Jeff Marek believes Portillo will test free agency.

[Buffalonill]

 

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Buffalonill

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[thewookie1]

He’s nothing more than a coward and an *****. Just hope we can fetch something for him or otherwise I wish we could force him to pay exorbitant prices for all the development Buffalo paid for him

[pi2000]

It's unfortunate if he leaves as an UFA, however I don't blame the player... the system is flawed; this loophole needs to be addressed in the next CBA.

He looks at guys like UPL, Comrie and Levi as standing in his way.     He's a smart kid who's simply looking for a spot that provides the best opportunity for him to play and develop.    

 

[Zamboni]

Meh. I’ll believe he’s testing free agency when I see that he’s testing free agency. Or when it comes from a better source other than a person pontificating about it. 

[Mango]

I don't get why a goalie wouldn't want to come here right now. We are one of the highest scoring teams in the league. Minus an 8 game (major) blip, this team has been a quality NHL team since the last quarter of this past season. The only piece has been goal tending. 

The talk around Buffalo would be totally different if Ullmark was here right now. Different systems, I know. Consistent and quality goal tending change this team entirely. 

[tom webster]

9 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

It's unfortunate if he leaves as an UFA, however I don't blame the player... the system is flawed; this loophole needs to be addressed in the next CBA.

He looks at guys like UPL, Comrie and Levi as standing in his way.     He's a smart kid who's simply looking for a spot that provides the best opportunity for him to play and develop.    

 

A) He is probably not that good

B) There have probably been 10 or fewer players that have taken this route worth worrying about

C) The system works much more in favor of the clubs which is why the loophole will not be closed. They get to hold onto prospects for longer while deciding if they are worth signing. Most of then sign before the deadline.

[MattPie]

6 minutes ago, Mango said:

I don't get why a goalie wouldn't want to come here right now. We are one of the highest scoring teams in the league. Minus an 8 game (major) blip, this team has been a quality NHL team since the last quarter of this past season. The only piece has been goal tending. 

The talk around Buffalo would be totally different if Ullmark was here right now. Different systems, I know. Consistent and quality goal tending change this team entirely. 

You have a point. There is *not* an established NHL goaltender in Buffalo; the only guy that's played a season's worth of games is 41 and cannot possibly be around for another year (right?). While it looks like there are two prospects between Portillo and the starting job, it's hard to believe the situation is better on other teams.

But, I don't blame the guy. Maybe he doesn't like Rochester, maybe he does want to pick where he plays based on other criteria (weather, proximity to stuff for his business, etc.) Maybe he's being conservative, but kicking around the AHL making the minimum for the next five years while he develops may not be as attractive as if he's worried that at the end of it he'll have spent his 20s with "nothing" to show for it if he doesn't make it. He has some business idea (right?) that maybe he's betting will be a better ticket.

[MBD]

I've been saying that he knows that the organization likes Levi better and he was never going to sign, after he decided to return to school.  Let him walk.

[Buffalonill]

56 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

It's unfortunate if he leaves as an UFA, however I don't blame the player... the system is flawed; this loophole needs to be addressed in the next CBA.

He looks at guys like UPL, Comrie and Levi as standing in his way.     He's a smart kid who's simply looking for a spot that provides the best opportunity for him to play and develop.    

 

 That's such a loser mentality  I wouldn't want that kind of attitude on the team.

That just tells me hes scared of  Competition

[msw2112]

I don't agree with this.  The best way for a hockey player to improve is to PLAY.  If the chances of your playing time are reduced by others in the organization and you have the option to go to another organization where your chances to play are higher, I would probably do the same.  Also, by going the free agent route, he could still potentially sign with Buffalo if he wanted to.  So there's really no downside.

It's not just that the Sabres have goalies in front of him - all NHL teams do - it's that they have 2 young guys in his age range, one of whom has a major head start (UPL).  The Sabres also invested a relatively high draft pick on a goalie this season.

I'm both a major Sabres fan and Michigan fan.  I would love for Portillo to sign with the Sabres.  With my pro-Sabres bias, I want him to come to the Sabres organization.  Looking at it objectively, however, it seems like the best move for Portillo is free agency.

[pi2000]

1 hour ago, tom webster said:

C) The system works much more in favor of the clubs which is why the loophole will not be closed. They get to hold onto prospects for longer while deciding if they are worth signing. Most of then sign before the deadline.

Goalies take longer to develop.... so why would they leave school to play in the AHL for 3 or 4 years when they could spend that time on campus with their buddies getting a degree?

They should be forced to go back into the draft instead of becoming an UFA.

[Eleven]

This is nothing that we haven't known for two years now.  As soon as Levi was in the system, Portillo was bowing out.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Eleven

[Sabres Fan in NS]

2 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

He’s nothing more than a coward and an *****. Just hope we can fetch something for him or otherwise I wish we could force him to pay exorbitant prices for all the development Buffalo paid for him

I know Marek is those things, but what about Portsie ??

[French Collection]

I hope he signs.

There is a good chance he never makes it for the Sabres or anyone else, especially if his heart is on business opportunities.

[tom webster]

2 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Goalies take longer to develop.... so why would they leave school to play in the AHL for 3 or 4 years when they could spend that time on campus with their buddies getting a degree?

They should be forced to go back into the draft instead of becoming an UFA.

Why? Goalies in junior don’t have to go into the draft if they don’t sign. 
How many quality goalies have gone this route? Jury still out on Cal and like I said, Portillo is probably not that hood either.

[pi2000]

19 minutes ago, tom webster said:

Why? Goalies in junior don’t have to go into the draft if they don’t sign. 
How many quality goalies have gone this route? Jury still out on Cal and like I said, Portillo is probably not that hood either.

Who cares how good he is or how many quality goalies went this route.   That has nothing to do with anything.

It's a cheat code to get UFA status, needs to be fixed. 

[tom webster]

10 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Who cares how good he is or how many quality goalies went this route.   That has nothing to do with anything.

It's a cheat code to get UFA status, needs to be fixed. 

It’s not a cheat code. They have to give up two years of earning power and hope they are good enough for someone to sign them. You want to make the player sign, then make the teams sign everyone they draft. Then it will be fair. 

[Digger]

We can reasonably guess at our plans for goalies next season at this point (most likely UPL / Comrie) but we don't have much of a clear picture beyond that.  No one is established.  The Sabres organization is still a great choice for any young goalie looking to play in the NHL (attention Levi and Portillo).  I don't see either one stepping into the NHL without some AHL playing time.  We will see what happens but I still hope that we will sign both.

[Doohicksie]

[pi2000]

1 hour ago, tom webster said:

It’s not a cheat code. They have to give up two years of earning power and hope they are good enough for someone to sign them. You want to make the player sign, then make the teams sign everyone they draft. Then it will be fair. 

It's a loophole in the CBA a short cut to UFA.     

The player shouldn't get to choose who he plays for considering the drafting team invests significant resources towards his development.

Don't force them to sign, put them back in the draft.   Problem.  Solved.  Period.

[bunomatic]

One thing I will say about Marek is every time I listen to him he certainly champions the Sabres as an exciting team on the rise. Literally brings them up all the time. Its refreshing.

[tom webster]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

It's a loophole in the CBA a short cut to UFA.     

The player shouldn't get to choose who he plays for considering the drafting team invests significant resources towards his development.

Don't force them to sign, put them back in the draft.   Problem.  Solved.  Period.

So a team gets to decide who they want to sign after drafting them and a player has to wait it out. Yeah makes sense. Teams specifically target college players in order to retain their rights longer. It’s part of the give and take. 

[Cage]

10 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

 That's such a loser mentality  I wouldn't want that kind of attitude on the team.

That just tells me hes scared of  Competition

That summarizes it best!  We only need to look at the recent progression with UPL to understand that all he has to do is play well to get the opportunities.  When UPL came up he didn't play that well at first and we continued to lament that all this team needed was reliable goaltending.  Then he settled in and hit a streak and now we're lamenting that he shouldn't be sent down.  

For Portillo, come in, be awesome and the chances will come.  It doesn't matter who the organization is predisposed to "like".  We've seen that there are plenty of goaltending injuries throughout a year and if he's good, he'll be the man.  

As stated above, the Sabres must be one of the most fun franchises to play for.  If he doesn't get that, then he's not really following hockey.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Cage

[Huckleberry]

11 hours ago, Eleven said:

This is nothing that we haven't known for two years now.  As soon as Levi was in the system, Portillo was bowing out.

Might be the reason they went after Levi, because they already thought he wouldn't sign with us.