Annual expectations thread 2023/24: #27 Devon Levi

[Mustache of God]

35 Shutouts, 45 goals, 90 assists. 

[mjd1001]

51 minutes ago, K-9 said:

I hope that fence you’re sitting on doesn’t have any pointy pickets. 😂

Exactly my point. In the other 'expection' threads I usually have a pretty strong opinion of most players. This one is different.

[JohnC]

50 minutes ago, K-9 said:

I hope that fence you’re sitting on doesn’t have any pointy pickets. 😂

Are you accusing @mjd1001 of being an equivocator? How dare you!😖

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, K-9 said:

I thought about that but didn’t want to come across as unreasonable with my expectations for Devon Levy.

Levi is a rare breed. He charts his own path and is unstoppable. 

[K-9]

24 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Levi is a rare breed. He charts his own path and is unstoppable. 

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 9/5/2023 at 2:58 PM, dudacek said:

I think it’s interesting how many people seem to disagree with the above, yet (according to the poll) seem to agree with the Levi half of the equation.

Everyone agrees he is 1/2 the goalie solution and that he is already better than AHL players Comrie and UPL.  What we question is KA's judgment that putting the playoff chances in the hands of a rookie goaltender is a wise move.  We also question his judgment that UPL and Comrie are better than what's available.  Considering a 40 year goalie (Anderson) was better than both, I think there is ample evidence that adding another goalie to play with and mentor Levi would be a much smarter plan.  This doesn't mean that this foolhardy plan won't work, but it's taking a large and unnecessary risk for a team primed to make the playoffs.  Given our ample cap space, this strategy seems even more foolhardy.  

[Brawndo]

Article in the Buffalo News on how Levi spent His Summer Training

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/buffalo-sabres-devon-levi-nhl-top-young-goalies-prospect/article_457204c6-474b-11ee-80b6-7703caf996e7.html

[JohnC]

On 9/6/2023 at 5:54 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Everyone agrees he is 1/2 the goalie solution and that he is already better than AHL players Comrie and UPL.  What we question is KA's judgment that putting the playoff chances in the hands of a rookie goaltender is a wise move.  We also question his judgment that UPL and Comrie are better than what's available.  Considering a 40 year goalie (Anderson) was better than both, I think there is ample evidence that adding another goalie to play with and mentor Levi would be a much smarter plan.  This doesn't mean that this foolhardy plan won't work, but it's taking a large and unnecessary risk for a team primed to make the playoffs.  Given our ample cap space, this strategy seems even more foolhardy.  

I don't want to reprise an issue that has already been beaten to death. But the notion that the GM wasn't willing to consider options to upgrade the position doesn't mesh with what actually happened in the offseason. Without question, there were appealing goalie options. But almost all of those options went back to the teams they were already with. Jersey, Boston and Carolina had enticing goalies who would have been upgrades. Levi is going to be our primary goalie and UPL and Comrie will be competing for the backup role. There is a difference from what you want and what you can get. And there is cost consideration related to contracts and asset costs. Our GM made the right decision to stand pat with the goalies he had on the team. 

[Weave]

44 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Our GM made the right decision to stand pat with the goalies he had on the team. 

This remains to be seen.

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, Weave said:

This remains to be seen.

Considering what his actual options were he made the right decision. 

[LGR4GM]

20 minutes ago, Weave said:

This remains to be seen.

 

12 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Considering what his actual options were he made the right decision. 

If the Sabres miss the playoffs and goaltending was bad,  Adams didn't make the right decision. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by LGR4GM

[JohnC]

10 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

 

If the Sabres miss the playoffs and goaltending was bad,  Adams didn't make the right decision. 

You make decisions based on what your alternatives are. Sometimes your options are not better than what you already have. Apparently, that's the judgment that KA made. As I have stated before, some of the options that many thought were available were not actually available at the price that made sense. There were some appealing goalies to consider. Most of them went back to the teams that they were with. Jersey, Boston and Carolina had goalies on the market that would have been good acquisitions. They all stayed with their teams. 

What I'm comfortable in saying is that the Sabres are in a better goalie situation entering this season than they were last season. Levi, even as a rookie, is a demonstrable upgrade to the position. I'm more than comfortable with either UPL or Comrie as backups. If the Sabres don't make the playoffs, it won't only be because of the play of the goalies. Team defense will also be a significant factor as to whether the Sabres make the playoffs or not. 

[Weave]

38 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Considering what his actual options were he made the right decision. 

I’m curious how you know all of the available options.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Levi will win the Calder and Vezina.  

He will lead the Sabres to the playoff.

I would be tickled if he pulled a Patrick Roy and duplicated his rockie year.

[Weave]

7 minutes ago, JohnC said:

the Sabres are in a better goalie situation entering this season than they were last season.

This remains to be seen.

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Weave said:

I’m curious how you know all of the available options.

As I stated in previous posts there were goalies on the market. Carolina, Islanders and Boston had appealing goalies on the market; they all went back to their respective teams. The goalie that was frequently mentioned here was Helly from Winnipeg. He was on the last year of his contract. The cost for this UFA made no sense for us. What goalies are you suggesting were better options for us than what we had? The organization is placing a lot of trust in Levi. I'm fine with that decision and I'm fine with UPL or Comrie being a backup. 

[JohnC]

6 minutes ago, Weave said:

This remains to be seen.

I'm comfortable in believing that Levi is a demonstrable upgrade from what we had in net last year. If you have a different view, that's okay. A lot of the consternation over our goalie staffing has to do with the concern with UPL and Comrie. As backups, I'm not as concerned as others are here. 

[Weave]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

As I stated in previous posts there were goalies on the market. Carolina, Islanders and Boston had appealing goalies on the market; they all went back to their respective teams. The goalie that was frequently mentioned here was Helly from Winnipeg. He was on the last year of his contract. The cost for this UFA made no sense for us. What goalies are you suggesting were better options for us than what we had? The organization is placing a lot of trust in Levi. I'm fine with that decision and I'm fine with UPL or Comrie being a backup. 

I do not have suggestions regarding better options.  I do not have inside info that tells me all the options available.  I do know that 31 GMs in the league are working with the expectation that the goalies they acquire are good enough to meet team goals.  I won’t know whether our GM has met those expectations until the season starts to play out.  I do know his changes for this season to date are passive responses, at best.

Then again, strong messaging regarding team expectations have been absent as well…..

[dudacek]

27 minutes ago, Weave said:

I do not have suggestions regarding better options.  I do not have inside info that tells me all the options available.  I do know that 31 GMs in the league are working with the expectation that the goalies they acquire are good enough to meet team goals.  I won’t know whether our GM has met those expectations until the season starts to play out.  I do know his changes for this season to date are passive responses, at best.

Then again, strong messaging regarding team expectations have been absent as well…..

Agree with every sentence of this post save the last.

Nobody is talking about these statements and they should not be left unnoticed:

“Should our goal be to make the playoffs, to be 2 points better than this year? No. That’s expected now. You set the goal of winning a Stanley Cup and then you don’t touch that. You don’t run from that. You don’t let that weigh you down at all. The time is now.” - Kyle Okposo

"I honestly think we can go for a (Stanley) Cup, so I think that's the attitude everyone has got and the attitude we have to have.” - Owen Power

Pretty sure you’re talking about management, but I think it’s more important what’s coming from the room.

[Weave]

12 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Agree with every sentence of this post save the last.

Nobody is talking about these statements and they should not be left unnoticed:

“Should our goal be to make the playoffs, to be 2 points better than this year? No. That’s expected now. You set the goal of winning a Stanley Cup and then you don’t touch that. You don’t run from that. You don’t let that weigh you down at all. The time is now.” - Kyle Okposo

"I honestly think we can go for a (Stanley) Cup, so I think that's the attitude everyone has got and the attitude we have to have.” - Owen Power

Pretty sure you’re talking about management, but I think it’s more important what’s coming from the room.

Yes, I am talking about Management.  Its not Okposo’s role to identify and fix roster issues to get the team to the next level.  I want to hear KA express that the goal, and his mission, is to full the roster such that playoffs are expected.

Including finding a way to bring in playoff calibre goaltending.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Weave

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Yes, I am talking about Management.  Its not Okposo’s role to identify and fix roster issues to get the team to the next level.  I want to hear KA express that the goal, and his mission, is to full the roster such that playoffs are expected.

Including finding a way to bring in playoff calibre goaltending.

I think the issue with what you are saying is the fact there isn’t a legitimate option the Sabres can take that makes sense at this present time. The players and fans want a Cup team but I honestly don’t see us being quite ready to make a full playoff run. Presently the only way we can get a playoff caliber goaltender is via prospects like Levi or trading a mountain to get a rental in Helle. There aren’t a multitude of goalies just out there we could bring in to get to the playoffs that are reasonably priced. You don’t trade multiple premium assets for a rental goalie no matter how good they might be unless you feel fully confident that said goalie makes you a significant Cup contender. Presently I’d be on the fence in trading for prime Hasek or Roy due to the teams inexperienced roster. The thing is, there are no Haseks or Roys just laying around; even at Helle’s peak level we’d still be a mere playoff berth team that might win a round. I’m not trading huge assets to get 1.5 playoff rounds for 1 year

[LGR4GM]

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

You make decisions based on what your alternatives are. Sometimes your options are not better than what you already have. Apparently, that's the judgment that KA made. As I have stated before, some of the options that many thought were available were not actually available at the price that made sense. There were some appealing goalies to consider. Most of them went back to the teams that they were with. Jersey, Boston and Carolina had goalies on the market that would have been good acquisitions. They all stayed with their teams. 

What I'm comfortable in saying is that the Sabres are in a better goalie situation entering this season than they were last season. Levi, even as a rookie, is a demonstrable upgrade to the position. I'm more than comfortable with either UPL or Comrie as backups. If the Sabres don't make the playoffs, it won't only be because of the play of the goalies. Team defense will also be a significant factor as to whether the Sabres make the playoffs or not. 

I'll say it again. 

If the Buffalo Sabres miss the playoffs this season because of goaltending, Kevyn Adams was 100% wrong. 

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

I'm comfortable in believing that Levi is a demonstrable upgrade from what we had in net last year. If you have a different view, that's okay. A lot of the consternation over our goalie staffing has to do with the concern with UPL and Comrie. As backups, I'm not as concerned as others are here. 

Those 2 backups have to play 30-40 games. 

[LGR4GM]

4 hours ago, Weave said:

This remains to be seen.

I love Levi but it's a lot to ask him to be better than Anderson over more games. We'll have to see what happens but Adams approach is certainly risky. 

8 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I think the issue with what you are saying is the fact there isn’t a legitimate option the Sabres can take that makes sense at this present time. The players and fans want a Cup team but I honestly don’t see us being quite ready to make a full playoff run. Presently the only way we can get a playoff caliber goaltender is via prospects like Levi or trading a mountain to get a rental in Helle. There aren’t a multitude of goalies just out there we could bring in to get to the playoffs that are reasonably priced. You don’t trade multiple premium assets for a rental goalie no matter how good they might be unless you feel fully confident that said goalie makes you a significant Cup contender. Presently I’d be on the fence in trading for prime Hasek or Roy due to the teams inexperienced roster. The thing is, there are no Haseks or Roys just laying around; even at Helle’s peak level we’d still be a mere playoff berth team that might win a round. I’m not trading huge assets to get 1.5 playoff rounds for 1 year

The Sabres roster isn't inexperienced. Being young doesn't mean inexperienced. 

[thewookie1]

On 9/10/2023 at 4:01 PM, LGR4GM said:

I love Levi but it's a lot to ask him to be better than Anderson over more games. We'll have to see what happens but Adams approach is certainly risky. 

The Sabres roster isn't inexperienced. Being young doesn't mean inexperienced. 

I was talking about playoff experience not regular experience 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

In case yous all don't remember Patrick Roy's rookie year here's a hint - it was 1985/86.

He startred very slowly and didn't seem like much and that he was not quite ready.

By the time the playoffs rolled around he was ready - he won the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup.