JohnC

Levi is practicing and working out. It may not be fully with the team but it is enough to start the process of getting acclimated to NHL play. I suspect that he will be able to start in net for some games when the team falls out of the playoff race. I have said this before, so I apologize for the redundancy, our GM's acquisition of Levi from the Reinhart deal might turn out to be one of his most consequential deals. It took some time for the organization to realize the benefits from the ROR trade that got us Tage. In hindsight, it ended up being a major deal in our favor. I see the same results happening with the acquisition of Levi. The next obvious question is how long is it going to take before Levi becomes our primary goalie?

Is Levi practicing at all?

I heard on a militia radio broadcast that I regularly listen to that if the internet shuts down because of a nuclear war initiated by our government that the backup source of communication will be moon beams. The militia warned me that if it is cloudy it may interrupt the broadcast. Then I was instructed to patiently wait for the weather to clear up.

I read and heard on the internet that Covid did not exist. That it was a creation of the deep state. So that shouldn't be the source of the problem. ☠️

This immigration issue is perplexing. I can understand a short delay but not this length. What makes it even more odd is that he played for an American school. I understand that his permitting relates to employment but I don't know what could be the cause of this delay.

I'm as vocal as anyone for the need of adding a quality goalie this offseason. With respect to when Levi is ready to play NHL games I see the preparation period of being one year or less. That doesn't mean that he will be our primary goalie within that timeframe but I do see him being on a NHL roster within that time.

There is no question that his Cup experience at Carolina influenced him. He has talked about not building a roster around one player (referring to Jack). His priority was to have a more complete reinforcing roster. The weakness in relating it to Buffalo is that Carolina did have a fuller roster that played a tighter and more defensive oriented game. Their forwards from a collective standpoint were more defensively oriented. That's not how our roster is built. The game has changed. It is a faster north/south game. The stark reality that we are witnessing now is that no matter how your team is built quality goaltending is essential for success. That also applies to the blueline. We simply don't have enough depth to absorb injuries. Look what happened when Samuelsson got hurt? The defense cratered not because he is such a special player (he is a good to solid player). The unit failed because it wasn't able to fill the loss of one particular player, resulting in a cascading failure from the unit in general. In my view it will be easier for the GM to address the depth issue on the blueline this offseason. The greater challenge for the GM this offseason is to significantly upgrade the goalie position. If the GM believes that he can continue with the status quo approach and hope that Levi is the immediate answer, he will be making a big gamble that will again sabotage this team and fanbase next year.

I'll gladly answer your question: Yes. But there is a good reason for the approach he is taking. The rebuild constituted mostly young players (including the players who replaced the previous core). Look what happened to Skinner's and Dahlin's production under the tighter defense shackling system from his predecessor. It stifled the players and crushed the audience. Granato's often stated approach is that you have to go from A to J before you can get to Z. DG has openly acknowledged that his first priority was to establish an offensive system before focusing on a defensive system. Much more is involved in establishing the offense than the more basic defensive system. There is no hidden agenda. He has publicly spoken about it on a number of occasions. Let's not got sidetracked here. The coach's approach has absolutely nothing to do with the current catastrophic void at the goalie position, also acerbated with inadequate blue line depth. Those staffing inadequacies come under the purview of the GM. I strongly argue that this coach is the right coach for this team. Even with this recent downward spiral this team was still in the playoff race. Now that possibility is unlikely because our glaring inadequacies at certain positions have to an extent sabotaged what was positive about this team. That's on the GM!

I didn't say people can't state a different position regarding his contract. What I did say is that I disagree with them.

The one area where I have a scathing criticism for KA is how he has addressed the goalie issue since he assumed the position of GM. He appears to have minimized the importance of the position. It just seemed as if it wasn't a priority for him. I honestly don't understand it. What's done is done; where we are at is where we are at. If the GM doesn't seriously address the position this offseason, then he is placing this team and his job in a precarious position. I'm excited about Levi as our future goaltender. However, if the GM is assuming that this young goalie is the immediate answer to solving the backstop issue he is making a big mistake.

On any team there are going to be players who are overpaid and players who are underpaid. There is never a perfect calibration between salary and production. What you want to avoid is being stuck with a long-term gilded contract where the production doesn't come close to matching the value of the contract. Skinner got the rich and extended contract because he is considered a high end goal scorer. That's exactly what he is doing. There are other targets to take aim on. He shouldn't be one of them.

The one player you can't criticize for earning his salary is Skinner. Krueger straitjacked Skinner to the point that he crippled him as a player. He may be more of a $7-8 million player but he's not a player I would focus on as being not worth the dollar vs production.

You don't pay attention to what I have said over a 100 times because you are too invested clinging to your critical narrative. The Sabres could have signed Ullmarki. The GM declined because he didn't like the terms that the player was demanding. It was a premium for staying with his losing team. He wanted a year longer on term and he wanted more per annum. It was essentially a loser's tax. The GM said no because his terms were outside of the parameters that he and his analytic staff established. How do I know that to be true? Because he stated why he didn't sign the goalie on WGR. So the goalie went to a better situation for a lesser contract. The GM was too inflexible and unwilling to bend. Losing this player was a big mistake. As far as the other goalies you listed we don't know which players were willing to come here. There were goalies that we targeted but because of their trade clauses they said no. I don't disagree with you that the GM didn't have an adequate fallback position in place for the possibility of not being able to sign Ullmark. The reality is that the Sabres are considered an unappealing place to go to by many players if there are other options.

I agree with much of what our GM has done. But, like you, I hold him accountable for undercutting void at the goalie position. If that position is not seriously addressed this offseason and additions are not made to the blueline, then the onus is on the GM. There is no excuse for him not to do what is necessary to address those sabotaging roster deficits.

The problems associated with this team's play are related to hockey decisions, not money the owner is willing to spend. As others have pointed out the owner has and is investing in the organization so that there is an ability to make analytical decisions. The problem that is evident to everyone is that after the departure of Ullmark the position had not been adequately addressed. Also, our blueline is too thin to begin with let alone be able to absorb the predictable loss of players in that unit. Those issues are related to hockey decisions. Especially with the goalie position, the GM (not the owner) placed this team in a very vulnerable position for whatever inexplicable reason. The offseason is approaching with this team again on the sidelines for the playoffs. The glaring deficiencies that are apparent to all but the oblivious need to be addressed this offseason. There are no more excuses not to do it.

What goalie would you have pursued in last year's offseason that was available? I have argued that the GM should have paid Ullmark a premium to re-sign him. However, it appears the player preferred to move on. Again, what goalie/s do you think was/were available last year and were willing to sign here that he should have gone after.

Yes to your question. Entering this season my expectation/hope was for them to stay in the playoff race to the end. And I expected this team to be in the 90 point range. The first part of the expectation is coming to fruition while the second part will fall short. This team's needs have clearly been identified. I expect the GM to be more aggressive in adding blue line talent. Although it didn't work out the pursuit of Chycrun was a good sign that he needed to take action. I want the GM to be more active in adding a more dependable goalie. I'm not sure if he is going to succeed in that endeavor?

My time frame is different from yours. The KA era has absolutely nothing to do with the era/s before his elevation and tenure as a GM. I understand the frustrations of many here. But my viewpoint, compared to those who constantly compare this team to teams from era in the past, is that he is taking the right approach. In fact, I would say that his rebuild is going faster than I thought it would take. I'm confident that you have another view. Nostalgia can be entrapping.

It's your standard jaundiced view of things. Of course, DG is on board with the plan. Why do you think that he was given the position and full time hiring after the Krueger firing? It certainly wasn't because he disagreed with blueprint that the new GM established. In your fantasy world you expected that the turnaround should have been instantaneous with no bumps and bruises on the way. You don't have to be sober to understand that is not how things usually work. You act as if your understanding of the definition of "depletion" is a major discovery. Of course, it means lack of depth. What else is it supposed to mean?

Within this WGR link is a 20 min segment with Granato on the Jeremy White Show. The coach talks about Greenway, Levi and Samuelsson. With respect to Greenway, he is confident that he can be a lot better. There are hints that he is hurt. He mentioned that right now he is day to day. On Levi, he pointed out that what makes him special as a player is his makeup and maturity beyond his years. He compares him to Power in that regard. On the loss of Samuelsson and relating it to the team's struggles, he stated that the team's downward spiral after his injury is more attributable to the depletion within the unit rather than attributing it directly to Samuelsson not playing. My general takeaway is that the coach is an ardent believer in the process and is optimistic that the organization is on the right course. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

I'm going to give him 10 to 15 games next fall before I judge too much. With an offseason and training camp he should have more than enough time to establish a role and become comfortable with the team. In my mind, I see him as a third line or lower player who provides some size and toughness. I don't want to exaggerate his role next year. If he understands his role and plays within it, as Jost does, then his addition is a plus.

The Sabres have assembled a good top line with Skinner/Tage/Tuch. The second line composed of Quinn/Cozens/Peterka is a work in progress. Cozens started to emerge this season while Quinn ,episodically, demonstrated that he can be a good to top tier player. Peterka seemed to stall and lose his footing this season but in the past few games you can see him regaining his confidence. That's the future. Hopefully, it augurs well for the near future i.e. next season. The youthful pieces that have worked up from the system have started to make an impact or more accurately show that they are capable of making an impact. The fortitude to have enough patience to allow these players to develop can be frustrating to experience. But there is no other way. The best thing the GM can do for these young players is to address the weaknesses of the roster (everyone knows what they are) and give these young players a stronger platform to support then and help them grow.

Although the Sabres lost a home game against the Rangers in OT, I thought it was one of their best games from a variety of standpoints. All the lines played a tight, disciplined and defensive oriented style of play. The energy was good throughout and there were few lapses in the game. That was only a few games ago. Could they duplicate that type of play? Maybe not to that level on a consistent basis but they do have it in them to play smarter with a greater awareness in their defensive zone. Something that has not been evident in its most recent games. I'm not completely counting them out of the playoffs but realistically it is a longshot. However, this team needs to finish the season on a more positive note. There are some deficiencies that are evident to everyone. Those plaguing issues need to be addressed in the offseason. If this team continues its downward spiral for the rest of the season, I will be very disappointed.

Pursue a goalie in the offseason, such as Saros, if available. Would we have to give up assets, including first round draft pick/s? Absolutely. There are a few prospects that I would consider untouchable, such as Savoie, but getting a goalie such as Saros or whomever would do more to elevate this team next year than addressing any other position. The GM can't only fully stay on his internal development course. He's got to get aggressive and address the goalie and blue line unit this offseason. It's beyond past time to make a bold team to energize this roster and fan base. The pursuit of Chyrun is an indication that our GM is willing to make an aggressive move to accelerate the process.

If one reviews your roster and @GASabresIUFANprojections what is apparent is that the bulk of the roster is set. The need to address the blueline and goalie positions are clearly evident. The GM's Chycrun pursuit indicated that recognition. I'm not sure if the GM is willing to expend serious assets to acquire the caliber of goalie that would be a difference maker (such as Saros) for this team? Will there even be that type of goalie/s on the market to deal for? That's an open question for me. But where there will be opportunities on the market this offseason is 4-6 caliber of blueliners that should upgrade that unit. Granato and KA have often have repeatedly stated that improvement is going to be centered around the development of the young players that are on the team and in the system. Given that realization, at the minimum buttressing the defensive unit should be doable via trades or free agency, and it shouldn't require shedding an inordinate amount of assets. The goalie issue from an acquisition standpoint is much more of a challenge. I still believe that the GM is going to stay with the players he already has, now including Levi, for the most critical position in the sport. If he does take the more conservative route in addressing that position that will be a potential self-sabotaging gamble.