Breaking: Sabres sign promising 23 year-old goaltender

Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has announced that the team has re-signed 23 year-old Swedish goaltender Linus Ullmark to a two year contract worth $1.5 million. The deal carries an annual cap hit of $750,000, which is down from Ullmark’s previous deal which paid him nearly $900,000 annually.

The most interesting detail about the news however, isn’t the dollars, term or even the player. It’s the fact that the Sabres must now choose between Ullmark or starter Robin Lehner for their NHL Expansion Draft protection list. Teams can only include one goaltender on their protection list, meaning that either Ullmark or Lehner will be left exposed to the Vegas Golden Knights. While Lehner has his critics, he cemented himself as a bonafide NHL start last season, so there’s little chance that the Sabres risk losing him for nothing. Might the team test out the trade market for the 25 year-old netminder? Or might they already have a side deal in place with Vegas that protects both Lehner and Ullmark? Former GM Tim Murray was rumored to be working with Vegas GM George McPhee on such an agreement, so it’s possible that Botterill has picked up where those conversations left off.

Any way you look at it, the Ullmark signing is an interesting one for the Sabres. If he does in fact remain with the team he’ll be expected to continue his development under Lehner in the hopes of one day becoming a starting NHL goaltender himself.