Last night the Buffalo Sabres not only suffered their first loss of the regular season, but they also suffered the loss of their starting goaltender. Robin Lehner went down to a leg injury in the game against the Senators last night and did not return. With the injury being so sudden and early in the year, the Buffalo Sabres need to address this situation quickly. Though the candidates in Rochester are not terrible, none of them, nor Chad Johnson are starting material. A solid possible option would be Flames Goalie Jonas Hiller.
Related – Lehner Sufferes Injury On First Game Of Regular Season
The crease in Calgary is getting to be a bit cluttered with Karri Ramo seeming like the starting goaltender, and Joni Ortio being the future one there. Jonas Hiller has been a solid goalie for the Flames over the past couple years, but his numbers have not been bad despite some possible inconsistent play. The 33 year old puck stopper has played in a starting role in his years in Anaheim and Calgary so far, and he has proven to be very capable.
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With Robin Lehner assumed to be out for an extended period of time, the crease cannot be left to the likes of Chad Johnson. Johnson is a capable backup and he will play his part well enough in that regard, but he has not yet proven to be starting material. Jonas Hiller has made the playoffs as a starter and was key in the Flames early success last season.
With the net being very crowded in Calgary, Jonas Hiller is assumed to be the odd man out and I think that Sabres should make a move for him. The Flames have some obvious depth at the goaltender position so they would be willing to move him for a reasonable price. Tim Murray still has stockpiles of draft picks that he could send Calgary’s way in exchange for the net minder.
Hiller has a career record of 188-129-36 with 22 shutouts; a GAA of 2.49 and SV% of .917. Those numbers are not bad at all and would be a significant upgrade from the skills of Chad Johnson or the possible AHL options of Leiuwen and Makarov. Hiller has a competitive attitude and a skill set that can help the Sabres in their time of need.
Even when Lehner returns to the lineup, they will then have two solid goaltenders that are capable of winning them some games. It will once again push Lehner to be at the top of his game to maintain his starting role, or else he would lose it to Hiller.
At the end of the day, the Sabres are in great need of a starting goalie and Hiller is one that is expendable to his current team. Should the Sabres decide to go the trade route to address the situation, Jonas Hiller would be a great option for them to consider.
Next: Sabres May Call Up Goaltender From The Americans
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