UFA Goaltenders This Year

[Archie Lee]

It's simple for me.

If we re-sign Ullmark, then for next season we know we have one NHL-level goalie and we need to secure another.  If we don't re-sign Ullmark then we need to secure two.

Ullmark at something like 4 x 4.5 is pretty low risk. 

The team would know more about his injuries than us, but assuming for a moment they are not related to a single chronic issue then there may be no reason to be overly worried.  Lot's of players have gone through stretches in the early or mid-portions of their careers where injuries were an issue and then went on to be mostly healthy through the rest of their careers.

 

Remember also that this is an odd year with lots of games packed into a tight period.  I don't have stats to back this up, but goalie (and player) injuries around the league are seemingly higher than typical.  Next season we will, hopefully, return to a more normal pattern of games/practices/rest periods and this could positively impact the health of many players, including Ullmark.

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Archie Lee
added paragraph

[Hoss]

20 hours ago, dudacek said:

Since Jan. 1, 2020 he has gone 15-9-3 with a .921 S% and a 2.47 GAA (both in the top half of the league among starters) on this team. Numbers wise you can find maybe a half-dozen goalies who are clearly superior over that stretch

http://www.nhl.com/stats/goalies?reportType=game&dateFrom=2020-01-01&dateTo=2021-04-24&gameType=2&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,20&sort=savePct&page=0&pageSize=50

He has been remarkably consistent, allowing over 3 goals just twice in that stretch, again on this team, and by the eye test keeps us in every game.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/player/gamelog/_/id/3069285/linus-ullmark

He has improved every single season as a pro, following the development path a majority of good starters take to emerge at a time most of them emerge.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=152794

He may be the best shootout goalie in the NHL.

Plus he seems to be a good human being, a reliable teammate.

I get the injury concern. I don't get the sense there are other goalies out there who are as skilled and at an equivalent point in their careers that can be easily acquired.

We've been in goalie purgatory for years as we've waited for someone like Linus to develop. Letting him walk as he is emerging would be so Buffalo.

Thank you for this because I haven’t caught much Sabres hockey this year. I still can’t quite get to five years off this but I do think 2/3 years is a reasonable approach. I’m not giving a goalie five years unless I know very well that he’s a starter which means multiple years of production.

[Taro T]

23 hours ago, Hoss said:

I’m legitimately curious when Linus Ullmark became anybody’s long-term answer in net. Solid not great numbers for two years on a bad team and has battled injuries all year. Enroth’s numbers were just as good for a stretch. I’m not signing Ullmark to more than two years.

He's not THE LT answer, but he can easily be 1/2 of the tandem.  Want them to bring him back on a 5 year deal & want them to bring in someone that has a legit chance of being better than him on a 2 year deal (somebody like Raanta), hopefully one of Luukkonnen or Portillo is ready to be the 2 that next year and then step up and take the reins after that.

See him very much as a Biron & that sort of a evolution of the team's goaltending would work IMHO.

What should they do after the 5th year?  Will depend on the situation at the time.

23 hours ago, Hoss said:

I’m legitimately curious when Linus Ullmark became anybody’s long-term answer in net. Solid not great numbers for two years on a bad team and has battled injuries all year. Enroth’s numbers were just as good for a stretch. I’m not signing Ullmark to more than two years.

He's not THE LT answer, but he can easily be 1/2 of the tandem.  Want them to bring him back on a 5 year deal & want them to bring in someone that has a legit chance of being better than him on a 2 year deal (somebody like Raanta), hopefully one of Luukkonnen or Portillo is ready to be the 2 that next year and then step up and take the reins after that.

See him very much as a Biron & that sort of a evolution of the team's goaltending would work IMHO.

What should they do after the 5th year?  Will depend on the situation at the time.

[Hoss]

3 hours ago, Taro T said:

He's not THE LT answer, but he can easily be 1/2 of the tandem.  Want them to bring him back on a 5 year deal & want them to bring in someone that has a legit chance of being better than him on a 2 year deal (somebody like Raanta), hopefully one of Luukkonnen or Portillo is ready to be the 2 that next year and then step up and take the reins after that.

See him very much as a Biron & that sort of a evolution of the team's goaltending would work IMHO.

What should they do after the 5th year?  Will depend on the situation at the time.

He's not THE LT answer, but he can easily be 1/2 of the tandem.  Want them to bring him back on a 5 year deal & want them to bring in someone that has a legit chance of being better than him on a 2 year deal (somebody like Raanta), hopefully one of Luukkonnen or Portillo is ready to be the 2 that next year and then step up and take the reins after that.

See him very much as a Biron & that sort of a evolution of the team's goaltending would work IMHO.

What should they do after the 5th year?  Will depend on the situation at the time.

But what are you paying him over five years (in AAV)?

[Taro T]

26 minutes ago, Hoss said:

But what are you paying him over five years (in AAV)?

Somewhere in the $4-4.5 range.

Looking at the other ST goalie coming in there or up to $5/yr.

[Hoss]

16 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Somewhere in the $4-4.5 range.

Looking at the other ST goalie coming in there or up to $5/yr.

There’s just no way I’m committing over $4M to Linus Ullmark for five seasons. I’m not even sure I’d give him that for three seasons.