Villalta was placed on waivers by Buffalo on Friday.
Villalta posted a 3.10 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 33 regular-season appearances with AHL Tucson in 2025-26. While he's likely to get plenty of work with AHL Rochester if he clears waivers, he's behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon (upper body) and Colten Ellis for Buffalo's organizational goaltending depth chart.