Levi sent to Roch

[Brawndo]

9 hours ago, Taro T said:

 

Blues 6 - Sabres 4.  Sabres outshoot the Blues in the 1st period 15-8 and come out of that period down 3-1.  Sabres tie game at 3-3 in the 2nd and still come out of the period down by 2 goals in a period they outshot the Blues 16-6.  Sabres only outshoot them 15-6 in the 3rd and lose 6-4.

The Sabres get ##### slapped in Carolina with Comrie in net.  They actually played them fairly evenly for the 1st 15 minutes of the game prior to Comrie giving up 2 goals to go down by 2 at the end of 1 and then gives up another goal 1 minute into the 2nd.  Playing Comrie in net in Carolina was almost criminal.  There was no way they were winning that one.  UPL should've gotten that start.  (But he got hammered in St. Louis, so so much for that.)

They didn't play terrible against the Preds, but a bad goal and an unfortunate deflection was enough going against the guy we hope Levi becomes.

The team comes out flat with Comrie between the pipes and no Tuch in the lineup?  Whomever could've seen that one coming?

Honestly don't see Levi playing in Buffalo this year as the 2/1B to UPL as detrimental to his development.  Would be adamant that he needs to be in Ra-cha-cha if it were absolutely the case.

Don't see playing him as a 1B/2 as cheating him out of too many games / too many reps.  He can always go down for a few days / couple of weeks if an issue starts to arise.  And have NO problem at all with giving Comrie almost 0 reps in practice as long as UPL and Levi are performing well.  Can't see any positive circumstances where Comrie is a Sabre next year.

Expect if they start giving him the 1B/2 goalie starts, he'll start looking much better than he did prior to getting sent down.  After coming back from injury the team's record with him between the pipes is now 3-1-1 and that includes 2 starts against the Bruins.  His last 4 games prior to getting sent down were against opponents that were a combined 32-13-7 prior to their games vs the Sabres.  REALLY wanted to see him get the game against the Blues to get a gauge of how he stands vs middling competition; didn't happen.  It is what it is.

And, if he does appear to be in over his head should he stay up, he can always get sent down at that point.  Keeping him here while Comrie finishes fully healing up over the next couple of weeks / month isn't going to set Levi back irreparably.

Should Comrie reach a point where he's playing as well as he was prior to being injured, they can go back and revisit the decision.  But right now he isn't.  The decision doesn't have to be an all or nothing decision regarding Levi.  Play it by ear and go with what makes sense at the time, but if they go to UPL and Comrie right now, it sure does look like they're throwing in the towel on this season.  That is unacceptable.   Not when competing for a SC is the primary goal; you can't give up 1/3 of the way through.

Have said it before, really don't see playing Levi full time vs AHL talent or nearly 1/2 time vs NHL talent appreciably affecting his career trajectory.  This kid is special.  Would have a significantly different view of this if he weren't.

 

Regarding the 1st bolded; perhaps if they ACTUALLY give him an opportunity to play as the 1B/2, he'd be able to do just that.

Regarding the 2nd bolded; what have you seen from this goalie that indicates he ISN'T gaining THOSE W's every single day?  And he can get those in Buffalo or in Ra-cha-cha.

Look, if he gets 1B/2 usage and gets overwhelmed, then sure, absolutely send him down.  But right now, they haven't afforded him the opportunity to demonstrate whether he can succeed there or not.

As @LGR4GM mentioned Levi has already been sent down as they felt He needs the AHL.  
 

This is the same person who stayed an extra year in CCHL, then stayed an extra year in the NCAAs as He felt that was best for his development. 
Levi needs reps. He is not going to get the proper amount as the 1b or 2 in Buffalo. He needs to the starter in Rochester to maximize those.  
 

The  Instigator Podcast with Chris Ostrander, who played 4 years as a college goalie spoke about the reasons he should go down. He mentioned there are a significant differences in Levi’s Play for the seven game stint last season. He mentioned that Levi’s footwork is off and he is not moving side to side as well. He is not reading plays as well and his rebound control is off to the put that neither he nor the defenseman know where the puck is going. He mentioned These are all things better worked on in the AHL.  Even Friedman and Marek agreed sending Levi down was the best decision and they get their input from coaches and GMs around the league 

Had UPL not gotten sick, Levi would have not been called back up to begin with. Look at the recent Vezina Winners, with the exception of Bob who played three full seasons in the KHL, they had time in the AHL.
 

The next group of goalies of potential NHL Star Goalies Wolf, Woll, Wallstedt and Askarov have all spent time in the AHL.
 

Adams, Granato and Appert do not have the best track record with goalies, but this time they are following the development pathway that has been successful with other goalies. Levi is a special talent, but he needs time to develop properly 

To Thorny’s Point Levi is absolutely a better option then Comrie in net right now. But that’s not the best option for Levi’s Development. 
As far as the Sabres Playoff Chances go, not improving the goaltending situation and expecting the same forward group to be able to take another step forward in the standings is on Adams and Levi’s Development Pathway should not be affected. 
 

You know who would have a problem with Comrie getting almost zero reps in practice? His teammates. Comrie is well respected in the room and if he is placed in limbo by the team , His Agent and the NHLPA would likely get involved as well.  

[Dr. Who]

9 hours ago, Brawndo said:

As @LGR4GM mentioned Levi has already been sent down as they felt He needs the AHL.  
 

This is the same person who stayed an extra year in CCHL, then stayed an extra year in the NCAAs as He felt that was best for his development. 
Levi needs reps. He is not going to get the proper amount as the 1b or 2 in Buffalo. He needs to the starter in Rochester to maximize those.  
 

The  Instigator Podcast with Chris Ostrander, who played 4 years as a college goalie spoke about the reasons he should go down. He mentioned there are a significant differences in Levi’s Play for the seven game stint last season. He mentioned that Levi’s footwork is off and he is not moving side to side as well. He is not reading plays as well and his rebound control is off to the put that neither he nor the defenseman know where the puck is going. He mentioned These are all things better worked on in the AHL.  Even Friedman and Marek agreed sending Levi down was the best decision and they get their input from coaches and GMs around the league 

Had UPL not gotten sick, Levi would have not been called back up to begin with. Look at the recent Vezina Winners, with the exception of Bob who played three full seasons in the KHL, they had time in the AHL.
 

The next group of goalies of potential NHL Star Goalies Wolf, Woll, Wallstedt and Askarov have all spent time in the AHL.
 

Adams, Granato and Appert do not have the best track record with goalies, but this time they are following the development pathway that has been successful with other goalies. Levi is a special talent, but he needs time to develop properly 

To Thorny’s Point Levi is absolutely a better option then Comrie in net right now. But that’s not the best option for Levi’s Development. 
As far as the Sabres Playoff Chances go, not improving the goaltending situation and expecting the same forward group to be able to take another step forward in the standings is on Adams and Levi’s Development Pathway should not be affected. 
 

You know who would have a problem with Comrie getting almost zero reps in practice? His teammates. Comrie is well respected in the room and if he is placed in limbo by the team , His Agent and the NHLPA would likely get involved as well.  

Sigh. This sounds persuasive. It's probably right, though Comrie has not looked good since coming back from injury, and can't seem to stay healthy.

[SDS]

9 hours ago, Brawndo said:

His Agent and the NHLPA would likely get involved as well.

What does this mean?

[Brawndo]

1 minute ago, SDS said:

What does this mean?

If the Sabres followed the pathway laid out by Taro and barely gave Comrie any practice time, there would be pressure on the Sabres from His Agent and the NHLPA to waive or trade Him.

Comrie does not figure into the teams future plans, but he will be an UFA in July and is going to want to play for another opportunity elsewhere next season.

The Sabres as an organization cannot afford to appear to screwing over a player (no matter how bad they suck) with the teams less than stellar reputation around the league with players. 

[Taro T]

10 hours ago, Brawndo said:

As @LGR4GM mentioned Levi has already been sent down as they felt He needs the AHL.  
 

This is the same person who stayed an extra year in CCHL, then stayed an extra year in the NCAAs as He felt that was best for his development. 
Levi needs reps. He is not going to get the proper amount as the 1b or 2 in Buffalo. He needs to the starter in Rochester to maximize those.  
 

The  Instigator Podcast with Chris Ostrander, who played 4 years as a college goalie spoke about the reasons he should go down. He mentioned there are a significant differences in Levi’s Play for the seven game stint last season. He mentioned that Levi’s footwork is off and he is not moving side to side as well. He is not reading plays as well and his rebound control is off to the put that neither he nor the defenseman know where the puck is going. He mentioned These are all things better worked on in the AHL.  Even Friedman and Marek agreed sending Levi down was the best decision and they get their input from coaches and GMs around the league 

Had UPL not gotten sick, Levi would have not been called back up to begin with. Look at the recent Vezina Winners, with the exception of Bob who played three full seasons in the KHL, they had time in the AHL.
 

The next group of goalies of potential NHL Star Goalies Wolf, Woll, Wallstedt and Askarov have all spent time in the AHL.
 

Adams, Granato and Appert do not have the best track record with goalies, but this time they are following the development pathway that has been successful with other goalies. Levi is a special talent, but he needs time to develop properly 

To Thorny’s Point Levi is absolutely a better option then Comrie in net right now. But that’s not the best option for Levi’s Development. 
As far as the Sabres Playoff Chances go, not improving the goaltending situation and expecting the same forward group to be able to take another step forward in the standings is on Adams and Levi’s Development Pathway should not be affected. 
 

You know who would have a problem with Comrie getting almost zero reps in practice? His teammates. Comrie is well respected in the room and if he is placed in limbo by the team , His Agent and the NHLPA would likely get involved as well.  

You do make a compelling case.

And have said if he needs to be in Ra-cha-cha, he can be.  But right now, Comrie is, to put it kindly, not good.  Personally believe he is not at 100% and playing him is giving the Sabres about the same chance of winning games as playing Bob Essensa gave them.  Until Comrie is 100%, which should be reached sometime in the next couple of weeks/month, see no reason to have Levi full time in the A.  When he IS 100%, they'll have 3 good 2's on the roster, and the decision can be revisited then.

Let's see how things go tonight. 

This kid is special and the Sabres really lucked out in Spencer Knight's issues not presenting a year earlier than they did, because the Cats wouldn't have had him available to the Sabres had they.  He'd've been the Cats goalie of the future.

[French Collection]

32 minutes ago, Taro T said:

This kid is special and the Sabres really lucked out in Spencer Knight's issues not presenting a year earlier than they did, because the Cats wouldn't have had him available to the Sabres had they.  He'd've been the Cats goalie of the future.

Hadn’t thought of that angle but probably true. Luongo fought to get Levi drafted and was sad to see him go.

[Jorcus]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

If the Sabres followed the pathway laid out by Taro and barely gave Comrie any practice time, there would be pressure on the Sabres from His Agent and the NHLPA to waive or trade Him.

Comrie does not figure into the teams future plans, but he will be an UFA in July and is going to want to play for another opportunity elsewhere next season.

The Sabres as an organization cannot afford to appear to screwing over a player (no matter how bad they suck) with the teams less than stellar reputation around the league with players. 

I don't see Comrie having any leverage in this. He will be on his own soon enough and given the Sabres luck with goaltender health over the last few years even three doesn't seem like enough. If the Sabres thought Levi was going to be an Amerk he would have been there game 1 but instead he starts the first 4 for the Sabres. I don't think that was the right thing to do but here we are. I doubt he spends more time in Rochester because I can't see the Sabres putting Comrie back in the net unless Levi gets destroyed. The one thing about Levi is that he may be the smartest guy in the building and if any one can figure out how to play in the NHL without doing it in the AHL it is probably him. 

 

[Brawndo]

9 hours ago, Jorcus said:

I don't see Comrie having any leverage in this. He will be on his own soon enough and given the Sabres luck with goaltender health over the last few years even three doesn't seem like enough. If the Sabres thought Levi was going to be an Amerk he would have been there game 1 but instead he starts the first 4 for the Sabres. I don't think that was the right thing to do but here we are. I doubt he spends more time in Rochester because I can't see the Sabres putting Comrie back in the net unless Levi gets destroyed. The one thing about Levi is that he may be the smartest guy in the building and if any one can figure out how to play in the NHL without doing it in the AHL it is probably him. 

 

In a situation as outlined by Taro

Quote

And have NO problem at all with giving Comrie almost 0 reps in practice as long as UPL and Levi are performing well. 

Comrie would absolutely have leverage if he was being severely limited in practice reps. His Agent and the PA could and would put pressure on Adams to do something whether it be waivers or a trade. As mentioned before Comrie is well liked and respected in the Sabres Room, it would not go over well with them either. 
 

Levi was the opening day starter and played the first four games because at the time He was the best option as there was not an improvement from the outside. 
Levi even told the Spitting Chiclets Podcast after the first four games Levi told his girlfriend was a little banged up and she mentioned don’t worry there are only 78 games left. He jokingly replied 78 that’s a lot after playing a 35 game season in college. The best place for a goalie to make the transition from College to the AHL 

The point isn’t whether he is better than Comrie, which everyone knows that he is, it’s that Rochester is the best for His Development right now once UPL is good to go. 
 

Even if he split the remaining games with UPL, that is not going to allow neither goaltender to get into the rhythm and receive the number or starts to be successful. 
 

Levi is brilliant as you mentioned and will be ready for full time NHL duty sooner rather than later, but right now the AHL is his best pathway. 

Edited December 10, 2023 by Brawndo

[Taro T]

13 hours ago, Brawndo said:

If the Sabres followed the pathway laid out by Taro and barely gave Comrie any practice time, there would be pressure on the Sabres from His Agent and the NHLPA to waive or trade Him.

Comrie does not figure into the teams future plans, but he will be an UFA in July and is going to want to play for another opportunity elsewhere next season.

The Sabres as an organization cannot afford to appear to screwing over a player (no matter how bad they suck) with the teams less than stellar reputation around the league with players. 

So, if Levi continues to play the way he has since coming back up, and UPL continues to play the way he did prior to Levi going down, then waive Comrie hoping he makes it to Ra-cha-cha.

Problem solved.

[Porous Five Hole]

57 minutes ago, Taro T said:

So, if Levi continues to play the way he has since coming back up, and UPL continues to play the way he did prior to Levi going down, then waive Comrie hoping he makes it to Ra-cha-cha.

Problem solved.

There was a time that I was concerned about Comrie being claimed on waivers. That time has passed. If another team claims him, then our three headed monster is dead. If not, Comrie gets sent down and hopefully the Amerks get better.  
The only mud in the water is if we think Levi is good enough to be NHL #2 (which he is), but one start a week isn’t the best for his development.

I’m not saying Levi needs AHL bus rides, but he needs games.  Thats the rub. I want to win now and win next year too.  Levi being a workhorse somewhere is important.  It’s complicated.  

[Sabres Super Fan]

The Buffalo Sabres need to waive Eric Comrie and move on. What reputation the Buffalo Sabres don’t any reputation other than losing yearly and keeping a minor goalie Eric Comrie on the Sabres roster is insanity he was trash with the Winnipeg Jets there is no upside. The Buffalo Sabres need to ice there best players this is major league sports. Eric Comrie has no leverage and because he played so poorly isn’t trade able at NHL trade deadline for the Sabres so there is no point keeping him anymore on the Sabres roster. Again let Eric Comrie complain it doesn’t matter pay him what you owe him and be done with it. The Sabres couldn’t even sign home town Patrick Kane. Keeping Eric Comrie happy isn’t changing the Sabres losing reputation winning does that. Eric Comrie can’t help the Sabres with that so there is no point of keeping on the Sabres roster. Waive Eric Comrie and go from there with Devon Levi and UPL alternating until one shows there above and beyond the other goalie in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[Quint]

I'd have to say that playing Levi three times in a row, after bringing him up from the AHL after losing Lukkonnen to injury is a real indictment on Comrie.

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, Quint said:

I'd have to say that playing Levi three times in a row, after bringing him up from the AHL after losing Lukkonnen to injury is a real indictment on Comrie.

It goes back to the offseason... if you believe Levi is the one, why is Comrie even on the roster? No one is going to claim him on waivers. Just ship him out and get the roster flexibility for the forwards/defense so you don't need to worry about 11-7 garbage again.

[pi2000]

Keep Comrie, him and UPL are rarely ever healthy at the same time anyway.

Ride Levi while he's hot but don't waive Comrie.

[MattPie]

On 12/11/2023 at 8:12 PM, Quint said:

I'd have to say that playing Levi three times in a row, after bringing him up from the AHL after losing Lukkonnen to injury is a real indictment on Comrie.

To be honest, I think it's *kinda* normal with a young goaltender. He may be better than your backup, but you send him to the AHL so he's playing 50+ games instead of 20. I remember the Sabres doing the same thing in the past, although I can't recall who it was. Comrie certainly looks like the 3rd best of the 3, but that doesn't mean you send him to the AHL to have Levi play once a week in the NHL.

[shrader]

16 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Keep Comrie, him and UPL are rarely ever healthy at the same time anyway.

Ride Levi while he's hot but don't waive Comrie.

Who are you sending down/out to make room for that once Tuch/Greenway/Quinn/Girgensons are healthy? Murray is obviously the first to go. After that it’s time to waive Bryson. Who is next, Robinson if his game falls off? Jost? They won’t have the roster flexibility to carry 3 anymore now because hat three new guys have been added to the NHL mix (Johnson, Quinn, Robinson). 

[Taro T]

7 hours ago, shrader said:

Who are you sending down/out to make room for that once Tuch/Greenway/Quinn/Girgensons are healthy? Murray is obviously the first to go. After that it’s time to waive Bryson. Who is next, Robinson if his game falls off? Jost? They won’t have the roster flexibility to carry 3 anymore now because hat three new guys have been added to the NHL mix (Johnson, Quinn, Robinson). 

It's POSSIBLE the 4th guy out is Benson.  But that's pretty much permanent for the rest of this season as he can only come back up before WA is eliminated via an emergency recall and he has to go back to juniors when the Sabres have 12 healthy Fs.  So, it isn't all that likely that he goes back. 

[Big Guava]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

It's POSSIBLE the 4th guy out is Benson.  But that's pretty much permanent for the rest of this season as he can only come back up before WA is eliminated via an emergency recall and he has to go back to juniors when the Sabres have 12 healthy Fs.  So, it isn't all that likely that he goes back. 

Benson plays better positionally without the puck than 90% of the forwards...there is NO WAY he is getting sent down...they need more of what he brings not less.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Big Guava

[oddoublee]

9 hours ago, Big Guava said:

Benson plays better positionally without the puck than 90% of the forwards...there is NO WAY he is getting sent down...they need more of what he brings not less.

agreed. I get Ox has had a decent stretch - but I am probably putting him in the press box 2 out of 3 games. Prefer to have Girgs and his speed on that 4th line. Just my opinion. We are probably talking 6 of this and half dozen of the other. 

[Taro T]

Could @pi2000 or a mod please change the title of this thread?  At least unless he's sent back down again.

Everytime it pops up expect to read that the braintrust down at 1 Seymour H Knox III Plaza did it again.

[spndnchz]

How’s that?