Player Discussion All Purpose Goaltending Thread

[Rowley Birkin]

I doubt that is their plan. I think they want UPL to be Levi's partner over the medium term since he is under team control beyond this season and Comrie is not.


The Flames did not want to carry three goalies. There are reports that they were shopping Vladar without any takers. But, I also wonder if they valued the depth they have in goal with Wolf in the AHL and able to come up if Markstrom or Vladar get hurt.

This is also a bad plan. A tandem with average age of just 22.5 yo & such few games between them? Not to mention the notion others have already mentioned of UPL really struggling when he's not 'the guy'.... Which i fully agree with.

You can't compare the situation in Calgary at all. Theirs would be akin to us having a proven #1 like Markstrom (we don't), plus a capable backup & letting Levi develop in the AHL... Which many of us had been calling for since the very start.

 

[Jim Bob]

This is also a bad plan. A tandem with average age of just 22.5 yo & such few games between them? Not to mention the notion others have already mentioned of UPL really struggling when he's not 'the guy'.... Which i fully agree with.

You can't compare the situation in Calgary at all. Theirs would be akin to us having a proven #1 like Markstrom (we don't), plus a capable backup & letting Levi develop in the AHL... Which many of us had been calling for since the very start.

I wasn't comparing the Flames situation to the Sabres situation. I was replying to two different posts and the board put them together.

The Sabres approach is very different approach than the Flames. But, there is a greater than 0% chance that they did just send their best goalie in 2023-24 to the AHL because of the contracts that Markstrom and Vladar have.

Markstrom and Vladar were both not great last season. I know if the Sabres had traded UPL for Markstrom over the summer, I would not feel overly confident that Markstrom could give the Sabres solid play in goal as a #1.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[oldgoalie]

jeezuz, Donny. the HF board poster's heads are going to explode.

 

[old kummelweck]

"GAME 2?!?!?!? WHO WILL START FOR GAME 2?!?!?!?!? WHAT AM I, THE AMAZING KRESKIN?!?!?!?"

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I don't see a problem with an even rotation until one of them stands out or falls flat.

 

[oldgoalie]

I don't see a problem with an even rotation until one of them stands out or falls flat.

that shouldn't take long.

 

[Fjordy]

Well...

 

[Dingo44]

I don't see a problem with an even rotation until one of them stands out or falls flat.

I bet it's going to be Levi every other game unless he falters. Comrie and UPL alternate the other starts unless one bombs or one is lights out.

 

[Chainshot]

Last year they had a firmer plan due to Anderson's physical limitations. Seems things are more up in the air now that any of the three can (for now) go at any time.

 

[old kummelweck]

Of course, one scenario is they trade one.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

You guys are cracking me up. Let's hope the play of our 3-headed monster is less comical.

Are there any other scenarios than these? I don't think they'll waste a roster spot indefinitely to keep 3 goalies.

Levi sticks: the lesser of Comrie and UPL gets traded/waived before Christmas
Levi sent down: they go 1A, 1B, and pray
Prayer fails: Adams scrambles for a vet, keeping the better of the two backups

Brace yourselves for the "told ya" posts if the 3rd scenario comes to pass.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

It's still absolutely insane to me that Levi is going to start in the NHL with zero AHL time. Just hang the kid out dry behind and porous defensive team and hope he can hang in there. He's a great goalie prospect....but this isn't development, it's a hail mary.

I was just having this conversation this AM.

He isn't just going to start, he is the defacto no. 1 with absolutely zero back up or fallback plan.

The general consensus is that Levi will play about 50 games this year. With the 7 from last year he will basically eat up his entire waiver exemption (60) this year. What happens if he (understandably) doesn't manage 50 games out of the gate well? He is just G1 again next year? Or does he get demoted to back up?

For a FO so hell bent on investing time and energy into the prospects, we are really putting the number 1 goalie prospect in the world in a pretty precarious situation.

 

[BUCKSHOT]

I was just having this conversation this AM.

He isn't just going to start, he is the defacto no. 1 with absolutely zero back up or fallback plan.

The general consensus is that Levi will play about 50 games this year. With the 7 from last year he will basically eat up his entire waiver exemption (60) this year. What happens if he (understandably) doesn't manage 50 games out of the gate well? He is just G1 again next year? Or does he get demoted to back up?

For a FO so hell bent on investing time and energy into the prospects, we are really putting the number 1 goalie prospect in the world in a pretty precarious situation.

the front office must feel pretty strongly that Levi can do it

I'll take their judgement over a few guys on a hockey message board

 

[TehDoak]

I might need a new avatar now....

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I was just having this conversation this AM.

He isn't just going to start, he is the defacto no. 1 with absolutely zero back up or fallback plan.

The general consensus is that Levi will play about 50 games this year. With the 7 from last year he will basically eat up his entire waiver exemption (60) this year. What happens if he (understandably) doesn't manage 50 games out of the gate well? He is just G1 again next year? Or does he get demoted to back up?

For a FO so hell bent on investing time and energy into the prospects, we are really putting the number 1 goalie prospect in the world in a pretty precarious situation.

I don't know that there is such a general consensus, but if there is it's only among fans. The team hasn't made any type of commitment to any game benchmark. This part of the roster is just going to have to play itself out based on who plays better. I'd like to to think that there will be an easy decision/move to make by December, but who knows. They aren't short on waiver exempt call-ups so "wasting" a roster spot on a 3rd goalie really isn't a big problem. The issue doesn't have to resolve itself any time soon.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

the front office must feel pretty strongly that Levi can do it

I'll take their judgement over a few guys on a hockey message board

Ugh, this is a huge pet peeve of mine. The entire point of a message board like this is the dialogue, water cooler conversations, and occasional hot take.

Unless any of us are tenured NHL GM’s or coaches we are all wildly unqualified to talk about any of this.

So I guess you really got me, I’m not qualified to be an NHL GM. But neither are you, so congratulations on being part of the same club I am.

 

[TehDoak]

Ugh, this is a huge pet peeve of mine. The entire point of a message board like this is the dialogue, water cooler conversations, and occasional hot take.

Unless any of us are tenured NHL GM’s or coaches we are all wildly unqualified to talk about any of this.

So I guess you really got me, I’m not qualified to be an NHL GM. But neither are you, so congratulations on being part of the same club I am.

Everyone here has as much (or more) hockey front office experience than Adams had when he was hired.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

This is also a bad plan. A tandem with average age of just 22.5 yo & such few games between them? Not to mention the notion others have already mentioned of UPL really struggling when he's not 'the guy'.... Which i fully agree with.

You can't compare the situation in Calgary at all. Theirs would be akin to us having a proven #1 like Markstrom (we don't), plus a capable backup & letting Levi develop in the AHL... Which many of us had been calling for since the very start.

Part of the problem is that it seemed like Adams had to promise Levi an NHL spot in order to get him to sign. Friedmann mentioned that last month. I'd have done the same thing Adams did, but it does make things a little messy as a result.

 

[Beerz]

Part of the problem is that it seemed like Adams had to promise Levi an NHL spot in order to get him to sign. Friedmann mentioned that last month. I'd have done the same thing Adams did, but it does make things a little messy as a result.

Nah.. he probably had to promise him some games last season.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

the front office must feel pretty strongly that Levi can do it

I'll take their judgement over a few guys on a hockey message board

There is zero recent precedent for an NCAA goalie jumping straight to the NHL and having immediate and lasting success. I don't need Kevyn Adams to spoon-feed goalie career history and stats to me. Neither do you.

Only Ken Dryden springs to mind for me. Anyone have a 21st century example that Levi is trying to repeat?

Everyone is rooting for Devon, and maybe we've got a unicorn on our hands. But should Adams be counting so heavily on him in a season where the playoffs finally appear to be in reach?

 

[oldgoalie]

There is zero recent precedent for an NCAA goalie jumping straight to the NHL and having immediate and lasting success. I don't need Kevyn Adams to spoon-feed goalie career history and stats to me. Neither do you.

Only Ken Dryden springs to mind for me. Anyone have a 21st century example that Levi is trying to repeat?

Everyone is rooting for Devon, and maybe we've got a unicorn on our hands. But should Adams be counting so heavily on him in a season where the playoffs finally appear to be in reach?

Tom Barrasso came right out of high school, IIRC.

 

[Diaspora]

If the skaters, as a group, can improve even slightly and the goaltending is no worse than last year then we're in the playoffs.

Levi could look very much a rookie and be sent to Rochester after eight games. The above still is true.

If Levi is half-decent, we're in. Or if Comrie can stay healthy we're in. Or if UPL can stay confident, we're in. If the skaters, as a group, improve -- which seems likely.

Odds look good to me. Let's all just take a Xanax and let our fingernails grow back, already.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

But should Adams be counting so heavily on him in a season where the playoffs finally appear to be in reach?

To be fair, they have a sophomore goalie in UPL AND a journeyman in Comrie both on the roster. If they were 100% certain in Levi, I highly doubt they'd be carrying 3 goalies.

 

[Dubi Doo]

You guys are cracking me up. Let's hope the play of our 3-headed monster is less comical.

Are there any other scenarios than these? I don't think they'll waste a roster spot indefinitely to keep 3 goalies.

Levi sticks: the lesser of Comrie and UPL gets traded/waived before Christmas
Levi sent down: they go 1A, 1B, and pray
Prayer fails: Adams scrambles for a vet, keeping the better of the two backups

Brace yourselves for the "told ya" posts if the 3rd scenario comes to pass.

Meh. For every 'told ya' post they have a about 10 'oopsie' posts that fade into the abyss of the internet. Being smug like that is an arrogant man's game.