dudacek

Levi's level of play, the way he's been handled, and the way the Sabres have handled prospects in general lead me to believe the plan since last summer was Anderson and Comrie this year while giving UPL every opportunity to shove his way to the front and Comrie and UPL next year, giving Levi every opportunity to push his way to the front. I wonder if that plan still holds.

It's only two games, but it's looking like the plan may very well be to give him the opportunity. Which kinda precludes bringing in a Saros or a Demko. The question then becomes can they find somewhat in a sweet spot of being good enough to carry the load if Levi falters yet disposable enough to gracefully step aside if he doesn't. Because it doesn't feel like Comrie or UPL is that player.

Not hugely meaningful, but fun to dream about: 104 goalies have played in the NHL this year. UPL ranks 80th at .892. Eric Comrie ranks 91st at .886. Levi? He's 3rd with a .942

Losing sucks. My team doesn’t.

It's really incredible how much he's elevated as the season has gone on.

LOL. I was responding to your misinterpretation of my post. Come on man, are you actually telling me that you know what I meant better than I did? 😜

I think that fits nicely under transformation of the player culture

The core of Adams rebuild comes down 3 things, IMO: 1) The transformation of the front office: Karmanos, Ventura, Forton, the increased reliance on analytics and player development, and the implementation of a "team" philosophy where everyone feels heard. Time will tell with the prospects, but generally speaking, player evaluation seems to have taken a significant step forward. 2) The transformation of player culture: focusing on players who want to be here, treating them with respect, and surrounding them with guys like Granato, Appert, Mair and more whose philosophy is all about continuous, positive self-improvement. The development of the players already in the system has been shockingly good. 3) The great sell-off of 2021: Turning the tank core of Eichel, Reinhart and Ristolainen into Tuch, Krebs, Östlund, Greenway, Kulich, Levi, Rosen and a player to be determined in June. Tuch was a better return than we reasonably could have expected given the Eichel situation. The others we shall see.

Feels different. I think I remember this.

Agree on UPL. He seems to have all the tools to be a good goalie and he works hard, he just seems to lack technique, or the focus to maintain technique.

I have not watched much Amerk hockey this year, but I’d love get a scouting report on Rosen from those who have. Sabres Live asked Mike Weber for one word to describe Rosen and that word was “compete”. Shocked the heck out of me. He went on to say that when the play back they tape they can’t be more happy than what they see from him in terms of effort and diligence away from the puck.

Last year, would anyone have had any issues if the Sabres had been in the race when Owen Power arrived, and Mark Pysyk or Jacob Bryson had sat instead of him? Because, to me, Comrie and Luukkonen are the goalie equivalents of Pysyk and Bryson. Levi may not be a first overall pick, but his track record in college and with Team Canada is every bit as dominant as Power's.

The bold was entirely the point of my post you objected to. Thanks for engaging. That fact you had not previously while firing the "don't care about making the playoffs" missile into the discussion was frustrating. You are generally very much in tune with the romance of being a sports fan. Choosing the banality of a .525 finish with Eric Comrie or UPL over the potential of a great story doesn't fit.

Why?

He's been on the left when I've been paying attention. The bolded is interesting. To me, a 3/4 line wing reads as your #10 forward. You certainly can't be paying your #10 what a 50-point scorer makes. But right now, Casey is the Sabres pretty clear #5, as measured by ice time (after Tage, Tuch, Skinner and Cozens). My expectation would be that Quinn overtakes him next year while current #6 Kyle gets phased down or out, leaving Casey fighting off an improving Peterka and Krebs for the 6/7 slot. Ideally, you want a team where most of your lineup is playing a slot below where they belong: that's the definition of depth. I think we can both win with, and afford, a team with Casey scoring 50 points from the #7 slot.

My hot take: “we have 3 goalies who have not got the job done all year, let’s give one of the best goalies in college history a shot.” Yours: “we have 3 goalies who have not got the job done all year, we better play one of them instead of one of the best goalies in college history.” I get repeatedly told I’m giving up on the season. But I’m the obnoxious one?

I’m seriously suggesting loading up at the trade deadline is no guarantee of going on a run. Ottawa and PIttsburgh have worse records than us since the trade deadline despite making moves to,address their perceived flaws. Florida did absolutely nothing and they have the best record of the 4 teams most in the race.

Forgive them. They have yet to figure out that “Devon Levi” and a “rookie goalie straight out college” aren’t the same thing. Devon Levi’s first 9 games in junior goals against: 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0 Devon Levi’s first 7 games for Team Canada goals against: 2, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 2 Devon Levi’s first 20 games in college goals against: 0, 0, 3, 5, 0, 5, 0, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 0, 2, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0. He doesn’t have a history of struggling to make the jump. Related, he hasn't had a problem with ups and downs either. In the past 4 years he’s played 110 games. He’s allowed 4 goals just 10 times, 5 goals twice and 8 once. 97 times it’s 3 or less. 81 times 2 or less. In 110 games. Inconsistency has not been an issue.

I’d prefer the goalie who gives me the best chance to win.

This is what I’m hoping for. I see a player who looks out of shape, both physically and mentally. That’s why he was available. Donnie believes in him, Donnie has a track record, Jordan has a track record, and his skill set is precisely what we need so the pieces are there. I expect he will be challenged to have the off-season of his life and he will be put into a position to succeed. Fingers crossed he responds. Assuming Savoie is ready, the concept of a Savoie/Mitts/Greenway 3rd line sure has an intriguing mix of skills for next year

Sure worked good for Ottawa. And the Penguins. Each made moves at the deadline and has been worse than the Sabres since. And Florida never would have climbed back into the race if they hadn’t traded for (checks notes) nobody. Such a false narrative.

I think fan bases tend to overrate their local favourites against a league backdrop and underrate their whipping boys. This thread has reinforced that for me. It’s still entirely reasonable to say I want a different type of player in that role. “JAG” and “Not sure I’d offer him a contract” are things that no longer reasonably apply to the player we’ve watched this season. And if you thought he was a bust and still haven’t changed your mind, either your mind is closed or you don’t know what bust means.

Since Jan. 1 his Corsi is a respectable 52.8%. That’s 5th among Sabre regulars. It’s also 101st among NHL forwards - again good 2nd-line production. His peers here include Nicushkin, Anders Lee, Tage Thompson and Nikita Kucherov.

I know points aren’t everything, but. High-end 3W, statistically, have about 25 points right now. Casey’s 49 points would put him in a tie for 28th among NHL left wings (NHL.com still lists him as a C) He’s 2 points back of Chris Kreider, 1 behind David Perron, 3 behind Brock Boeser and 5 back of Patrick Kane. He’s ahead of guys like Debrusk, Teravainen, Taylor Hall, Tarasenko, Villardi, Bjorkstrand and Neiderreiter. Can become a high-end 3rd-liner? Statistically this season, he’s already become a high-end 2nd-liner. And unlike most of the guys above, he’s not actually playing with top-6 linemates.