Sabres send goalie prospect Portillo to Kings for 3rd-round pick

The Los Angeles Kings organization has invested further in the goaltending position.

The Buffalo Sabres traded coveted goalie prospect Erik Portillo to the Kings for a 2023 third-round pick, the teams announced.

Wednesday's deal comes less than 24 hours after the Kings acquired netminder Joonas Korpisalo from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Portillo was the Sabres' third-round pick in 2019. He remains unsigned and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. His path to playing time in Buffalo would've potentially been blocked by 23-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who's already in the NHL, and 21-year-old Devon Levi, who's also unsigned but is a more highly touted goalie prospect.

The Kings' goalie depth chart is made up of Korpisalo, a pending UFA, journeyman Pheonix Copley, and Cal Petersen.

Portillo, who stands 6-foot-6, has posted a .908 save percentage in 31 games at Michigan this season. The Swede was named to the Big Ten Second All-Star Team a year ago when he recorded a .926 save percentage in 42 appearances with the Wolverines.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said the team tried to sign Portillo in the summer, according to WGR's Paul Hamilton. Adams added he intends to sign Levi as soon as his college season is over.

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