3 goaltenders the Buffalo Sabres can realistically sign
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres are probably not signing a high-profile goaltender in the offseason. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be options available.
It is highly unlikely the Buffalo Sabres will sign a high-profile goaltender. Lance Lysowski was the first one to break the news back on June 12th, and The Hockey Writers also reported Lysowski’s take. But that doesn’t mean the Sabres won’t be in the hunt for a goaltender.
Instead, they will snag a bargain deal and there were originally four names Lysowski mentioned. Per The Buffalo News, Lysowski stated the following:
"In free agency, the Sabres are more likely to target bargain options such as Casey DeSmith, Mikko Koskinen, Eric Comrie and Kevin Lankinen. There are ample trade options. Will the Bruins make Ullmark available if they’re rebuilding? Jonathan Quick, John Gibson, Semyon Varlamov, James Reimer and Adin Hill are a few names to watch. – via The Buffalo News."
For the purpose of this article, we will only go over the impending free agent options regarding Lankinen, Comrie, and DeSmith. Koskinen has since signed in Switzerland, so he will not be mentioned. So let’s see what kind of value the other three goaltenders could bring to the Sabres.
Four goaltenders the Buffalo Sabres can sign: Goaltender #1 – Casey DeSmith
The downside regarding DeSmith is that he is 31 years old and he has just 96 games of NHL experience. He also had season-ending core muscle surgery. The upside are his obvious stellar performances since he became a part-time starter for the Pittsburgh Penguins, something his 43-28-11 record shows us.
Even more impressive, his save percentage has never dipped under 0.912 and his GAA has never encroached 2.79. Stats-wise, DeSmith is by far the best option in this slideshow. But we also need to remember that he was playing for the Penguins, one of the NHL’s model franchises.
The question is: Can DeSmith have the same type of success with the Buffalo Sabres? It really depends on what Sabres team decides to show up. If it’s the October 2021, March and April 2022 version, DeSmith is set for success. But if the Sabres stagnate like they did between November 2021 and February 2022, DeSmith may be in for a rude awakening.