Levi sent to Roch

[Pimlach]

9 hours ago, Sabres Super Fan said:

Eric Comrie isn’t a solid backup and beyond this season is of no use for the Buffalo Sabres organization. I can’t wait until Buffalo Bandits season because the Buffalo Sabres relying on UPL and Eric Comrie the season over for playoffs this season unfortunately again a panic move by Don Granato. When you start listening to the fans your sitting next to them. UPL has shown no ability that he can carry a number one goalie load after three seasons. Nothing has changed with UPL but the year. A few good Buffalo Sabres games doesn’t make him capable. I believe UPL will fold under the added pressure like he always does. As for Eric Comrie he has no future and can’t seem to stay healthy. As for Devon Levi I think the last place I would send a goalie is the AHL Rochester Americans if anything Devon Levi should have stayed in college at Northeastern Huskies.

Again if I owned the Buffalo Sabres the Sabres farm team wouldn’t be in Rochester anymore. I don’t believe you can develop players in that poor outdated Rochester Americans AHL setup. Blue Cross Arena in Rochester is a dump. I have talked about it for years it’s one of the many reasons the Buffalo Sabres as a franchise is struggling. The Buffalo Sabres need a 5,000 to 6,000 seat arena built in Amherst for their Buffalo Sabres AHL farm team and other sports holdings like the Henderson Dollar Loan Center for the Vegas Golden Knights AHL farm team. That is today not our outdated 1970’s minor league setup.

The Buffalo Sabres need to make a $80 to $100 million dollar investment in their hockey development if they are serious. $80 to $100 million dollars is what is needed for a AHL minor league arena. I wouldn’t build in Rochester it’s too far away from Buffalo plus I don’t believe in that Rochester sports market anymore the Rochester Knighthawks attendance is terrible Terry Pegula is losing a lot of money with that team. I think the Buffalo Sabres would be more successful acquiring land in Amherst by UB to build a minor league arena for the Buffalo Sabres AHL team, UB Bulls basketball, indoor soccer and indoor football. Terry Pegula should sell his Rochester holdings Americans and Knighthawks to local Rochester investors or keep them and sell the Buffalo Sabres/Buffalo Bandits because it’s not working the way it is now. The Buffalo Sabres need major developmental money not just for renovations to Key Bank Center downtown but for a minor league arena in Amherst. The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t winning by luck they made major investments money in their Vegas AHL team facilities. Terry Pegula doesn’t look like he is the man that is going to do that for whatever reason so more Sabres losing and suffering as Darcy Regier said which is really unfortunate. I don’t believe in Rochester Americans or that substandard development set up for the Sabres prospects in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Due to neglect and poor ownership, Buffalo barely supports the NHL team is has anymore.  Attendance at the games has been mediocre for 10 years.  However, there is no way Buffalo alone is supporting both the NHL and the AHL.  

Las Vegas metro is 2.3 Million people and growing, which is double that of Buffalo's metro.  Henderson alone has 330,000 people - more than the city of Buffalo.  Tax revenue from Vegas gambling is huge and dwarfs Buffalo.  Private investment is much, much higher too.   

Comparing Buffalo to Vegas is a fools game. Vegas' owner has been brilliant.  He hired the best he could find, expected the best, paid for the best, and he got the best.   Buffalo's ownership has been abysmal under Pegula.  All talk, no action, and a revolving door of poorly qualified people in key positions year after year.  

Rochester is one of the classic and most successful AHL franchises of all time.   Rochester and Buffalo make a great combination.   Their buildings may not be modern and pretty but it should be more about the players, the coaches, and the tradition/culture.   The tradition and culture were ruined by Pegula and his Tank Commanders. 

Buffalo is not struggling because of Rochester's arena.  Most teams have their AHL affiliate close by, very few have them in the same city.  It takes a lot of people and wealth to pull that off.   Buffalo has neither the people or the wealth.  

You want to fix the Sabres you start with (1) the head of Hockey Operations/GM/Sr execs; (2)  the scouting/analytics/player development, (3) coaching across the entire organization, and (4) the business office. 

The building you play in is not even a secondary issue.  

 

[MattPie]

23 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Maybe St. Catharines? Although you don't want to have to potential deal with a border crossing.

Are AHL facilities really that good across the league? I ask because I really don't know. I was at an Amerks game, and I didn't think it was all that bad, certainly not a dump. Maybe things have changed across the NHL?

If you are not going to keep them in Rochester and you did build a new facility, how about Niagara Falls?  Right across the border, a 20-30 minute drive from downtown but enough of a separation to give it a different 'feel'.  And it doesn't have to be in run-down-main st niagara falls, you  could do something off the highway, maybe lewiston.

Honestly, having the AHL team 90 minutes down the road is a luxury already. I don't think it needs to be closer in a smaller town like Buffalo. LV is probably a unicorn here, since they have a new franchise and success, but I'd be surprised if the AHL stays there longer term when the newness wears off. I could be wrong.

I looked at a couple teams to see arena ages:

Hershey Bears: 2002

Syracuse Crunch: 1951

Laval Rocket: 2017

Milwaukee Admirals: 1950

Providence Bruins: 1972

Amerks: 1955

So it's a mixed bag.

[LGR4GM]

23 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Translation:  it wasn’t doing Devon any good sitting on the bench in Buffalo, but since I can’t admit I was wrong for dumping the weight of the franchise on a kid with 7 games of NHL experience, this is the solution I came up with.

Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't with you. 

[GrassValleyGreg]

10 hours ago, Sabres Super Fan said:

Eric Comrie isn’t a solid backup and beyond this season is of no use for the Buffalo Sabres organization. I can’t wait until Buffalo Bandits season because the Buffalo Sabres relying on UPL and Eric Comrie the season over for playoffs this season unfortunately again a panic move by Don Granato. When you start listening to the fans your sitting next to them. UPL has shown no ability that he can carry a number one goalie load after three seasons. Nothing has changed with UPL but the year. A few good Buffalo Sabres games doesn’t make him capable. I believe UPL will fold under the added pressure like he always does. As for Eric Comrie he has no future and can’t seem to stay healthy. As for Devon Levi I think the last place I would send a goalie is the AHL Rochester Americans if anything Devon Levi should have stayed in college at Northeastern Huskies.

Again if I owned the Buffalo Sabres the Sabres farm team wouldn’t be in Rochester anymore. I don’t believe you can develop players in that poor outdated Rochester Americans AHL setup. Blue Cross Arena in Rochester is a dump. I have talked about it for years it’s one of the many reasons the Buffalo Sabres as a franchise is struggling. The Buffalo Sabres need a 5,000 to 6,000 seat arena built in Amherst for their Buffalo Sabres AHL farm team and other sports holdings like the Henderson Dollar Loan Center for the Vegas Golden Knights AHL farm team. That is today not our outdated 1970’s minor league setup.

The Buffalo Sabres need to make a $80 to $100 million dollar investment in their hockey development if they are serious. $80 to $100 million dollars is what is needed for a AHL minor league arena. I wouldn’t build in Rochester it’s too far away from Buffalo plus I don’t believe in that Rochester sports market anymore the Rochester Knighthawks attendance is terrible Terry Pegula is losing a lot of money with that team. I think the Buffalo Sabres would be more successful acquiring land in Amherst by UB to build a minor league arena for the Buffalo Sabres AHL team, UB Bulls basketball, indoor soccer and indoor football. Terry Pegula should sell his Rochester holdings Americans and Knighthawks to local Rochester investors or keep them and sell the Buffalo Sabres/Buffalo Bandits because it’s not working the way it is now. The Buffalo Sabres need major developmental money not just for renovations to Key Bank Center downtown but for a minor league arena in Amherst. The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t winning by luck they made major investments money in their Vegas AHL team facilities. Terry Pegula doesn’t look like he is the man that is going to do that for whatever reason so more Sabres losing and suffering as Darcy Regier said which is really unfortunate. I don’t believe in Rochester Americans or that substandard development set up for the Sabres prospects in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Wow late entry for worst post of the year.

[LTS]

23 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Translation:  it wasn’t doing Devon any good sitting on the bench in Buffalo, but since I can’t admit I was wrong for dumping the weight of the franchise on a kid with 7 games of NHL experience, this is the solution I came up with.

Or.. I gave 3 goalies a chance to demonstrate who gets to stay and who gets to go.  Comrie was out injured and Levi would have been on the roster anyway during that time and in the time that he's had to evaluate the goalies it makes sense, at this point in time, to move Levi to Rochester.

No decision is known when it is made. People use the information they have (or believe they have) and make a decision.  It's not like any possible decision on goaltending would have assured success.

Did anyone project that Johansson would be successful in Tampa while Vasi was out?  Nope.   But yet he did. Brisebois made a decision and it worked out. So, do we go back and hang all the people who said he was an idiot?  No, but if it hadn't worked out people would be tearing him apart.

Same here.  Adams had a plan. This is how it shook out and eventually the time was right to adjust to the current situation.

 

 

 

 

[K-9]

35 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Really? 

It's not pessimism it's reality.

Do you know how obnoxious this board was about Levi at the end of last season and over the summer?

I don't do it often, but I've got the receipts on this one.

I'll say it again. The hockey IQ of this board has slipped.

Obnoxious? That’s how you view other’s optimism? That’s all I need to know. 

And it’s not about “hockey knowledge” my condescending curmudgeon friend; it’s about hoping, wishing for the best all the while knowing the odds are long that those wishes will be fulfilled. But for some reason, you feel a need to call out those who feel this way. 

There are 60 games remaining and I think the Sabres will go 60-0-0 over that span. And then go 16-0 in the playoffs as they claim their first cup. Gotta problem with that? Gonna yell, “l told you so!”, from the rooftops when that doesn’t happen? 

Never mind. I really don’t GAF.

Edited November 29, 2023 by K-9

[Pimlach]

29 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Translation:  it wasn’t doing Devon any good sitting on the bench in Buffalo, but since I can’t admit I was wrong for dumping the weight of the franchise on a kid with 7 games of NHL experience, this is the solution I came up with.

Why is Adams admitting he was "wrong" so important to you?    He gave the kid a shot, the kid is not ready yet.   Most of us suspected he would not be ready, therefore we wanted a proven NHL goalie brought in.   Now we can see that the kid is not ready and he goes to Rochester.   So be it.  

Part 2 of this is that Adams was comfortable with UPL/Comrie and did not bring in a vet NHL goalie.  

If UPL holds up as a decent #1 then Adams will get praise for sticking with him.  Some members here wanted UPL traded, and other more learned members said just waive him.  Right now those opinions are looking more wrong than the plan to keep him.   If UPL does not hold up, Adams will get scorn for not bringing in the NHL goalie.  But not until then.  

Adams is not going on TV and saying, "hey, I  was wrong, I thought one of the 3 goalies would handle #1" that does nothing but make the 3 goalies feel tossed under the bus.  

What is Terry Pegula's expectation on Adams?  I have a feeling that Adams is comfortable about his job, even if the playoff goal is not reached.   

 

[inkman]

56 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Due to neglect and poor ownership, Buffalo barely supports the NHL team is has anymore.  Attendance at the games has been mediocre for 10 years.  However, there is no way Buffalo alone is supporting both the NHL and the AHL.  

Las Vegas metro is 2.3 Million people and growing, which is double that of Buffalo's metro.  Henderson alone has 330,000 people - more than the city of Buffalo.  Tax revenue from Vegas gambling is huge and dwarfs Buffalo.  Private investment is much, much higher too.   

Comparing Buffalo to Vegas is a fools game. Vegas' owner has been brilliant.  He hired the best he could find, expected the best, paid for the best, and he got the best.   Buffalo's ownership has been abysmal under Pegula.  All talk, no action, and a revolving door of poorly qualified people in key positions year after year.  

Rochester is one of the classic and most successful AHL franchises of all time.   Rochester and Buffalo make a great combination.   Their buildings may not be modern and pretty but it should be more about the players, the coaches, and the tradition/culture.   The tradition and culture were ruined by Pegula and his Tank Commanders. 

Buffalo is not struggling because of Rochester's arena.  Most teams have their AHL affiliate close by, very few have them in the same city.  It takes a lot of people and wealth to pull that off.   Buffalo has neither the people or the wealth.  

You want to fix the Sabres you start with (1) the head of Hockey Operations/GM/Sr execs; (2)  the scouting/analytics/player development, (3) coaching across the entire organization, and (4) the business office. 

The building you play in is not even a secondary issue.  

 

Also, TPegs owns the Amerks.  If he wanted an improvement, he could make it.  Clearly he thinks they are just fine.  I’m sure Karmanos and Adams would let Terry know if the facility is a problem.  

[Stoner]

22 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Obnoxious? That’s how you view other’s optimism? That’s all I need to know. 

And it’s not about “hockey knowledge” my condescending curmudgeon friend; it’s about hoping, wishing for the best all the while knowing the odds are long that those wishes will be fulfilled. But for some reason, you feel a need to call out those who feel this way. 

There are 60 games remaining and I think the Sabres will go 60-0-0 over that span. And then go 16-0 in the playoffs as they claim their first cup. Gotta problem with that? Gonna yell, “l told you so!”, from the rooftops when that doesn’t happen? 

Never mind. I really don’t GAF.

We are speaking past each other. It's not about optimism or hope. This board has never been rah rah he's gonna be the best! It's becoming that way as the team has sucked away good hockey people. The expectations poll for Levi was NOT about what you hoped.

Levi isn't close to being ready. Shocker. You know what was obnoxious? The reaction to any critical evaluation of Levi's flaws at the end of last season. They were visible to anyone not wearing blue and gold glasses.

FTR I am optimistic that Levi will be a good goalie, this franchise will get back into the NHL and one day win a Cup.

ATM not so much.

[Brawndo]

 

[PromoTheRobot]

21 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Why is Adams admitting he was "wrong" so important to you?   

 

So @GASabresIUFAN can say he was right.

[Stoner]

Also not a surprising reaction from the guy who is NEVER right in his forecasts but will continue to put them out (and be condescending to others). Pro tip: go with clouds and sun with a chance of rain.

Edited November 29, 2023 by PASabreFan

[inkman]

Just now, PASabreFan said:

Also not a surprising reaction from the guy who is NEVER right in his forecasts but will continue to put them out. Pro tip: go with clouds and sun with a chance of rain.

Or in the Sabres case, cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 

[Brawndo]

 

 

[pi2000]

Almost feels like there's more pressure on him to perform well now that he's in Rochester.    The expectations are high that he'll be excellent.

[Brawndo]

 

[K-9]

14 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

We are speaking past each other. It's not about optimism or hope. This board has never been rah rah he's gonna be the best! It's becoming that way as the team has sucked away good hockey people. The expectations poll for Levi was NOT about what you hoped.

Levi isn't close to being ready. Shocker. You know what was obnoxious? The reaction to any critical evaluation of Levi's flaws at the end of last season. They were visible to anyone not wearing blue and gold glasses.

FTR I am optimistic that Levi will be a good goalie, this franchise will get back into the NHL and one day win a Cup.

ATM not so much.

Do you ever stop to hear yourself? This forum is about a lot of things to a lot of people. From Team Sunshine to Team Storm Cloud and everything in between. From the rah-rah cheerleaders to the gloomiest of Guses. From the most naive to the most informed “good hockey people” (whatever that means). Must be frustrating that so many fall below your lofty standards. Perhaps a more live and let live philosophy might help.

[Jorcus]

Don't Freak out if Levi does not knock them dead in Rochester. Amerks give up tons of shots on goal so he sure will get some practice. Defensive structure goes out the window in the AHL sometimes and when you get to lines 3 and 4 it can get scary. As far as the arena goes it's a lot better than Syracuse and some how Vasilevskiy survived. In spite of the Arena Syracuse draws big crowds. 

[Stoner]

49 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Do you ever stop to hear yourself? This forum is about a lot of things to a lot of people. From Team Sunshine to Team Storm Cloud and everything in between. From the rah-rah cheerleaders to the gloomiest of Guses. From the most naive to the most informed “good hockey people” (whatever that means). Must be frustrating that so many fall below your lofty standards. Perhaps a more live and let live philosophy might help.

What's very frustrating is that we couldn't have a discussion about realistic expectations for Levi. The most logical end result (option 3) was discarded by almost everyone on this board. Kinda crazy.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

8 minutes ago, Jorcus said:

Don't Freak out if Levi does not knock them dead in Rochester. Amerks give up tons of shots on goal so he sure will get some practice. Defensive structure goes out the window in the AHL sometimes and when you get to lines 3 and 4 it can get scary. As far as the arena goes it's a lot better than Syracuse and some how Vasilevskiy survived. In spite of the Arena Syracuse draws big crowds. 

Welcome !!

Sent you a beer thingie.

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Maybe St. Catharines? Although you don't want to have to potential deal with a border crossing.

Are AHL facilities really that good across the league? I ask because I really don't know. I was at an Amerks game, and I didn't think it was all that bad, certainly not a dump. Maybe things have changed across the NHL?

If you are not going to keep them in Rochester and you did build a new facility, how about Niagara Falls?  Right across the border, a 20-30 minute drive from downtown but enough of a separation to give it a different 'feel'.  And it doesn't have to be in run-down-main st niagara falls, you  could do something off the highway, maybe lewiston.

Does St. Catherines have an arena? I only mentioned Hamilton because I know they have a decent arena looking for a main tenant. Not sure why the Bulldogs left it though. There might be an issue I'm not aware of. 

Are AHL facilities good? idk  I live in Abbotsford BC and we have the baby Canucks. It's a 7000 seat arena. Nothing special but not terrible. It's up by the University so they use Uni parking lots in the evenings. It gets pretty jammed up for bigger events though. "The arena has a capacity of 7,000 seats for hockey with room for expansion to 8,500. There are 300 club seats, 15 boxes, 20 private suites, and 2 party suites." (according to wikipedia). No idea how that would compare to Rochester. 

I don't think the border would be an issue. It'll only close if there's another pandemic and then hockey pretty much closes as well or I guess if somebody launches their car into a fireball but since that just happened what are the odds it happens again soon? 

[Taro T]

If Comrie plays like he did prior to getting injured, this move will work out fine.  But, if he doesn't, still would rather have Levi around taking that 1 game per week in Buffalo than Comrie playing like he did in the 2 games post-reactivation.

As said earlier, don't see either him having stayed up in Buffalo nor getting sent down to Ra-cha-cha messing up his career trajectory at-toll (or however it is that Ray says that phrase).  But want the Sabres to make the playoffs THIS YEAR.  Hoping Comrie is up to the task on Sunday.  If he is, cool.

[mjd1001]

22 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Does St. Catherines have an arena? I only mentioned Hamilton because I know they have a decent arena looking for a main tenant. Not sure why the Bulldogs left it though. There might be an issue I'm not aware of. 

Are AHL facilities good? idk  I live in Abbotsford BC and we have the baby Canucks. It's a 7000 seat arena. Nothing special but not terrible. It's up by the University so they use Uni parking lots in the evenings. It gets pretty jammed up for bigger events though. "The arena has a capacity of 7,000 seats for hockey with room for expansion to 8,500. There are 300 club seats, 15 boxes, 20 private suites, and 2 party suites." (according to wikipedia). No idea how that would compare to Rochester. 

I don't think the border would be an issue. It'll only close if there's another pandemic and then hockey pretty much closes as well or I guess if somebody launches their car into a fireball but since that just happened what are the odds it happens again soon? 

The Sabres EHL affiliate now in Jacksonville, FL has huge turnouts to games. Anyone on the board ever been there? I'd like to know what the gameday experience is and the quality of the arena is down there for such huge turnouts.

[K-9]

52 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

What's very frustrating is that we couldn't have a discussion about realistic expectations for Levi. The most logical end result (option 3) was discarded by almost everyone on this board. Kinda crazy.

You can solicit a meaningful discussion about realistic expectations for Levi at any time. 

Is it surprising that hopeful fans would choose the most optimistic choice in a poll in the preseason when hope springs eternal? I mean why would you feel the need to call people out on that?

But now that we are in the depths of the harsh realities of yet another trying season, perhaps we should conduct another Levi poll that now includes an option to choose “Time Split Between AHL and ECHL.” 

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

We are speaking past each other. It's not about optimism or hope. This board has never been rah rah he's gonna be the best! It's becoming that way as the team has sucked away good hockey people. The expectations poll for Levi was NOT about what you hoped.

Levi isn't close to being ready. Shocker. You know what was obnoxious? The reaction to any critical evaluation of Levi's flaws at the end of last season. They were visible to anyone not wearing blue and gold glasses.

FTR I am optimistic that Levi will be a good goalie, this franchise will get back into the NHL and one day win a Cup.

ATM not so much.

OK @PASabreFan, I looked at the old Levi Expectations Thread.   Just one (1) member voted that he would spend time in the AHL - that was @mjd1001.

The majority picked the middle option -  lots of games and lots of ups and downs. 

Almost as many picked the first option - lots of games and Calder conversation.  

Looks like you did not vote.   

Some of the longest standing members here, and most ardent followers of hockey,  picked option 1.   

So the board here is becoming more "rah rah"?   Maybe so.  I would say we are a fan base looking for a savior.  Probably because there is little else to cheer for other than our prospects developing.  We spent the whole off season talking about prospects as the FO only bought in two players from the outside to help with a playoff run. 

It even seemed to me like the preseason games were a prolonged tryout that actually extended into the regular season.  And people wonder why they started slow?  

I see where your frustration is but the diehard fans have to cheer for something.