GASabresIUFAN

This is where you are wrong. Signing Ullmark does nothing to prevent UPL from making the NHL if he is ready. I understand you'd rather have him start in the AHL. However management may think it's better to play as a backup in the NHL. If UPL is eventually ready to be the starter then you can always trade Ullmark.

I agree the UPL isn't ready by any definition. I've even called KA delusional for thinking UPL is ready for NHL duty. However your opinion and mine do mean squat if KA thinks he is ready or nearly ready.

I agree. the natural progression is from AHL starter to NHL backup to NHL starter. It's what Ullmark did. Signing a 28 year old injury prone goalie to be your starter makes it likely that the backup may ultimately share the net 50/50. Also it seems we are defining "ready" differently. In Liger world "ready" means NHL starter. For most of the rest of us "ready" means ready to be a contributing NHL player. No one, not even KA, thinks that UPL is ready to be an NHL starter. I think most of us agree that it would be better for UPL's development if he played in the AHL all season as a starter. However KA is the GM and makes those decisions. I think he is working under 2 main mandates from above. First save money and second play the kids. Therefore he has traded away or will trade away his most marketable big contract players (Risto, Reinhart and soon Jack) to save money. He also signed bargain bin FAs in another cost saving option and refuses to "trade assets" to fill holes on his current roster in case they might block one of the kids. So how does making a run at keeping Ullmark fit it? First we played playoff caliber hockey with him in net. If he had returned, we would be much more competitive and while still being cheap cab wise. How? Once the RFAs are signed we'll be at about 63 mill. Trade Jack for futures and we suddenly become 7 mill under the cap floor. If he had paid Ullmark 5 mill, that eliminates most of that shortfall. Had he signed Ullmark the door would still be open for UPL to seize the 1B role if ready to be an NHL goalie. So plan B was to forget about being competitive and swing open the door wide open for UPL to seize an NHL job under the play the kids mandate. To execute this plan KA brought in 2 veteran goalies on nothing contracts that are easily jettisoned if UPL proves ready.

Yes you do. UPL comes in as the back up for a few years and then Ullmark and his contract be traded when UPL is fully ready to be the starter

I think he is under the delusion that UPL is ready or nearly so. His numbers say otherwise. He’ll bring in someone for the ECHL if they have a season.

Great value contract. He'll be in goal for all 10 of the team's wins next season.

Probably not, but a trade with someone like Dallas for Bishop ( 2 years left at 4.9) after Eichel is traded in order to keep us cap compliant. I can see us trade Eichel for futures and then acquire Henrique (3 years at 5.825) and Bishop (4.9) to replace his cap hit. It should be noted that Dallas likely has to dump some salary to get cap compliant on the top end, while Anaheim doesn't need to make a deal (and may not want to) because they are barely over the cap floor.

I don't think UPL will be ready for even back up duty in the NHL for at least another season. I also wonder if KA made an offer to another scrap heap goalie Devyn Dubnyk? He's got to be better then Tokarski or Dell.

How can you say our 5 goalies lack credibility? In their 32 (25 starts) games in they NHL last season they combined for a 3.54 with a .90 save % and a record of 8-19-2. That is a 51 pt pace for a full season. Of goalies with 25 or more games last season that save % would have been 27th in the NHL and the GAA 32nd. Not credible. How can you say such a thing.

I respectfully disagree. KA protected him in expansion to preserve his exclusive negotiating rights. Reliable people like our Tom Webster and media members like Chad D said he was nearly signed. They clearly made a serious offer. KA then misjudged the FA market for his open jobs. He foolishly said he didn’t want to trade assets for a goaltender. Why is this statement foolish? Because getting a goaltender like Vanecek for a 2nd rd pick in 2023 would be a huge asset. I think you are giving KA to much credit for managing optics. If he had that much savvy he be a better trade negotiator.

You don’t even make Linus an offer if you are moving on. I think it was more a case that every UFA except those who couldn’t get a job elsewhere laughed at him when he called.

I think they made a legit offer. Probably similar term and $ to Boston. Ullmark correctly said for that term and money I rather play for a winning organization in my prime. I would have made the same decision. I do think KA really wanted him back because we were a playoff caliber team with him in net the last 2 seasons. Unfortunately KA clearly didn't have a plan B and it cost us dearly so far. That doesn't mean the hockey G-ds won't present another opportunity to fix the issue. As I noted above Dallas has 3 goalies and one is going to be cut or traded at some point this fall. Whether KA is open to said opportunity is another matter. Dallas isn't the only team in that situation, but they seem the most likely target given the goalies and their cap situation.

I don’t think they will be relied on

That’s clearly the disconnect. Why try to re-sign Ullmark if the plan is to tank. If the plan isn’t to tank but give support to a young team and help them compete, then why sign two goalies who played only 11 NHL games last year. Getting a solid experienced goalie can only help the team and won’t block UPL from taking the job when he is ready.

It should have already happened. KA had no plan B when Ullmark walked. It’s pretty clear that any goalie who had another option took it. The trade market is his only method now of improving this woeful situation, but he has steadfastly refused to take a chance and acquire somehow. As I pointed out in the expansion thread he has opportunities there and again when Vanecek was traded back to Washington for WPG 2nd in 2023. It seems like he is waiting on someone to get waived during training camp. Last season he had a chance to upgrade Hutton right before the season started when both Forsberg and Nedeljkovics were waived but did claim either player. Maybe he is hoping lightning strikes twice. Dallas for example has Bishop, Holtby and Khudobin on their current roster. One of them won’t be there when the season starts.

The Sabres organization have 5 goalies under contract for next season. All 5 goalies played in the NHL last season. The biggest news here this off-season is KA losing Ullmark to Boston. Despite playing on the worst team in the NHL, Ullmark, when healthy, protected the net well enough that the Sabres played at a playoff caliber level in games he started. KAs response was to sign 40 year old free agent Craig Anderson and 30 something Aaron Dell to veteran minimum contracts. He also re-signed Houser to a minor league deal. They will compete with high ranking prospect UPL and veteran Tokarski come camp. KA said the competition is wide open and if UPL makes the Sabres he makes the Sabres. Any idea who played the most in the NHL last season. Tokarski. 13 games. Dell was second with 7. The other 3 played 4 games each. Kind of scary. I know KA is tanking but imho getting 2 scrap head goalies is not exactly a way to support a young D group or making us harder to play against. If I had to guess, Tokarski and Anderson start the season in Buffalo splitting the net. I also see UPL getting spot starts periodically.

Lol. Thread got off track

Let’s be honest with ourselves, KA has set up everyone to fail this coming season. He has 5 goalies who played about 20 games in the NHL total last season. We have no proven in zone defensemen and two, Miller and Butcher are liabilities. We also don’t have any proven scorers besides VO and Skinner and Skinner hasn’t been effective in two seasons. All his FAs were basically medium aged vets just looking for an opportunity to stay in the NHL.

He should

It's great to say, but until it's on the ice every night it's just a slogan. We also need to be physically tougher. We need to wear down opponents and our current lineup is far from having that ability yet.

How is Cozens the top line center? How is Bjork on the top line? Why is Girgensons at center and on the 3rd line. Why is R2 on the wing? I guess that's why LL is a writer and not an NHL coach.

From TBN's LL https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-mailbag-predicting-dylan-cozens-role-breakout-player-and-more/article_d0987e36-f522-11eb-8f6d-e7ad00b5776e.html This is his lineup right now Warms the heart doesn't it.

Is anyone going to post some actual analytics on the new guys?

I’m actually ok with that. He is a real pro. Good mentor for kids. Likely better influence then ROR or Kane.

Wise man