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Buffalo Sabres Sign Former Utah Goaltender
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- Buffalo Sabres Sign Former Utah Goaltender
After trading Devon Levi to the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week, the Buffalo Sabres have added to their goalie depth.
The Sabres have announced that they have signed goaltender Matt Villalta to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season.
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Villalta spent all of this past season in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners. In 33 games with the AHL club during the 2025-26 season, he posted a 16-12-3 record, an .895 save percentage, and a 3.10 goals-against average.
While Villalta did not play a game for the Utah Mammoth this past season, he made NHL appearances during both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. In three career NHL games split between the Arizona Coyotes and Utah, the 6-foot-3 goalie has a 1-1-0 record, a 3.64 goals-against average, and an .867 save percentage.
With the Sabres having Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen , Alex Lyon , and Colten Ellis , Villalta has been signed to help out Buffalo's AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
In 235 career AHL games, Villalta has a 123-83-20 record, a .903 save percentage, a 2.93 goals-against average, and 10 shutouts.
