Player Discussion All Purpose Goaltending Thread

[Mattilaus]

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.

Let's be clear, we will hear the "told ya" regardless of what happens. We could win 81 games and the 1 game we lose, some people would chime in that goaltending is to blame and that they were right.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

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?

Not straight from NCAA, but Carey Price is probably the closest 21st century example. Played 2 games+ playoffs in the AHL in his D+2 season, 10 games in the middle of his D+3 season. Still had a small run in the AHL which Levi wouldn't have, but it's the closest I think we can see in the modern era.

 

[oldgoalie]

Not straight from NCAA, but Carey Price is probably the closest 21st century example. Played 2 games+ playoffs in the AHL in his D+2 season, 10 games in the middle of his D+3 season. Still had a small run in the AHL which Levi wouldn't have, but it's the closest I think we can see in the modern era.

yeah, Barrasso's jump was a long ass time ago. such a different game nowadays.

 

[Diaspora]

Not straight from NCAA, but Carey Price is probably the closest 21st century example. Played 2 games+ playoffs in the AHL in his D+2 season, 10 games in the middle of his D+3 season. Still had a small run in the AHL which Levi wouldn't have, but it's the closest I think we can see in the modern era.

Not a bad comp.

 

[TehDoak]

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?

In modern history (post 2005) I think Steve mason and Carey price both went from OHL to NHL. But more recently it’s non existent

 

[Mattilaus]

Not straight from NCAA, but Carey Price is probably the closest 21st century example. Played 2 games+ playoffs in the AHL in his D+2 season, 10 games in the middle of his D+3 season. Still had a small run in the AHL which Levi wouldn't have, but it's the closest I think we can see in the modern era.

Carter Hart only had 18 AHL games before going to the NHL. Jeremy Swayman also has only had 14 AHL games total.

Not saying it is ideal, just giving other players who made the jump relatively quickly

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Carter Hart only had 18 AHL games before going to the NHL. Jeremy Swayman also has only had 14 AHL games total.

Not saying it is ideal, just giving other players who made the jump relatively quickly

Hart started well, but doesn't meet my "lasting success" qualifier. This is a prove-it year for him.

Swayman is very much the B in Boston's 1A/1B, which would be a much better situation for Levi imho.

In modern history (post 2005) I think Steve mason and Carey price both went from OHL to NHL. But more recently it’s non existent

Good examples. Not NCAA though, if that matters.

Nitpick - Price played for Tri-City in the Dub.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Let's be clear, we will hear the "told ya" regardless of what happens. We could win 81 games and the 1 game we lose, some people would chime in that goaltending is to blame and that they were right.

I'll be joining the "told ya" brigade. I'm quite skeptical.

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.

I'd guess Adams' "plan" is Levi sticks and the other two fight for the backup spot, not that they're insurance if Levi falters.

At least I hope that's the case. Neither one has come close to demonstrating NHL starter bona fides.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

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.

Agreed. We need at least one these, ideally both, to be serious playoff contenders:

>improved PK and d-zone play
> improved goaltending

Whew!

Okay, I can stop pretending to be some kind of goalie savant now. Thanks for the input.

 

[Ace]

Let's be clear, we will hear the "told ya" regardless of what happens. We could win 81 games and the 1 game we lose, some people would chime in that goaltending is to blame and that they were right.

I think your Strawman has been beaten to death.

 

[MOGlLNY]

I like Adams a lot and what he’s done with our organization. But going to bat for his plan with Levi is insane. Nobody wanted this at the start of the off-season.

It’s reckless for our playoff chances and Levi’s development

 

[Mattilaus]

I think your Strawman has been beaten to death.

Snide comments that I have made aside, very few people think throwing Levi in with little/no back up is ideal. Most of us are just going to wait and see what happens first before getting upset about it.

 

[Haywire]

.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

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.

Contract aside, I'd take a Levi/Markstrom tandem over a Levi/UPL tandem every single day.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

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.

Im not sure about that - but even if Levi did make such unrealistic demands - Adams didn't have to end up in the situation he's in. He could/should have signed a more proven vet than Comrie & traded UPL already.

 

[Jim Bob]

Contract aside, I'd take a Levi/Markstrom tandem over a Levi/UPL tandem every single day.

The problem with a Levi/Markstrom tandem is that Markstrom is not a guy that has thrived in a 1/1A split and needs a heavy workload to work out.

Adding Markstrom would be a move where they would need to do what Calgary did and send Levi to the AHL and go with Markstrom/Comrie.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

The problem with a Levi/Markstrom tandem is that Markstrom is not a guy that has thrived in a 1/1A split and needs a heavy workload to work out.

Adding Markstrom would be a move where they would need to do what Calgary did and send Levi to the AHL and go with Markstrom/Comrie.

Either scenario is better than what we're looking at currently.

I'm not trying to advocate for trading for Markstrom BTW. Just using it as an example to show you how much i hate the Levi/Comrie/UPL trifecta.

 

[Jim Bob]

Either scenario is better than what we're looking at currently.

I'm not trying to advocate for trading for Markstrom BTW. Just using it as an example to show you how much i hate the Levi/Comrie/UPL trifecta.

I would not feel any more confident about Markstrom/Comrie in the NHL and Levi in the AHL for this season than I am with what they have right now.

I would not have a lot of confidence that Markstrom would give this high event team the level of goaltending that they will need this season.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think Wolf is the only goalie in the Flames system that I would like to see here. Having a Levi-Wolf 1/1A tandem is the kind of setup that I think makes the most sense at this point.

 

[Sabre the Win]

We see a trade early to move a goalie right?

You can't go the entire season with 3 goalies, not enough playing time.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

I would not feel any more confident about Markstrom/Comrie in the NHL and Levi in the AHL for this season than I am with what they have right now.

I would not have a lot of confidence that Markstrom would give this high event team the level of goaltending that they will need this season.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think Wolf is the only goalie in the Flames system that I would like to see here. Having a Levi-Wolf 1/1A tandem is the kind of setup that I think makes the most sense at this point.

Why would Calgary trade Wolf? That would be like another team expecting us to trade Levi...

 

[Sabreality]

We see a trade early to move a goalie right?

You can't go the entire season with 3 goalies, not enough playing time.

I think we have a month to let it play out, there's no hurry just yet. Injuries could happen to us and around the league, lotsa home games and light travel, can use the Levi 'paper transaction' if they want to give a Roch F a game at times. Just gotta ride with it for now. Would be awful if they 'gave away' Comrie/Upl and something happened to Levi. Comrie or UPL w/ Toke backup would be pretty brutal.

I just don't think its that big of a deal for now, let it play out. Everyone is getting ahead of themselves reposting their summer concerns and the season hasnt even begun.

 

[Jim Bob]

Why would Calgary trade Wolf? That would be like another team expecting us to trade Levi...

They won't.

The Sabres aren't trading for Markstrom, either.

You brought up a hypothetical that wouldn't happen and I countered with my hypothetical that wouldn't happen in response.

This team needs a goalie, like Levi, that is an elite skater and can beat all the east-to-west plays the team gives up on his skates. Wolf is that kind of a guy. Markstrom, like Helley, isn't.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

They won't.

The Sabres aren't trading for Markstrom, either.

You brought up a hypothetical that wouldn't happen and I countered with my hypothetical that wouldn't happen in response.

This team needs a goalie, like Levi, that is an elite skater and can beat all the east-to-west plays the team gives up on his skates. Wolf is that kind of a guy. Markstrom, like Helley, isn't.

I think you're looking too much into style / technique. Yes it matters - but i don't believe it completely trumps overall ability.

And as already posted, i only bought up Markstrom as an example to illustrate how bad our current situation is, after you mentioned Calgary's situation initially when responding to an earlier post above.

 

[Dingo44]

We're doing it. Let's enjoy the ride. From what I've read the national journalists are pretty excited about Levi. Even Down Goes Brown predicts big things.

One oddly specific prediction for every NHL team this season

Sean McIndoe makes one way-too-specific prediction for each NHL team this season. How many will come true?

theathletic.com

Buffalo Sabres
I’ve already named Devon Levi as one of my most intriguing players to watch this season, since so much of Buffalo’s optimism is riding on his 21-year-old shoulders. It’s a risk for the organization, but I think it pays off — especially when he’s the only player other than Connor Bedard to get first-place votes in this season’s Calder balloting.

 

[Jacob582]

Any chance we trade for a goaltender today so we start the season with a bona-fide starter?