3 viable moves the Buffalo Sabres can make at goaltender
With three goaltenders under contract that enjoyed an extended experience at the position in 2022-23, the Buffalo Sabres have a potential logjam.
The Buffalo Sabres goaltending was subpar this past season. Craig Anderson was in his final year, while Devon Levi spent most of the season in college and wound up playing in just seven games.
This leaves Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the only two goaltenders on the team with extensive experience in the net. Problem is, neither player impressed enough to go into the 2023-24 season as the undisputed top man in the net.
Levi hopped in late in the year and enjoyed a few dominant performances, including his debut. But the Sabres also have to find out whether he’s got what it takes to play in and at times, serve as the backup, over an 82 game stretch.
With so many questions, however, there are more than a few possible solutions. Let’s talk about three of them.
3 moves the Buffalo Sabres can make at goaltender
1 – Go with the young guys in the system
The Buffalo Sabres drafted Luukkonen and they acquired Levi not even a year after the Florida Panthers drafted him. Levi more than showed he’s capable of entering 2023-24 as the starter after he posted a 0.905 save percentage, a 2.94 GAA, and a 5-2 record that helped the Blue and Gold stay in playoff contention until the 80th game of the season.
Luukkonen struggled, but he should be motivated to compete for a roster spot this year. He also showed enough to warrant a serious look in camp. In this scenario the Sabres would likely move or cut ties with Comrie. It also seems as though head coach Don Granato is on board with this.
Granato said he'd be fine with a Levi-UPL tandem. "I was never uncomfortable with either of them this year. ... They're talented guys that are very dialed in and come to the rink and improve every day." Said Levi earned his starts at the end. Camp will say a lot. #Sabres
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) April 19, 2023
2 – Sabres sign someone to split reps with Levi or Luukkonen
This is the least likeliest scenario on the list, and any new goaltender they sign would at this point, most likely back up Levi. However, if by any chance Luukkonen shows growth and they believe Levi could use AHL reps (not likely), then they would split time in the net with UPL.
Of course, this also means Buffalo’s finished with Comrie, and as in the first situation, they will let him go. Also, if this occurs, look for the Sabres to sign someone more proven than what Comrie was when they picked him up in 2022.
3 – Comrie stays and backs up either Levi or Luukkonen
A moderately likely scenario. If I were to guess right now of what would happen when 2023-24 arrives if Eric Comrie stays AND Luukkonen doesn’t improve, it’s that Devon Levi opens the season as the starter while Comrie comes in and plays backup.
However, there is a slight chance that Luukkonen swoops in and takes the starting job while Levi gets relegated to the AHL. Again, there is no reason to believe Levi won’t open next season as the starter, but it is wise to cover the what-ifs.
Related Story. Sabres: Luukkonen must find motivation through adversity. light
So if Levi starts and Comrie is the backup, where does that leave Luukkonen? At this point, it’s tough to see him returning to the AHL as part of the organization, so my projection is that the Buffalo Sabres will trade him and he will continue his career elsewhere.
Source: 6 questions for Sabres, Kevyn Adams this offseason: Who’s in net? Victor Olofsson’s future? by Matthew Fairburn, TheAthletic.com
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)