UPL to Taxi Squad

[Brawndo]

 

[IKnowPhysics]

Gearing up for the single most important rookie debut in a Sabres jersey since Sam Reinhart Victor Olofsson Jack Eichel Alex Nylander Rasmus Asplund Casey MIttelstadt Rasmus Dahlin Dylan Cozens.  The Goalie of the Future (EST 2017).  The man with too many consonants and also, somehow, too many vowels.  The Finnish Fever Dream.  The man whose name, when you play around with Google Translate in Finnish long enough, might actually mean Old Man Bacon-a Hatch Machine-n.  The second goalie taken in the 2017 draft but the only one that matters...

UKKO-PEKKA LUUKKONEN

 

 

 

[miles]

i hope they dont ruin him 

 

[Palm Trees And Taxes]

UPL is 22. It is time to see what the kid can do!  LETS GO UPL!!!

[Marvin]

K

[Doohicksie]

This could be an indication that the rest of the season will be a training camp of sorts to revitalize our best players and get our up-and-comers some NHL experience.

[IKnowPhysics]

5 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

This could be an indication that the rest of the season will be a training camp of sorts to revitalize our best players and get our up-and-comers some NHL experience.

It's unfortunate, but yeah, this season's obviously toast.  We've got 25 games, a trade deadline, a draft, a free agency, and hopefully a real training camp and preseason to get right for next season.  The more we can get done before the trade deadline in three weeks, the more we get to try out in the last bit of games.  It's going to be an all-out science experiment that seeks what work works and what needs to go.

[Brawndo]

It’s probably to fulfill the requirement of having a goalie on the Taxi Squad with Houser being elevated to the 23 Man Roster.  Once Ullmark is good to go, he probably returned to Rochester 

[PerreaultForever]

Sure, let's bring another promising prospect up too soon and expose him to this pile of crap. Why not. It's what we do. 

This organization is idiotic. 

[Crusader1969]

43 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Sure, let's bring another promising prospect up too soon and expose him to this pile of crap. Why not. It's what we do. 

This organization is idiotic. 

I don’t get this take at all.  Let him get a couple of games in. See what it’s like vs the best in the world.  Hardly think it’s going to ruin him. 

[pastajoe]

Since the Wednesday Amerks game is postponed due to Utica having a Covid case, it gives UPL a chance to practice and travel with the Sabres until Ullmark is ready.

[pi2000]

I'll allow it.

[Curt]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

It’s probably to fulfill the requirement of having a goalie on the Taxi Squad with Houser being elevated to the 23 Man Roster.  Once Ullmark is good to go, he probably returned to Rochester 

Buzzkill man.

[PromoTheRobot]

Must...not...say... something...snarky.

[Brawndo]

6 minutes ago, Curt said:

Buzzkill man.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Sure, let's bring another promising prospect up too soon and expose him to this pile of crap. Why not. It's what we do. 

This organization is idiotic. 

They need a goalie for the taxi squad and he is next man up.  
 

UPL is 22.  Don Edwards was 21.  Tom Barrasso was 18.  If he has to play then it’s his time.  

[Andrew Amerk]

Marty loves to talk about that NHL game he played at 18 where he got shelled for 6 goals. 

[Kruppstahl]

10 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

They need a goalie for the taxi squad and he is next man up.  
 

UPL is 22.  Don Edwards was 21.  Tom Barrasso was 18.  If he has to play then it’s his time.  

Yeah, but he's not ready.  His numbers in Rochester aren't very encouraging.

 

 

[Broken Ankles]

24 minutes ago, Kruppstahl said:

Yeah, but he's not ready.  His numbers in Rochester aren't very encouraging.

 

 

Carter Hart had similar numbers in the AHL with fewer games.  About .500 win %, 3.05 GAA, .902 save %.  Drafted in same round.  Started 18 months earlier.  He’s ready......and  @pi2000 said he will allow it, so there’s that.

[dudacek]

3 hours ago, Brawndo said:

It’s probably to fulfill the requirement of having a goalie on the Taxi Squad with Houser being elevated to the 23 Man Roster.  Once Ullmark is good to go, he probably returned to Rochester 

Shh...

2 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

I don’t get this take at all.  Let him get a couple of games in. See what it’s like vs the best in the world.  Hardly think it’s going to ruin him. 

Didn't ruin Ryan Miller at 23. Ended up playing 15 games.

Even then he didn't make the Sabres until three years later; before the lockout there was that 3-game stint he had at 24 where he had a 5.08 GAA and a .795 S%

[Hoss]

UPL holds the fine position of being one of a very select few potential bright spots for this franchise's future (despite so-so numbers in ROC, though I honestly have paid very little attention to ROC hockey lately). I look forward to him getting a small taste, understandably struggling and us all assuming the worst.

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

I don’t get this take at all.  Let him get a couple of games in. See what it’s like vs the best in the world.  Hardly think it’s going to ruin him. 

Cause here is what will happen. He does horrible with this crap D in front of him and he starts to second guess himself and loses confidence. He does great (which he might) and we decide we don't need a veteran goalie and we will rush him in for next season. 

It'll be like |Carter Hart. Hextall got fired for not giving in to rushing him and despite some early success he's now falling apart. Hextall was right. 

1 hour ago, Broken Ankles said:

Carter Hart had similar numbers in the AHL with fewer games.  About .500 win %, 3.05 GAA, .902 save %.  Drafted in same round.  Started 18 months earlier.  He’s ready......and  @pi2000 said he will allow it, so there’s that.

and look at how Carter \Hart has fallen apart this year . 

[French Collection]

I say give him a shot.

Team defense has been weak but he may do OK and the exposure will give him a taste of the “show” and let him know where he is at and what he needs to work on.

I watched him play in the OHL and he looked like a solid prospect. He carried the Sudbury team for that season. This is a major jump from junior and he hasn’t stunk in Rochester.

[Drag0nDan]

12 hours ago, Kruppstahl said:

Yeah, but he's not ready.  His numbers in Rochester aren't very encouraging.

 

 

Whats the difference though?  Usually you keep them in the minors to work through issues so they don't harm the big club.  The big club hasn't won a game in forever anyway.

3 hours ago, French Collection said:

I say give him a shot.

Team defense has been weak but he may do OK and the exposure will give him a taste of the “show” and let him know where he is at and what he needs to work on.

I watched him play in the OHL and he looked like a solid prospect. He carried the Sudbury team for that season. This is a major jump from junior and he hasn’t stunk in Rochester.

Agreed.  I saw enough from tokarski to know i don't want to watch him play much.  If Ullmark comes back healthy and capable of multiple starts in a week I'm fine with sending him back down to get more game experience.  But if ullmarks injury lingers or something - that game experience may as well come with the big club.

[LTS]

Isn't the most likely scenario here?

Tokarski starts
Houser is the backup
UPL is on the taxi squad
Ullmark is out

Ullmark comes back and then Houser goes to taxi squad and UPL goes back to Rochester.

Why do people have UPL in the lineup for tonight's game?