Buffalo Sabres Acquire Colten Ellis
The Buffalo Sabres have acquired Colten Ellis, a 25-year-old goalie formerly with the St. Louis Blues, after he was picked up off waivers. Ellis, a third-round draft selection in 2019, was expected to take the starting role with the American Hockey League’s Springfield team but had to clear waivers to be assigned there. The Sabres found themselves in need of goaltending depth due to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen being sidelined for an indefinite period due to a lower-body injury.
St. Louis Blues’ Goaltending Situation
With St. Louis firmly set with their top two goalies, Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer, the Blues were optimistic about retaining Ellis but were ultimately unsuccessful. It is possible that Ellis might find his way back to the Blues if the Sabres re-expose him on waivers after Luukkonen recovers from his injury. Should that happen and the Blues reclaim him, they would have the flexibility to send him directly to Springfield without having to keep him on the NHL roster. However, other NHL teams could also stake a claim on Ellis during the standard waiver process.
Springfield Goaltending Update
In the wake of Ellis’s departure, Vadim Zherenko is now set to lead as the primary goaltender for Springfield, supported by backup Will Cranley.
Additional Roster Changes
In related news, defenseman Hunter Skinner successfully cleared waivers and will join the Springfield roster. Skinner had impressed during training camp, vying for the seventh defenseman position, but ultimately lost out to Matthew Kessel.
Additionally, a concern arose during practice when Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist appeared to injure his right leg, needing assistance to exit the ice. Meanwhile, the Blues completed their final roster adjustments by sending five players to Springfield, which includes three first-round draft selections.
