Buffalo Sabres: Latest scare stresses need to focus on goaltending
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres saw a brief injury scare with goaltender Craig Anderson, who missed the matchup against the New Islanders with an injury.
It is no secret the Buffalo Sabres need to focus on fixing their goaltending situation this summer. But the undisclosed injury to Craig Anderson that necessitated a callup for Rochester Americans backup goalie Aaron Dell further stresses how dire the situation still is at the position.
Dustin Tokarski took over starting duties and played well. And while the Sabres have Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen down in Rochester as well, his contract expires following the season along with those of Tokarski and Anderson.
We can all agree that Aaron Dell does not need to be anywhere near an NHL arena. Not only did his suspension earlier in the year dig a deeper hole for the Sabres goaltending issues; his 1-8-1 record and 4.03 goals allowed average this season speak dividends.
The Buffalo Sabres need adequate depth at goaltender throughout the organization
In the offseason, the Sabres need to find a way to pick up adequate goaltenders and spread them throughout the NHL and AHL ranks. Dell is not an NHL goalie. After having success earlier in his career, he is just 1-13-1 over the past two seasons, with a 4.085 GAA and .875 save percentage.
This isn’t to say the Sabres need to sign rockstars at goaltender and allocate them to the AHL. But it is to say that, when they assign goalies to the AHL ranks, they need to at least prove themselves capable of spot starting when the situation arises.
Luukkonnen is one of those names. But if he re-signs with the organization, he is the early frontrunner to be the Sabres starting goaltender. Even if they brought back either Anderson or Tokarski to hypothetically back up Luukkonen, they still need to find young, adequate talent in the net over in Rochester.
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Anderson’s injury serves as a stark reminder at just how thin the Sabres organization still is at goaltender. And it also tells us they can no longer wait to resolve this situation.