Should Adams bring in a starter and make Levi the backup in 23/24?

[LGR4GM]

I like Levi. Just asking

[tom webster]

Yes. Goaltenders are just do unpredictable. It’ll be great if Levi is the next great one but counting on that would be unforgivable given this team’s prospects for next year.

[Kr632]

It would be smart to bring in at least a starting quality goalie. If Levi beats him out, great. If not than we have two good goalies 

[Buffalonill]

Its Levi net he never collapsed under pressure just get him a very   solid back up

[sabresouth]

My only concern with Levi is if he will be able to handle #1 goalie for the whole season.  He did great this season but it was a very small sample size. I would like to see a very capable #2 brought in just in case Levi stumbles a little. Our other three goalies are not acceptable for me as backups for Levi. 

[Huckleberry]

Frederik Andersen or Anti Raanta from canes are only ones I can see available over the summer.  The rest are pretty much meh.

Edited April 12, 2023 by Huckleberry

[Weave]

Bring in a starter quality guy and let them duke it out all season.

*it won’t happen.  No doubt in my mind we have the same 3 headed monster we ended this season with.

[triumph_communes]

No. Levi is the starter. We have backups.  Goalie is fine. 

[Buffalonill]

22 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:

No. Levi is the starter. We have backups.  Goalie is fine. 

 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Kr632 said:

It would be smart to bring in at least a starting quality goalie. If Levi beats him out, great. If not than we have two good goalies 

This.  So much this.

Really want Varlamov brought in.  He'd be ideal in that he can be the #1 if Levi falters and he's used to being the backup.  And unlike Saros who would cost a lot in assets, still expect he'd cost Savoie or Kulich and a 1st round pick, he wouldn't be "blocking" Levi if Devon is what we've seen him to be.

[oddoublee]

Team has too much talent offensively - and a solid 2nd pairing Dman and Depth 3rd pairing Dman from making 100 point noise next year. Not wanting to bank on a kid that has never had a full season grind of the NHL. I would love if they brought in a Goalie that makes Levi fight for even 40 games next year - and winner take all the following year. Goalie prospects, especially 21 year old goalie prospects, are not guarantee. 

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

This.  So much this.

Really want Varlamov brought in.  He'd be ideal in that he can be the #1 if Levi falters and he's used to being the backup.  And unlike Saros who would cost a lot in assets, still expect he'd cost Savoie or Kulich and a 1st round pick, he wouldn't be "blocking" Levi if Devon is what we've seen him to be.

I dont think so. 

[Taro T]

9 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I dont think so. 

Realize that other goalies have been had cheaper.  Few, if any of those, have been 1 of the best 3 goalies in the game and still under contract for multiple years.  He wouldn't be on the market because he absolutely wants out; he'd be on the market because they're retooling and are very high on Askarov.  Thing is, they can retool and bring Askarov in while Saros is still there.  The Sabres didn't get rid of Miller while he still had term left even though they were in the midst of a scorched earth tank.  They only traded him when he was on the verge of becoming an UFA.

IMHO the only way Saros gets traded now is if it's a "wow, we can't believe what we're getting offered for him" type of deal.  They don't NEED to trade him.  Not yet, at any rate.

[Pimlach]

What I want:   Bring in a goalie.  We need a 1B in case Levi hits a wall.   Why can't we have two starting caliber goalie's?   

What will really happen:   Levi 1, UPL 2, Comrie packaged in a trade, Andy retired.  

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Bring in a starter quality guy and let them duke it out all season.

*it won’t happen.  No doubt in my mind we have the same 3 headed monster we ended this season with.

It won't be 3. Comrie could get waived and maybe get through to Rochester, though he has a pretty cheap salary even as a backup. UPL would get nabbed by somebody. Very likely one them is traded. Or Levi starts in Rochester waiting for one of them to grab the reins or get moved. I'd guess we'll see UPL and Levi and a bigger emphasis on team (forwards) defense.

Personally, I don't overload Levi. I probably max him out at 41 games (NHL [and AHL if necessary] combined) while his body is developing, he's getting accustomed to cross-country travel and managing time zone changes against his routines, 2-week long road trips, building up his dossier on shooters and they on him, and being a celebrity.

[triumph_communes]

This whole thread confuses me. Why wouldn’t Levi get 60 games?  UPL 22 games?

[CallawaySabres]

1 hour ago, triumph_communes said:

No. Levi is the starter. We have backups.  Goalie is fine. 

If we had even 1 decent backup, he would have played last night…

[Gatorman0519]

I would absolutely bring in a quality vet. Levi should not be relied upon as the sole goalie to win games. You will burn him out. 

[triumph_communes]

2 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

If we had even 1 decent backup, he would have played last night…

We just got unlucky last night. Nobody plays a back up in the playoffs. We finally have a solution in net I don’t understand why it’s a focus again. 

[MISabresFan]

Goalies need playing time.  Between Levi, UPL, Comrie, and Subban - this team needs to figure out a plan to keep them sharp.  Four goalies who all are serviceable.  Just need to figure out a schedule to get each of them playing time and improve the defense.

[Randall Flagg]

1 minute ago, MISabresFan said:

Goalies need playing time.  Between Levi, UPL, Comrie, and Subban - this team needs to figure out a plan to keep them sharp.  Four goalies who all are serviceable.  Just need to figure out a schedule to get each of them playing time and improve the defense.

Nothing about three of those names you mention make me think "this is serviceable for a team that has to make the playoffs." Nothing. They are more likely to torpedo a playoff run than serve it well. 

[MISabresFan]

1 minute ago, Randall Flagg said:

Nothing about three of those names you mention make me think "this is serviceable for a team that has to make the playoffs." Nothing. They are more likely to torpedo a playoff run than serve it well. 

Comrie did not get enough looks.  UPL is still developing.  Subban is playing well.  Just my take.

[sabresparaavida]

Just now, MISabresFan said:

Comrie did not get enough looks.  UPL is still developing.  Subban is playing well.  Just my take.

Comrie didn’t get enough looks in part due to injury, but more due to his performance when he did play. He got 19 games (which happens to be how much he played the season before, and was enough to make the roster) 

[TheAud]

27 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:

We just got unlucky last night. Nobody plays a back up in the playoffs. We finally have a solution in net I don’t understand why it’s a focus again. 

No back to back's in playoffs. 

[MISabresFan]

4 minutes ago, sabresparaavida said:

Comrie didn’t get enough looks in part due to injury, but more due to his performance when he did play. He got 19 games (which happens to be how much he played the season before, and was enough to make the roster) 

Exactly, he needs consistent playing time to prove his worth.  Not enough games for him.