stay with the Amerks for very long.
The @BuffaloSabres have reassigned goaltender Topias Leinonen to the @Steelheads from @AmerksHockey .
— Amerks PR (@AmerksPR) October 20, 2026
Rochester still has two goalies at the moment — Matt Villalta, who is off to a strong start as the No. 1 this season, along with Scott Ratzlaff.
The 27-year-old Villalta is in his first year in the Buffalo organization. Through five starts with the Amerks, he has a 1.39 goals against average and a 94.7 save percentage.
Ratzlaff has yet to suit up for the Amerks yet this season. He had a 3.44 goals against average in Rochester last year. He has played in one game for the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears this season, allowing five goals.
Teams often move goalies around to various ECHL teams, which have affiliations with NHL clubs but don’t work as exclusively as the AHL teams.
That’s why Leinonen is now heading to Idaho to keep working on his craft.
Who is Topias Leinonen?
Leinonen is a 22-year-old goalie from Finland.
The Sabres drafted him in the second round in 2022 with the No. 41 overall pick.
Before coming to North America, Leinonen played both in Finland and Sweden’s leagues.
He first arrived stateside in 2025-26. Leinonen appeared in eight games with the Amerks and had a 3.48 goals against average and an 85.5 save percentage.
He also played in seven games last season with the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen and had a 3.24 goals against average and 88.0 save percentage.
Leinonen has yet to take the ice at any level in the 2026-27 season after recovering from the injury that just lingered a bit into the season.
Standing 6-foot-6, Leinonen certainly looks the part, but he has yet to find consistency in North America yet.
While getting sent down to Idaho doesn’t bode particularly well for his chances moving forward, it’s the only move the Sabres can really make right now as they continue to try and get their goaltending situation in order throughout the organization.
Sabres Demote Goalie Amid Trade Rumors