Los Angeles Kings acquire rights to Erik Portillo from Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have traded the rights to University of Michigan netminder Erik Portillo to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick, per a team announcement.

This move comes amid widespread speculation that Portillo would opt to test the college free agent market rather than sign with the Sabres, who drafted him 67th overall during the 2019 NHL Draft. The Sabres already have arguably the best goalie prospect on ice in Northeastern University’s Devon Levi and it’s possible that the presence of Levi in Buffalo’s pipeline played a role in this transaction

While the Sabres already have Levi in their pipeline, the Kings offer a far more open path for an NHL playing future in which Portillo would not necessarily have to battle it out for “goalie of the future” status.

'The Athletic'’s Scott Wheeler recently ranked Portillo as the seventh-best prospect in a talented Sabres system. (subscription link). The 6-foot-6 netminder has tended twine as a starter with Michigan for the past two seasons. Last year, Portillo went 31-10-1 with a .926 save percentage and 2.14 goals-against-average. While his numbers have suffered a bit this season, scouts remain impressed with his imposing size, quality puck-handling ability, and sneaky athleticism.

This is the second netminding trade of the day for the Kings. While the acquisition of Joonas Korpisalo was about helping the organization’s goalie situation in the short-term, this Portillo deal is designed to give them a potential long-term solution. It’s a worthwhile investment of a third-round pick assuming they get his signature on an entry-level deal, and a nice refund for the Sabres who likely weren’t signing him anyway and already have Levi, Luukkonen, and others in the developmental pipe.