UPL is NOT an NHL goaltender

[Big Guava]

2 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Ok so you were serious.  
His salary is tied for 23rd highest among goalies and he’s only 25 years old.  
The Sabres defense and special teams suck.  

Other teams would get UPL right pretty quick.  
 

I hated the contract and I’m not defending his play.  I’m just saying it is a downright terrible idea to waive him.  

Having terrible positioning has nothing to do with defense. The first goal he is inexplicably cheating towards the pass when his D-man has it played perfectly leaving him just the shooter to worry about and he gets beat shortside which shouldn't ever happen in that spot...dude is broken. He is often in bad position and is allowing 1-2 goals a game that are simply not NHL level goals that should ever go in.

His career GAA is under .900 which is a joke for an NHL goalie and the only time he has shown to be good was when he had something to play for like making the NHL roster his first time getting called up and then last year playing for a contract.

Outside of that, he has sucked and sucked badly all too often. Seems like he gets comfortable and loses focus, doesn't put in the same effort and doesn't pay attention to details like he does when it counts.

So yeah, please have someone take him so we can stop wasting our time waiting for him to play well while being comfy with a guaranteed contract.

Edited Sunday at 03:04 AM by Big Guava

[Porous Five Hole]

26 minutes ago, Big Guava said:

Having terrible positioning has nothing to do with defense. The first goal he is inexplicably cheating towards the pass when his D-man has it played perfectly leaving him just the shooter to worry about and he gets beat shortside which shouldn't ever happen in that spot...dude is broken. He is often in bad position and is allowing 1-2 goals a game that are simply not NHL level goals that should ever go in.

His career GAA is under .900 which is a joke for an NHL goalie and the only time he has shown to be good was when he had something to play for like making the NHL roster his first time getting called up and then last year playing for a contract.

Outside of that, he has sucked and sucked badly all too often. Seems like he gets comfortable and loses focus, doesn't put in the same effort and doesn't pay attention to details like he does when it counts.

So yeah, please have someone take him so we can stop wasting our time waiting for him to play well while being comfy with a guaranteed contract.

Fine, let’s play it out as you want.  I’m not a UPL guy, so I can pick up what you’re putting down.  But the problem becomes what’s the plan if you give this guy away for nothing? Reimer is an old UFA and not the answer.  I’m a Levi truther, but I’m not ready to insert him as an everyday G1. 
 

So what do you do in net to make this team a playoff team next year?
Long story short, the Sabres have backed themselves into a corner where they need UPL to bounce back. You can rant and rave that Buffalo needs to move on from UPL, and I’ll agree with you. What’s your plan? Who are you signing to be G1 in 2025-26? Reasonable options please.

Or would you just prefer to yell and scream without a meaningful path forward? Please provide a rational plan or else I’ll just assume you are screaming into the wind. 

[Big Guava]

8 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Fine, let’s play it out as you want.  I’m not a UPL guy, so I can pick up what you’re putting down.  But the problem becomes what’s the plan if you give this guy away for nothing? Reimer is an old UFA and not the answer.  I’m a Levi truther, but I’m not ready to insert him as an everyday G1. 
 

So what do you do in net to make this team a playoff team next year?
Long story short, the Sabres have backed themselves into a corner where they need UPL to bounce back. You can rant and rave that Buffalo needs to move on from UPL, and I’ll agree with you. What’s your plan? Who are you signing to be G1 in 2025-26? Reasonable options please.

Or would you just prefer to yell and scream without a meaningful path forward? Please provide a rational plan or else I’ll just assume you are screaming into the wind. 

Whoever the goalie coach is needs to be gone yesterday. I'm not sure who the goalie coach was when we started the drought but the goalies all were pretty good for the first 4-5 years and I remember many of us thinking they were going to screw us out of the #1 pick from stopping too many pucks. Even random goalies that they picked up in trades to replace people they traded. Hire that guy back again if he is out there somewhere.

Honestly I'm not sure what they should do because Adams seems to have issues identifying quality goalies. None of the people he has brought in has done well here, except for Reimer in a small sample size and even then, his save percentage sucks too.

Eric Comrie was a disaster. Carter Hutton was a disaster.

Adams seems to not be able to identify what's important for goalies talent wise.

Edited Sunday at 03:49 AM by Big Guava

[Porous Five Hole]

1 minute ago, Big Guava said:

Whoever the goalie coach is needs to be gone yesterday. I'm not sure who the goalie coach was when we started the drought but they all were pretty good for the first 4-5 years and I remember many of us thinking they were going to screw us out of the #1 pick from stopping too many pucks. Hire that guy back again if he is out there somewhere.

Honestly I'm not sure what they should do because Adams seems to have issues identifying quality goalies. None of the people he has brought in has done well here, except for Reimer in a small sample size and even then, his save percentage sucks too.

 

So your plan is to give away UPL for free and not replace him.  Got it.  At least I know not to quote you or reply to you as a logical conversation person. But we agree, UPL sucks. 

[oddoublee]

Yikes. Upl is a bit broken. Say what you will about lindys system....but good goaltenders can manage it. Upl cannot. If anything, lindys system is a great way to identify goalie incompetence. I rooted for upl....but he is not an answer. He's a time killer until someone else is ready. 

[SABRES 0311]

Not going to be able to get a number one goalie, top four dman, and top six forward in one summer with KA. We’re screwed next year.

[SabreFinn]

Canucks might want to trade Demko, not sure if they want Luukkonen with the contract he has?

Tristan Jerry anyone? Lol

[Big Guava]

10 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

So your plan is to give away UPL for free and not replace him.  Got it.  At least I know not to quote you or reply to you as a logical conversation person. But we agree, UPL sucks. 

Not saying to give him away, get what you can for him and get out of the contract that even as it might be reasonable for a starting goalie in the NHL is a big overpayment for a player who is not a starting goalie in the NHL.

I mean a player with a career .898 save percentage in this day and age should not be a starting goalie in the NHL. It's hard to be that low when your save percentage last year was .910 in a season where you played 54 games, which means he has sucked much worse the rest of the time he has played.

He leads the NHL in Goals allowed and out of goalies with 20+ games played he ranks 50th out of 56 in save percentage with an abysmal .885.

In short, he sucks, so I am not sure what your argument is for keeping him is.

And about not replacing him...they could bring in Michael Houser and get this level of goaltending most nights. If that's what you are getting anyway, why pay 5x the price?

Stop deluding yourself into thinking UPL is going to be anything other than a disappointment. Just pay a vet minimum contract and you'll get the same level of goaltending...I mean Reimer has been outplaying him and it hasn't really been close.

Edited Sunday at 02:21 PM by Big Guava

[LGR4GM]

Quote

Among goalies with at least 20 games played this season, Luukkonen is 48th in goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6243260/2025/03/30/sabres-jack-quinn-goalies-krebs-capitals/?source=emp_shared_article

[Big Guava]

7 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6243260/2025/03/30/sabres-jack-quinn-goalies-krebs-capitals/?source=emp_shared_article

Yes he has been terrible in virtually every way possible this year.