Sabres open goalie protection slot

[darksabre]

5 minutes ago, Taro T said:

They're required to EXPOSE 1.

If they decided to go off the board and protect absolutely noone, that would be foolish but their perogative. 

That's true. They could expose Tokarski and protect no one. But I don't know why you'd waste that.

[Taro T]

Just now, darksabre said:

That's true. They could expose Tokarski and protect no one. But I don't know why you'd waste that.

Don't know why they didn't pull the trigger on a goalie upgrade during the off-season nor in-season either.  Seemed quite a waste, but it did ensure the Hall signing worked its magic, so 'spose there's that.

Have to believe Adams is trying to have that empty slot filled.  Whether he can successfully do so remains to be seen. 

[gilbert11]

Here’s the free agent goalie list per nhl.com.  I could see going for a F.Anderson, Bernier, Driedger (probable top available), Mrazek, Reimer.

https://www.nhl.com/news/top-unrestricted-free-agent-goalies-available/c-325629978?tid=281072352

 

[dudacek]

I cannot get on board with the idea that Chris Dreidger and his 41-game NHL resume is somehow more attractive than Linus.

They are the same age.

[gilbert11]

21 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I cannot get on board with the idea that Chris Dreidger and his 41-game NHL resume is somehow more attractive than Linus.

They are the same age.

But it’s Linus’s decision to stay or leave.  None of these free agent goalies may even consider signing with the Sabres.

[Mustache of God]

6 minutes ago, gilbert11 said:

But it’s Linus’s decision to stay or leave.  None of these free agent goalies may even consider signing with the Sabres.

The only thing attractive the Sabres have to offer for FA goalies is that if they sign the #1 spot is theirs to lose. I won't pretend to know the goaltending situation of other teams in the league but I can't imagine there's many more teams with ZERO NHL currently signed (I am operating under the assumption Ullmark is going elsewhere).

[woods-racer]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

They're required to EXPOSE 1.

If they decided to go off the board and protect absolutely noone, that would be foolish but their perogative. 

If they decide to protect someone other that Ulmark that would be very telling of their contract talks.

[gilbert11]

10 hours ago, woods-racer said:

If they decide to protect someone other that Ulmark that would be very telling of their contract talks.

Ulmark is a free agent.  Unless they re-sign him before the protected lists are submitted, he can’t be protected.

[Hoss]

59 minutes ago, gilbert11 said:

Ulmark is a free agent.  Unless they re-sign him before the protected lists are submitted, he can’t be protected.

UFAs can indeed be protected.

[dudacek]

5 hours ago, Hoss said:

UFAs can indeed be protected.

This was an interesting piece on the hows and whys of Seattle taking UFAs.

https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2021/07/12/seattle-expansion-draft-rules-UFAs-tlh

If the Sabres don’t make a move, they should certainly protect Ullmark, but the benefits to Buffalo are pretty slender.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

This was an interesting piece on the hows and whys of Seattle taking UFAs.

https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2021/07/12/seattle-expansion-draft-rules-UFAs-tlh

If the Sabres don’t make a move, they should certainly protect Ullmark, but the benefits to Buffalo are pretty slender.

If they KNOW Ullmark won't re-sign, then they shouldn't protect him on the off chance Seattle signs him during their exclusive rights window.  Makes the whole rest of determining who to protect moot. 

[Thorner]

On 7/14/2021 at 11:24 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

I’ve been harping on this since mid May in the offseason gameplan thread.  KA is running out of time to get this done.  Going into expansion without that slot filed is the height of stupidity and incompetence.

 

22 hours ago, Taro T said:

Don't know why they didn't pull the trigger on a goalie upgrade during the off-season nor in-season either.  Seemed quite a waste, but it did ensure the Hall signing worked its magic, so 'spose there's that.

Have to believe Adams is trying to have that empty slot filled.  Whether he can successfully do so remains to be seen. 

Agree -the one area of the roster he's been weirdest about so far is goaltender. 

[bob_sauve28]

So this has to happen real soon, right? 

[woods-racer]

8 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

So this has to happen real soon, right? 

Need to get our protection list in by the 17th. It's happening as we speak.

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

So this has to happen real soon, right? 

By the 17th at 3pm

[GASabresIUFAN]

Odds of KA actually re-signing Ullmark or acquiring another goalie by the 17th at 3pm.  I'm going with 5% or less

[bob_sauve28]

The next seven hours could see the fate of an empire sealed! 

 

Or or something like that 😉

[LGR4GM]

16 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

The next seven hours could see the fate of an empire sealed! 

 

Or or something like that 😉

We have until tomorrow at 3pm for pre expansion draft moves. 

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, bob_sauve28 said:

The next seven hours could see the fate of an empire sealed! 

Or or something like that 😉

This will be a couple days long remembered. It has seen the end of Ullmark, and it will see the end of the Eichwalker (as Sabres).

Potentially.

[Thorner]

9 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Odds of KA actually re-signing Ullmark or acquiring another goalie by the 17th at 3pm.  I'm going with 5% or less

We like our goalies

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

We like our goalies

Im pumped for 50 games of Tokarski and 32 of ... that other guy. 

[nfreeman]

A failure to bring in a goalie by tomorrow does not mean that no goalie will be brought in.  It just means that KA won't have made a move in time for a deadline that may or may not have any real meaning here.

[Thorner]

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Im pumped for 50 games of Tokarski and 32 of ... that other guy. 

They probably work something out with Ullmark and allow Tokarski to fill the back up roll, knowing that it was "only injuries" as KA specified, that hampered the goaltending last season. Can only assume when building next year's team Ullmark is a picture of health 

[Thorner]

5 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

A failure to bring in a goalie by tomorrow does not mean that no goalie will be brought in.  It just means that KA won't have made a move in time for a deadline that may or may not have any real meaning here.

I think he pretty much has to bring in someone at some point as Tokarski won't be the starter, but we don't have any evidence yet (and a fair bit to the contrary) that KA believes the goaltending requires anything more than maintaining its "status quo" from last season. We've heard a lot about the types of players KA is looking to add, but his only comments about the tending were about how they were snake bit by injuries. 

I'd like to hear something about the need for depth at the position to withstand the rigors of an NHL season, rather than laments about how we didn't maintain full health, which is an unreasonable expectation. 

He could very well be thinking in private he made a mistake at backup last year, but he certainly hasn't betrayed that sentiment yet, at all 

Edited July 16, 2021 by Thorny

[The Jokeman]

On 7/14/2021 at 12:58 PM, Taro T said:

Does anybody know if a player traded before the expansion draft maybe traded back to his original team after the expansion draft?

I.e., could the Sabres trade a 7th for Allen & then get a 2nd-4th plus a 7th back from the Habs for him sometime later this summer?  Would increase the Sabres assets while leaving their options open on finding their starting pair.

This in kind of how we got Dominick Hasek as the then Winnipeg Jets didn't want to lose Stephane Beauregard in the expansion draft to Tampa or Ottawa so they shipped him to us for Ruutu, we than traded Beaurgard to Chicago for Hasek and the Blackhawks then shipped Beauregard to Winniped for Ruutu. 

Edited July 17, 2021 by The Jokeman