Buffalo Sabres: Breaking down Eric Comrie’s strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

It should go without saying that most NHL players display a passion and necessary work ethic for the game, but Comrie takes it to another level. When you have the type of career he has had, including bouncing around between four different teams within an 18-month span, it will take a toll on any NHL player.

And Comrie is no different. Here is what he had to say:

“There’s been a lot of times where it was tough, when it was tough to continue doing it, but hockey’s something I truly love doing and I love the game of hockey. I love playing, I love practicing. I love being there with the guys, I love skating and love working out. It’s what I like to do. … That’s just what kept me going, kept me driving. – via Buffalo Hockey Beat.

Comrie also proved that, with stability as a high-end backup goaltender in the NHL, that he can play a steady game. His 10-5-1 record shows his cool hand, and his 2.58 GAA and 0.920 save percentage further solidify the fact that he is, at the absolute worst, a solid backup.

And speaking of those gaudy numbers despite the small sample size, Comrie ranked sixth in save percentage when you pit him against goaltenders who started 19 games last season. However, his even strength save percentage, 0.938, paced that group which included former Colorado Avalanche goaltender, Darcy Kuemper.

Comrie is also coachable, which may catapult him to the next level. He loved working with Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg, and he cannot wait to work with Anderson in Buffalo. Here is what Comrie had to say about Anderson:

“I’ve heard such amazing things about him and how great a human being he is, how a great person he is. Just how much knowledge he brings to the game and how much he understands and helps different players to grow their game and get better was a huge turning point for myself. So many people speak so highly of him.” – via The Buffalo News.

Comrie, since he had the unfortunate experience of bouncing around the league, may also come to the Buffalo Sabres with a rather large chip on his shoulder. He knows how well he can perform in the NHL given his numbers from last season. And the fact so many teams gave up on him is something that will light a fire in Comrie every time he steps onto the ice.

Weaknesses

Comrie, the 59th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, drastically fell below expectations, given his 200-plus games in the AHL and minute NHL sample size. And even last season when he made it to the NHL, you need to wonder why the Jets continued to play Connor Hellebuyck for so many games over Comrie. Especially when the latter was posting good numbers.

However, you can make the argument that Hellebuyck is one of the league’s best goaltenders, winning the Vezina Trophy and First Team All-Star honors in 2019-20. He was also a Second Team All-Star in 2017-18, finishing second for the Vezina Trophy that year.

But it is also logical to wonder why no one seemed to want Comrie. Why did he bounce around so many teams and why did the Jets seemingly give up on him multiple times?

Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News noted that Comrie needed just 90 more minutes of playing time to become an RFA. Instead, the already-eliminated Jets decided not to try and allow Comrie to reach that threshold. While he played more often than Hellebuyck from April 15th to May 1st, the Jets clearly didn’t show enough urgency to place the RFA tag on him.

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff stated the Jets could not afford Comrie’s impending arbitration award if he became an RFA. This implies the Jets would have let Comrie walk away as a UFA anyway. But you can always trade away an RFA once you retain their rights and the Jets let him go for nothing.

Projection

There are a few possible scenarios regarding not just Comrie, but all goaltenders in the Buffalo Sabres system. It is a given that both Comrie and Anderson will remain at the NHL level, and most sources have the system looking like this:

Buffalo Sabres

Eric Comrie – Craig Anderson

Rochester Americans

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – Malcolm Subban – Michael Houser

However, I foresee the possibility that Luukkonen can put together a solid training camp and preseason, which could earn him a spot in the Sabres rotation. This would also force the Sabres to keep three goaltenders on the main roster, which is not an ideal situation by any means.

The only way I can see this occurring is if Luukkonen were to get ample playing time, roughly 25-30 games in the net compared to 40-45 from Comrie, with Anderson taking the remainder. If Luukkonen projects as the third goalie, then he will return to Rochester, leaving Comrie to take the majority of games in the net.

There is also the possibility Anderson starts over Comrie. But if this becomes the case, you can only wonder how long his body will hold. Anderson proved to be injury-prone in his advanced age last season. And despite his 17-12-2 record last season, he was also inconsistent.

So, what do I think will most likely occur? I’m going to take the unconventional route and project that three goaltenders will be on the roster, with just two dressing each night, of course. My belief is that Comrie will get the starting nod, with Luukkonen serving as the key backup and spot starter while Anderson plays the insurance/mentor role.

While this would prevent Luukkonen from getting reps as the starter in Rochester, I’m also one to wonder whether it is feasible for him to get those reps on a consistent basis considering the difference in performances in Rochester as opposed to how he played in Buffalo.

That said, it might just be better for Luukkonen to make spot starts in the NHL while watching Comrie and taking mental notes on the potential starting goaltender’s play. We will see what happens when the puck drops on October 13th.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Hockey DB)

Article Sources:

Mike Harrington: To Eric Comrie, the Sabres’ net is the opportunity he’s waited to get his whole career by Mike Harrington

Sabres present special opportunity for goalie Eric Comrie: ‘I’m so thankful’ by Bill Hoppe