Jeff Marek believes Portillo will test free agency.

[Taro T]

6 hours ago, tom webster said:

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. 

Yup.

There is effectively no difference in when a CHL player can become a FA and when an NCAA player can.  They both have to wait 4 years, but the mechanics are different.

Teams hold the rights to CHLers for 2 years.  If they don't sign by then, they go back into the draft & the new team holds their rights for 2 more years.  If they don't sign, at the end they are UFAs.

Teams hold the rights to NCAAers for 4 years.  If they don't sign, at the end they are UFAs.

Teams routinely don't end up signing all their draft picks.

Now that NCAAers can get paid to a certain degree, the league should work it out w/ the NCAA that college players can be signed while in college to play pro hockey after they leave college like the CHLers currently sign.  That would remove the angst of the fans.  Not sure that the NCAA will see anything in it for their teams, so it'll Iikely be a hard sell. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

All i have to say is bye B****! His numbers are not as good as last year, and Levi is much better.

[Ctaeth]

Didn't listen to the podcast, but I have a question for those who did:  is this Jeff Marek saying that he has heard from Portillo himself (or someone close to him) that he will choose to become a free agent?  Or is this Jeff Marek guessing that Portillo will go to free agency?

 

If he ultimately chooses to go the FA route, I'll be disappointed.  He looked pretty good during the development camp and despite down numbers this year (michigan lost some great players), i think he's going to be a solid NHL caliber goalie.

[pi2000]

13 hours ago, tom webster said:

So a team gets to decide who they want to sign after drafting them and a player has to wait it out.

[Xzy89c]

his ceiling is NHL Backup. Nothing in his play leads you to believe he will be anything above that. As goalie hungry as we are he should jump at opportunity.

Unfortunately Levi is only slightly higher rated in terms of future in NHL.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Xzy89c

[Scottysabres]

Much ado about nothing.

The current rules provide he can do this if he so chooses. A player, just like an organization, should be looking out for what they deem is in their best interests. I have 0 issue with any player choosing such a direction.

You want this to change? Then the Sabres organization must build a "long term", I say again, "long term" environment of success whereby players view Buffalo as a desired destination. That starts with "winning culture", both on the ice as well as how relationships between players and the organization are executed. The adage "Lead by example" never rang truer than in this subject matter.

[tom webster]

3 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

Much ado about nothing.

The current rules provide he can do this if he so chooses. A player, just like an organization, should be looking out for what they deem is in their best interests. I have 0 issue with any player choosing such a direction.

You want this to change? Then the Sabres organization must build a "long term", I say again, "long term" environment of success whereby players view Buffalo as a desired destination. That starts with "winning culture", both on the ice as well as how relationships between players and the organization are executed. The adage "Lead by example" never rang truer than in this subject matter.

Again,

The only players of note that have gone this path have chosen major cities or hometowns. Doesn’t matter what Buffalo does. Carolina is one of the model franchises in the league and couldn’t get Fox signed.

This is not an epidemic or common occurrence. 99.9% of these players are not foregoing two years of income to stay in college.

[inkman]

I…I don’t care 

[shrader]

13 hours ago, Taro T said:

Yup.

There is effectively no difference in when a CHL player can become a FA and when an NCAA player can.  They both have to wait 4 years, but the mechanics are different.

Teams hold the rights to CHLers for 2 years.  If they don't sign by then, they go back into the draft & the new team holds their rights for 2 more years.  If they don't sign, at the end they are UFAs.

Teams hold the rights to NCAAers for 4 years.  If they don't sign, at the end they are UFAs.

Teams routinely don't end up signing all their draft picks.

Now that NCAAers can get paid to a certain degree, the league should work it out w/ the NCAA that college players can be signed while in college to play pro hockey after they leave college like the CHLers currently sign.  That would remove the angst of the fans.  Not sure that the NCAA will see anything in it for their teams, so it'll Iikely be a hard sell. 

I love it when this topic comes up. As you’ve outlined, the college player actually has less rights in the current system compared to junior players. And the solution people suggest is to restrict them even further. It’s absolutely brilliant. 

[Claude Balls]

On 1/10/2023 at 5:13 PM, 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.    

 

I doubt he's worried about Comrie. UPL is rounding into nice form, although still let's in too many. Levi, I think would be his biggest worry. I think he is the best out of all of them imo.

[Two or less]

On 1/10/2023 at 5:45 PM, MBD said:

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.

 

Right, and even further on this, they are basically on the same career path. Next season, realistically, both of them are penciled in for the AHL. I don't think he wants to be stuck next year behind Levi in the AHL and on top of that have a 24-year old on a one way contract in already in Buffalo. Unless something drastic happens, the only way for Portillo to get a solid run of games next season in the Sabres organization would be in Cincinnati. And i doubt he cares much for that.

[TageMVP]

Don't we already have Devon Levi in the system? 

Maybe this does not matter. 

[LTS]

49 minutes ago, TageMVP said:

Don't we already have Devon Levi in the system? 

Maybe this does not matter. 

No.  He's technically on the same route as Portillo right now.  He just has to wait another year, if he wants, and he can choose to go to the highest bidder as well.

[Porous Five Hole]

14 minutes ago, LTS said:

No.  He's technically on the same route as Portillo right now.  He just has to wait another year, if he wants, and he can choose to go to the highest bidder as well.

I’m not 100%, but I think the entry level contract and its limitation comes into play. So it isn’t as much of a highest bidder kind of thing. 
 

Either way, I don’t begrudge Portillo for exercising his right to free agency. It isn’t great for Buffalo, but it is what it is. 

[LTS]

1 minute ago, Porous Five Hole said:

I’m not 100%, but I think the entry level contract and its limitation comes into play. So it isn’t as much of a highest bidder kind of thing. 
 

Either way, I don’t begrudge Portillo for exercising his right to free agency. It isn’t great for Buffalo, but it is what it is. 

True.. good point.  It's a 2 year ELC at that point I think right because he should be 22?  Either way.. he gets to pick his future and I also do not begrudge him for choosing the route.

 

[ddaryl]

I am not a fan of the UFA for college players if they refused to sign

As far as I'm cocnerned you were drafted you sign with the team that drafted you, if your unhappy demand a trade... but I will always be in the the teams who drafts you gets to sign you column and NO UFA for those players. You don't like it play in Europe or Russia. If you want to be a UFA do your time in the league, not college.

People may disagree with me, but I will never change my view on this one ... 

Edited January 12, 2023 by ddaryl

[shrader]

3 hours ago, ddaryl said:

I am not a fan of the UFA for college players if they refused to sign

As far as I'm cocnerned you were drafted you sign with the team that drafted you, if your unhappy demand a trade... but I will always be in the the teams who drafts you gets to sign you column and NO UFA for those players. You don't like it play in Europe or Russia. If you want to be a UFA do your time in the league, not college.

People may disagree with me, but I will never change my view on this one ... 

The problem with this argument is that every single thing you described can also happen with a junior or European player. So why the animosity towards only one source of players?

[Norcal]

I wish him failure and financial ruin then, peace out *****!

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, shrader said:

The problem with this argument is that every single thing you described can also happen with a junior or European player. So why the animosity towards only one source of players?

I think this is only partially true. College players cannot sign their ELC immediately and then report to college to play (singing a pro contract terminates their amateur status). 
 

However, Junior or International players can sign their ELC and go back to wherever they came from to continue to develop. 
 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-sign-first-round-picks-matt-savoie-jiri-kulich-noah-Östlund/c-335006690

If Portillo could have signed after his freshman year of college and gone back to school, maybe he would have. But those aren’t the rules. 

[ddaryl]

2 hours ago, shrader said:

The problem with this argument is that every single thing you described can also happen with a junior or European player. So why the animosity towards only one source of players?

well then let me up the ante.. you get drafted you sign with that team...  if you do not get drafted then your a FA but you must enter the draft to become a pro in the NHL and earn your right to be a UFA by doing your time in the league 1st, or by being passed up by all the teams in the draft you entered...

Edited January 12, 2023 by ddaryl

[mjd1001]

5 hours ago, ddaryl said:

I am not a fan of the UFA for college players if they refused to sign

As far as I'm cocnerned you were drafted you sign with the team that drafted you, if your unhappy demand a trade... but I will always be in the the teams who drafts you gets to sign you column and NO UFA for those players. You don't like it play in Europe or Russia. If you want to be a UFA do your time in the league, not college.

People may disagree with me, but I will never change my view on this one ... 

I agree with you.  I know the players don't want this, but from a fans point of view...not much good come of it, and a whole lot of dissapointment/fan stress come whenver you think of a player and not know whether it was a draft pick that your team will never have a shot at.

[mjd1001]

2 minutes ago, ddaryl said:

well then let me up the ante.. you get drafted you sign with that team...  if you do not get drafted then your a FA but you must enter the draft to become a pro in the NHL and earn your right to be a UFA by doing your time in the league 1st, or by being passed up by all the teams in the draft you entered...

What is the rule with restricted free agents vs UFAs? You have to reach a certain age right?  IF you are drated, the drafting team could just have exclusive rights to you until you reach one of the ages, UFA or RFA age, and then those rules apply to you.   If you really, REALLY don't want to play for that team, you can always go to Europe and play there unless/until you force a trade or get waived.

[LabattBlue]

Unless he hates WNY for some reason, I can’t imagine a better situation(Grandpa Anderson, unproven UPL, and Comrie isn’t setting the NHL on fire) for Portillo than the Sabres…and if he is scared of the competition from Levi, than I wouldn’t want him anyways. 

[Pimlach]

19 hours ago, Two or less said:

 

Right, and even further on this, they are basically on the same career path. Next season, realistically, both of them are penciled in for the AHL. I don't think he wants to be stuck next year behind Levi in the AHL and on top of that have a 24-year old on a one way contract in already in Buffalo. Unless something drastic happens, the only way for Portillo to get a solid run of games next season in the Sabres organization would be in Cincinnati. And i doubt he cares much for that.

I think they would play both equally in the AHL unless one (most think Levi) is far better than the other and they want to get him ready sooner.  I don't think there and too many easier paths for Portillo than the Levi-Comrie-UPL path, but maybe there is and he knows were it is.  If some team offered to him their 1 slot in the AHL he might go there.  

Edited January 12, 2023 by Pimlach

[LGR4GM]

18 hours ago, LTS said:

No.  He's technically on the same route as Portillo right now.  He just has to wait another year, if he wants, and he can choose to go to the highest bidder as well.

That's not how it works if I remember right. It's still an elc so everyone can offer the same.