GASabresIUFAN

Sabres goaltenders the last two years 2020-21 Ullmark - 9-6-3, 2.63 gaa .917 save % Hutton - 1-10-1, 3.47 gaa .886 save % Tokarski - 2-8-2, 3.54 gaa .904 save % Johansson - 0-5-1, 3.79 gaa . 884 save % Houser - 2-2-0, 3.46 gaa . 901 save % UPL - 1-3-0, 3.88 gaa .906 save % 2021-22 Tokarski - 4-5-3, 3.28 gaa, .903 save% Anderson - 4-2-0, 2.50 gaa, .921 save % Dell - 0-5-0, 4.52 gaa, .872 save % Subban - 0-1-0, 7.21 gaa, .760 save % By the way, only 3 goalies have played more then 40 games in a season in the past 5 decades at age 40 or older, and only 1 was truly good and his name of course was Dominic Hasek. They are Roloson - 50 gp - 23-18-1, 3.00 gaa and .907 save % Belfour - 49 gp - 22-22-0, 3.29 gaa and .892 save % Hasek - 43 gp - 28-10-5, 2.09 gaa and .925 save % It was pretty unreasonable for KA to rely on Anderson as the solution.

KA has never stuck to a plan since he arrived. Last season he loaded up on vets to try to get over the hump and then switched to rebuild when the first plan failed. This off-season was no different. He started with plan A which was re-signed UIllmark to properly support the youth movement. When that failed, instead of sticking to that plan by finding an adequate replacement he switched again to Tank 2.0. But a funny thing happened on the way to the tank. The kids started scoring and playing hard. As @dudacek pointed out, when this team gets just decent (not even good) goaltending they win and when they don't they lose. We are scoring at a playoff caliber level despite having so many JAGs at the forward and defense. If KA was willing to change plans so quickly in the off-season, it's reasonable to hope that he'd be willing to revert back to plan A when the team shows that it's worthy of that support. This team has and KA should do his job and give them the support they have earned. TO those that say that this season was never about winning, you are both right and wrong. Yes, it was about the growth and development of the young core, but it is also about changing the culture from one where losing is acceptable to one where it isn't. By going for Tank 2.0, KA is still signaling that losing is just fine. Not exactly the way to turn this ship in a better direction.

I have repeated said since Karmanos was hired and we should kick KA upstairs and let Karmanos run the show

Then we are wasting two seasons. How are they going to get the fans back if this is the level of hockey we are going to see for the remainder of this season and all of next year because KA can't find goaltending.

You can't blame KA for bringing in a 40 year old goalie? What were the odds of a 40 year old goalie lasting an entire season without injury? Nearly zero. I researched this issue when we signed him and in modern hockey only 2 or 3 goalies over 40 ever played over 40 games in a season. A competent GM should have known this. This means he needed to have a good backup for his 40 year old goalie. Instead he relied on a career AAAA goalie in Tokarski and a 30 something goalie with horribly declining stats for the prior 3 years. Essentially he went from plan A to plan Tank and created the situation you see before you today. He is completely responsible for the mess. The sad part of this mess is that it was completely avoidable. He is wasting 2.8 on Butcher and now another 2.35 in Subban, Anderson and Dell. That's 5 mill he could have and should have easily invested in a real starting goaltender with Tokarski already here. @inkman you say he punted because he had UPL, Portillo and Levi in the wings. He didn't. Levi had yet to be acquired and no reasonable talent evaluator after UPL was 36th in the AHL last season in save % would think he was going to be ready to start in the NHL anytime soon. At best he needed to have bridge goaltending for 2-3 years until a prospect was ready, but it was also just as possible that UPL is not an NHL goalie and that the college kid (Portillo) wasn't going to be ready for 4 or more years when he let Ullmark walk. Honestly his decision was penny wise and pound foolish.

I don't think anyone is looking for a quick fix. What I want and others want is reasonable efforts to support a bunch of hard working kids so that they have a chance for success even in this early stage of the rebuild 8.0. So far KA hasn't given them that chance.

He already contradicted himself by trying to re-sign Ullmark. Trying to retain Ullmark was an attempt to properly support a young team. Replacing Ullmark with Anderson, Dell and Subban is exact opposite and an attempt to tank. He can’t say he wants to build a winning culture and then give the team the goaltending he has.

This is probably true, which is why I’m advocating kicking Adams upstairs and give Karmanos the real power.

No I don’t want him to trade a 1st for a goalie. However, there are other options. We have 3 2nds next year and one available this season. We also have some extra D prospects. Vanacek was available for a 2nd this year. Everyone assumes we need to sign someone. We don’t. There is a trade market for more then future considerations. Dallas has 4 goalies for example. It’s at least 2 years until one of our prospects maybe ready to take the net. Is KA going to wait another 2 seasons until one proves ready to fix the problem he has known about for 2 years? What will he do if none of the prospects prove ready for another 3 years or ever? I’m sorry you can’t tell me over the last two off-seasons that there were no upgrades over Anderson, Dell, Tokarski, Hutton and Subban. Maybe had he signed Ullmark to an extension when he got here, Ullmark would still be in net here. Maybe had he replaced Hutton, we’d have had someone ready to go when Ullmark bolted. Yzerman found a goalie for Detroit for a 3rd last season. Arizona found decent goaltending in Europe and grabbed Scott Wedgewood offer of waivers a month ago. Other clubs, even bottom dwellers like us, have found goaltending solutions over the last 2 off-seasons, why not us? Simple, KA doesn’t know what he is doing. So what do I want him to do? Get creative and find a solution. Others have without trading away 1st rd picks or key prospects.

This is all when and good, but when does all this “trying” become succeeding. KA made clear he wouldn’t commit any serious assets to making any deals this off-season. You may consider that trying but I don’t. He also has shown himself to be a poor pro talent evaluator so far and if he doesn’t start succeeding soon, he needs to gone as the GM. For example, he spent 2.8 mill of his precious cap space this season on Butcher, money that should have been spent on goaltending.

How long is this alleged crucible going to last? Through next year, another 5 years, another decade? Please excuse me, but what a bunch of BS. We have lived in this crucible for a decade already and all it did was alienate the first generation of the rebuild, the fans, free agents and we already going down the same rat hole. These athletes want to grow and learn sure, but they also want a chance to win every night. They have already proven they deserve that opportunity. Sadly the GM and ownership aren’t interested in providing that opportunity. I keep hearing the excuse that no quality goaltender wanted to come here. What is changing to make one change his mind? The franchise’s commitment to winning doesn’t exist. Not exactly a smart method toward building a winning culture or a great example for the kids. Plans are great, but sometimes you have to adjust the plan when circumstances change. The development of the forward group demands a change in the plan and end the no so secret tank. Time to get real goaltending and support this team. It will start to rebuild goodwill in the fanbase and show the team that management is committed to winning. Remember a truly competitive team is usually built from the out.

Subban injured in debut. So who’s next. http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-defense-keeps-reeling-in-loss-malcolm-subban-injured-in-debut/

What it should mean is better goaltending, forwards that do a better job in back checking and better time of possession in the offensive zone.

It’s a question of competence. To build a winning culture you need to give the young team the tools to win with. The goaltending has been a disaster for two years and it was an obvious disaster that any competent GM would have addressed. The other obvious issue has been a proper pairing for Dahlin. This has been an issue for years and again it hasn’t been addressed. I fully understand that KA is marching to TPs $ saving instructions. However there have been numerous opportunities to address these issues in a cost effective manner and had we had a competent GM they would have been. See what Yzerman is doing in Det. I actually think the solution is already in the organization. “Promote” KA upstairs and give the real power to Karmonos. One other note: Even with the JAGs on offense we are scoring at a playoff contending level. However we are 31st in GA. That isn’t an accident. Instead of helping the offense with better players in goal and on defense he acquired Subban, Dell and Anderson to tend goal.

If i had the money I would.

and either is this franchise with him at the helm.

Have we had enough yet?

Look who KA brought in on defense and in goal. Pysyk, Hagg, Butcher, Wolanin, Subban, Tokarski, Anderson and Dell. These guys were all sent packing by their respective former teams for nothing or not offered contracts except for by one of the worst three franchises in hockey (the others being Ott and Az). What could we reasonably expect? The defense stinks and the goaltending is worse. This is a not so secret tank.

Really? A waiver claim has no choice either does a trade without trade protection. If a player doesn’t show, that can end a career.

As myself and others have explained numerous times over the last two years. KA has had numerous opportunities to upgrade the goaltending. A waiver claim Nedjelkovic is just one example, but there are others. The mess we have in goal is on one person and his name is Kevyn Adams.

Thank god we acquired Subban. KA this is an embarrassment.

No, I doubt anyone thinks he needs to go down. He has been excellent in recent weeks and has improved all season.

Still think it’s a horrible group?

That’s what she said. (Too soon?)

Joke!