GDT: Rangers at Sabres-03-31 7:00PM Levi debuts

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Wow.   

One game does not show us he is ready to be a #1 and play 55 games.     Maybe he plays 6 of the next 8 and maintains the level he played at yesterday?  That would help clarify the conversation on whether we add a goalie. 

 

 

 

You are deliberately forgetting my premise (which echoed yours about IF he beats out Comrie and UPL).  IF he's ready to go, there is no reason to keep him in Rochester.  Don't twist things please.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Eleven

[bg17]

35 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Also — that Skinner OT winner is on his Sabres highlight reel IMHO.  After pushing the action all night, he bursts through 2 defenders in the circle, takes possession cleanly with his skate, kicks it perfectly to his tape and then immediately beats the goalie top shelf to win Levi’s debut?

Freaking awesome. 

Regarding Skinner - when he was traded here there was talk that he wasn’t a locker room favorite or coaches darling in Carolina. Either that talk was flat out wrong or he changed his ways. From an outside view everything he does and says is just fantastic. I don’t know that there is a Sabres player that I have liked more. 

[JohnC]

4 hours ago, French Collection said:

There is a chance he makes the team in the fall, I won’t deny that. His work this spring will aid his quest if he plays a few more like last night. I think he is already better than UPL. UPL may not get another game this year and that would not break my heart.

I think he is special, I just don’t want to pencil him in Buffalo full time yet. 
 

UPL is probably thinking Portillo is a smart man.

No one is penciling anyone in. He will come to next year's camp and compete for a roster spot. Then a decision will be made by the staff. Nothing will be given to any prospect. You earn your spot or not. That's how it should be. 

[DarthEbriate]

53 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Thomas Suchanek

He's been good with the Tri-City Amerks (and Czechia and Sabres camp), too. Milic might be overrated as he's playing behind a very stacked T-Birds squad.

But the concept is the same: get a 19- or 20- year-old mid/late round CHLer who can be an AHL backup goalie immediately next season, even if he's just a stopgap until Leinonen or the next higher-round pick shows up.

[MBD]

25 minutes ago, bg17 said:

Regarding Skinner - when he was traded here there was talk that he wasn’t a locker room favorite or coaches darling in Carolina. Either that talk was flat out wrong or he changed his ways. From an outside view everything he does and says is just fantastic. I don’t know that there is a Sabres player that I have liked more. 

There probably was something to it.  Sometimes situations don't always work out for everyone.  And age/maturity changes things.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Skinner was absolutely fantastic last night.

It's weird. The 1st line clearly misses some chemistry with Tage out; they just don't click as well.

But individually all 3 members were buzzing.

I thought the first sequence in the beginning of the game when Skinner got 4 shots off (didn't score a goal) was one of his most impressive sequences. 

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

You are deliberately forgetting my premise (which echoed yours about IF he beats out Comrie and UPL).  IF he's ready to go, there is no reason to keep him in Rochester.  Don't twist things please.

I get it. 

The tough part of all this is if he somehow doesn't beat out Comrie/UPL to start the season, AND we didn't make a trade to improve the goaltending, then we start with  Comrie/UPL and call up Levi up as soon as he is ready.  Which gets us to 3 goalies again. 

It will be interesting in Sabreland.  The good news is the kid is signed up and ready to go.  

[JustOneParade]

51 minutes ago, MBD said:

There probably was something to it.  Sometimes situations don't always work out for everyone.  And age/maturity changes things.

Very true. And I highly doubt the words ‘play free’ were ever uttered by Rod Brind’Amour.

[Eleven]

59 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I get it. 

The tough part of all this is if he somehow doesn't beat out Comrie/UPL to start the season, AND we didn't make a trade to improve the goaltending, then we start with  Comrie/UPL and call up Levi up as soon as he is ready.  Which gets us to 3 goalies again. 

It will be interesting in Sabreland.  The good news is the kid is signed up and ready to go.  

There is no reason not to try to improve at the position by bringing someone else in.

[PromoTheRobot]

3 hours ago, MBD said:

I've seen that happen a lot and generally there is a whistle to stop play once the refs lose sight of the puck.  My point being I wouldn't fault the other 2 goalies for that happening.

That's nice. But I doubt anyone else here would do the same.

[PerreaultForever]

8 hours ago, JohnC said:

His size and physical are irrelevant as demonstrated by the fact that there are goalies with dramatically different body types that do succeed. You are too invested in the notion of prototypical size for a position. It's an outdated concept that some scouts are too enamored with. There are slower players that are better than faster players. There are weaker players that are better than stronger players. etc. etc. There is a fundamental issue that circumscribes the evaluation of a player: How does the player play! 

Are you just playing the contrarian role for fun? Where did you read that I was invested in anything?

Yes size matters. A big goalie covers more net and a small goalie has to make up for that with speed and agility (etc). Of course there are good small players and good slow players but the best players are rarely slow (can't think of one at the moment) and small guys have a harder time succeeding and staying healthy. 

You really going to argue that Tage Thompson would be an all star if he was the size of Nathan Gerbe? 

[DarthEbriate]

3 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Are you just playing the contrarian role for fun? Where did you read that I was invested in anything?

Yes size matters. A big goalie covers more net and a small goalie has to make up for that with speed and agility (etc). Of course there are good small players and good slow players but the best players are rarely slow (can't think of one at the moment) and small guys have a harder time succeeding and staying healthy. 

You really going to argue that Tage Thompson would be an all star if he was the size of Nathan Gerbe? 

To be fair, if Nathan Gerbe had ever scored 44 goals he would've been an All-Star, too.

Being a big monster Swede and wearing among the biggest pads in the league helped Lehner be a good goalie, but he was utter dreck in any shootout or breakaway. Saros is shorter than Levi and is a regular Vezina candidate. Shesterkin is 6'1". Miller was only 6'2" and a skinny little punk to boot. Hasek, the greatest goaile ever, was 6'1" and an even skinnier little punk than Miller. 

[Brawndo]

 

[PerreaultForever]

14 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

And then vanished again.

and then like magic rematerialized and had another key moment against Philly . Just for you. 

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Are you just playing the contrarian role for fun? Where did you read that I was invested in anything?

Yes size matters. A big goalie covers more net and a small goalie has to make up for that with speed and agility (etc). Of course there are good small players and good slow players but the best players are rarely slow (can't think of one at the moment) and small guys have a harder time succeeding and staying healthy. 

You really going to argue that Tage Thompson would be an all star if he was the size of Nathan Gerbe? 

I disagree with you that size necessarily does matter. Levi isn't a big goalie. So what. He may not cover more net when he is stationary but he is able to cover plenty of the net by being more quick than a bigger goalie. Tage is big. Skinner is not. Quinn isn't very big. Big freaking deal! What ultimately matters is how you play. That's the point. I'm not bothered by any player that doesn't fit the standard profile of any player at any position. What counts is performance. It's not a difficult concept to grasp. 

 

[Taro T]

On 4/1/2023 at 11:25 AM, JohnC said:

Don't count out Levi making the Sabre roster when training camp is concluded. He possesses maturity traits that indicate him being able to handle the jump up. Last night was an indication of that. The season is winding down. If he plays as he did against the Rangers in his upcoming games, it will increase the odds that he makes the roster when the season starts. It's a very credible claim right now to say that he is our best goalie. 

He very well could make the team out of training camp.  But Adams should still be looking for an upgrade over Comrie and UPL.  If they end up in a spot where Comrie &/or UPL need to get sent to Ra-cha-cha or get traded, well so be it.  The skaters are too close to risk blowing up what could be a great season but for goaltending.

And if the guy they bring in ends up getting beaten out.  Fine.  Just means that Levi really is the real deal.

[Taro T]

21 hours ago, bg17 said:

Regarding Skinner - when he was traded here there was talk that he wasn’t a locker room favorite or coaches darling in Carolina. Either that talk was flat out wrong or he changed his ways. From an outside view everything he does and says is just fantastic. I don’t know that there is a Sabres player that I have liked more. 

Could see where Skinner could be really hard to get along with / rub people the wrong way especially if they happen to be "system" types or "be professionals at all times and act like you've been here before" types.  He didn't get along with Brind'amour and he definitely didn't get along with Krueger.

He fits in well with what we have here now.

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

He very well could make the team out of training camp.  But Adams should still be looking for an upgrade over Comrie and UPL.  If they end up in a spot where Comrie &/or UPL need to get sent to Ra-cha-cha or get traded, well so be it.  The skaters are too close to risk blowing up what could be a great season but for goaltending.

And if the guy they bring in ends up getting beaten out.  Fine.  Just means that Levi really is the real deal.

I'm simply stating an opinion based on what I believe KA's instincts are in making such a consequential goalie decision: I don't think he is going outside the organization to make such an impactful deal. If I had to guess, I would speculate that he would ride the wagon that has Comrie, UPL and Levi riding on. Again, this is my opinion/guess: I think that he is going to backdoor the goalie problem by bringing in a quality defenseman or two to shore up that unit. The failed Chycrun deal influences my thoughts on that issue. 

On this issue, you and I are taking the same bus. 

[MBD]

5 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm simply stating an opinion based on what I believe KA's instincts are in making such a consequential goalie decision: I don't think he is going outside the organization to make such an impactful deal. If I had to guess, I would speculate that he would ride the wagon that has Comrie, UPL and Levi riding on. Again, this is my opinion/guess: I think that he is going to backdoor the goalie problem by bringing in a quality defenseman or two to shore up that unit. The failed Chycrun deal influences my thoughts on that issue. 

On this issue, you and I are taking the same bus. 

What good starting G would want to come to Buffalo on a short-term contract to mentor Devon?  How much are we talking about giving up for him?

[JohnC]

6 minutes ago, MBD said:

What good starting G would want to come to Buffalo on a short-term contract to mentor Devon?  How much are we talking about giving up for him?

The goalie I would love to add is Saro, maybe even Demko. They are under a short enough term for us to allow our young goalies to develop more. As far as what is the GM willing to give up, I'm confident that he is not willing to give up one of our prime prospects. My concern isn't over mentoring any of our young goalies. My main concern is getting a dependable goalie who can anchor this emerging team. The time to do it is sooner rather than later. 

My sense, based on just my gut, is that the GM is going to stick with what he has in the system. Is that the right course of action? I really don't know. 

Edited April 2, 2023 by JohnC

[MBD]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The goalie I would love to add is Saro, maybe even Demko. They are under a short enough term for us to allow our young goalies to develop more. As far as what is the GM willing to give up, I'm confident that he is not willing to give up one of our prime prospects. My concern isn't over mentoring any of our young goalies. My main concern is getting a dependable goalie who can anchor this emerging team. The time to do it is sooner rather than later. 

My sense, based on just my gut, is that the GM is going to stick with what he has in the system. Is that the right course of action? I really don't know. 

Would you favor KA giving up a prime prospect to get either of them?

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, MBD said:

Would you favor KA giving up a prime prospect to get either of them?

No. Not Savoie or Kulich. Maybe Rosen in a deal? I would give up first round draft pick/s if it were required. If it seems that I am equivocating, it is because I'm not sure. The more I hear about Rosen coming along as a player the less enthusiastic I am to deal him. 

[Flashsabre]

On 4/1/2023 at 3:55 PM, MBD said:

There probably was something to it.  Sometimes situations don't always work out for everyone.  And age/maturity changes things.

Yep and Brindamour wanted complete buy in on a very structured defensive system and that wasn’t Skinner’s game.

Skinner has been great here. Even through the Krueger Hell years he didn’t mouth off and embarrass the team. 

He has been the scorer we all thought he was but this year his playmaking has really improved.  Skinner-Tage-Tuch is the best line the Sabres have had in a long time.

[nfreeman]

One more comment on the Rangers game:  DD's "Skinner, Skinner, overtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmme winner!" was a great, great call.  (I just heard it yesterday as when I watched the game on Friday, we had the NYC MSG feed.)

[Stoner]

37 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

One more comment on the Rangers game:  DD's "Skinner, Skinner, overtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmme winner!" was a great, great call.  (I just heard it yesterday as when I watched the game on Friday, we had the NYC MSG feed.)

He has another gear.