JohnC

I can introduce you to a few of our unyielding and prolific publishing members who might change your mind about this board.

I don't know how good or not UPL is going to be. That's the point. Ullmark was far from being an automatic success in his extended journey as a prospect. With goalies you just never know for sure in their long and winding road to development. I'm simply more patient than you are in waiting to see how it materializes. I'm intrigued to see how the GM handles this situation.

He's not a traitor. He just needs to drink more. 🍷

With certain posters you come to realize that you are living on two different planets and realities. These disparate realities can never coexist. I'm sure I am as odd to them as they are sometimes to me. That's life.

Krueger was an unmitigated disaster. His record speaks for itself. What boogie man are you chasing?

I respectively but strenuously disagree with you. It seems that you are making a conclusive judgment on Comrie? Why? He was plagued by injuries this season that had an effect on his play. You have to remember that the GM and his staff made an analytical judgment on Comrie when they signed him last year. Maybe he wasn't their first preference, but they went through with their evaluation and acquired him. Again, why are you making a conclusive judgment on UPL? He is still young. How long did it take for Ullmark, who was drafted in 2012, to come to fruition as a NHL player? UPL played much of the season with the Sabres. The original plan was to play him full-time in Rochester. He ended being brought up due to injuries. He was inconsistent. That shouldn't be surprising. The issue of him being exposed and claimed off waivers certainly is a complicating feature. But if he is dealt, what do you think his value is? I agree with you that sometimes prospects and UFA signings don't work out. And sometimes people make hasty judgments on players that come back to haunt you. My sense of our GM is that he is more comfortable with following his blueprint of mostly building through the system. He is willing to make deals but for the most part they are incremental deals. If I had to bet on what his approach to the netminding position will be this offseason, my money is on him taking the status quo approach. I know you disagree. That's fine. We'll see how it unfolds.

What's our system? Exposing our goalies to a barrage of high danger shots in every game? I really believe that the GM is going to stick with Comrie and UPL entering next season. He most likely will improve the play of the goalies on hand by shoring up the blue line unit and place a greater emphasis on two-way play for the team, as was done at the end of the season during the playoff run. I'm confident that you are going to be very disappointed with the lack of transactions regarding the goalie position this offseason.

Krueger took a $9M player and turned him into a less than $1M player. From a cap/value standpoint, he turned a rich estate into a ghetto property. It was insanity running amuck. How much more damaged could he have wrought on this franchise if he was still the coach for another year? It didn't take the new GM too long to right the ship of this sinking franchise. Getting rid of Krueger and then installing DG as the interim coach, and then extending him as the full-time coach was the jolt that changed the course of this flailing franchise. There is a saying that applies to Krueger: Addition by subtraction.

I just believe that KA has a higher opinion on Comrie and UPL than most here have. We'll just have to wait and see. On the other hand, I see the GM being more aggressive in pursuing blueliners this offseason. His line of thinking may be that by improving the team defense you will be improving the play of our goalies.

Saros signed a $20 M contract in 21. So, Saros would more likely be dealt in a couple of years when his contract is close to expiring. In the meantime, a combo of Saros and Levi should provide this team the level of goaltending that would make this emerging team a serious team rather quickly. Although @GASabresIUFAN would be ecstatic with this scenario, I don't think it is in alignment with what KA plans on doing. I think that the GM will stick with the goalies that he has in his own system.

You sited the complicating feature associated with UPL. A decision will have to be made about him and his prospects as a NHL goalie. UPL and Comrie will be competing for the backup role. This is my opinion as of now: Comrie is going to be the primary backup. What does that mean for UPL? His tenure in the organization will be tenuous. Could the opposite happen? Yes.

There was a period of time in the season when Nashville was struggling. There were some reports that they were considering some form of rebuilding. Saros would have been one of their major assets that they could parlay. As it turned out the team got itself together and did better in the second half. So, trading Saros is less likely now. That's doesn't mean that it couldn't happen because their long time GM recently retired. New GMs are more likely to be less committed to players that they didn't select.

How about Olofsson, UPL and a #1 pick to Nashville for Saros?

Anyone who has listened to KA over the past couple of years has heard him repeat the same message that you stated: Be patient and let the process run its course. If you review the players he has brought in over the past year such as Jost, Greenway and Spellman to add some depth to the lower half of the lineup, none of them required significant assets to add them to the roster. And the word organic , which you used to describe the process, is one of KA's favored words when talking about his emphasis in how he is going to rebuild the roster. He has also repeatedly stated that when it comes to prospects, he would rather error on the side of giving them more playing time at the lower levels with the expectation that they will be better prepared when they get the call to move up.

What do you think his value is on the market? Stale donuts don't have much value unless you are a dunker.

JJ is 21 years old. This was his first year in the NHL. I don't see him scoring as many goals as Quinn but I do see him solidifying himself as a second-line player. Next year I can see him and Quinn make a leap forward. I'm really excited about Quinn/Cozens/JJ line.

I don't think that many fans who have watched Quinn this season are underselling him. He has given glimpses that he is going to be a very good player in this league. I see him as a first line talent. The person who I think is being undersold is Peterka. He certainly has struggled during this season. But when watching him over an extended period of time, you can see the talent. The Quin/Cozens/JJ line is an emerging line composed of young players who will continue to get better. What's exciting to consider is that Quinn usually takes an adjustment year when he is moved to a higher league. Next year, he will be an important player on this team.

It's very probable that Levi is going to be our #1 goalie. UPL was drafted in 2017 and is 23 years old. Ullmark was drafted in 2012 and is 30 years old. It wasn't until last year, when he was 29, that it was evident that he could be a mainstay NHL goalie. Why would the GM give up on a young goalie who is already in the system? If another team claims him because he is out of options, then so be it. I believe that Levi is going to be our primary goalie next year with Comrie as the secondary goalie. That doesn't necessarily mean that the GM will jettison UPL out of the system next year.

Ullmark was drafted in 2012. It wasn't clear until last year that he could be a good goalie in the NHL. He'll be 30 in July. Ukkoi-Pekka Luukkonen was drafted in 2017. He is 23 yrs. old. Do you think that the GM is going to give up on him at this still early stage in his development? I don't. If another team claims him because he is out of options, then so be it. But making a too quick decision on his prospects as a NHL goalie would be a mistake. I believe that the GM is not willing to make a determinative judgment just yet. If he was included in a package that brought back a high quality goalie, I would not object. Right now, I see Levi as our #1 goalie next year with Comrie as our #2 goalie. I also see UPL in the mix.

You are making a mistake if you are going to be captivated by the comparison in AHL stats between Ullmark and UPL. UPL has had a number of surgeries (hip) which resulted in a long and exhausting rehabilitation process that setback his development. There is no question that UPL had his struggles this year. He also played well. He's still young Does that indicate true development and NHL potential? I don't know. Has the GM given up on him? I'm not sure but don't believe so. You seem to be convinced that Comrie and UPL are not goalie options for next year. I don't think your position aligns with the GM's thinking. Again, that's my opinion. I think he is more receptive to Comrie as the backup than you are. I will say that your position and my position on Levi as the present and future goalie do coincide.

What if the GM believes that UPL has a potential to be a good NHL player? Should he trade him? It took Ullmark a number of years before he reached the NHL and developed in the NHL. Now he is doing well in Boston. A Vezina candidate. Of course, the team in front of him enhances his play. Should the GM go out and get another more established NHL goalie? I simply don't know. I don't believe that the GM has given up on Comrie either. (My opinion). If I had to predict what the GM is going to do it would be bulking up the blueline rather than making a change with our netminding staffing. I just don't see KA giving up significant assets for a goalie such as Saros. Is that a gamble? Yes.

There's no disputing the fact that Skinner was terrible playing for Krueger. He was like a fish out of water. His play dramatically changed after the coaching change, as it did for Dahlin and others. Skinner was never going to succeed in a Krueger system, just as Dahlin was never going to reach his potential under that same rigid system. A coach has to work with the players he has on hand, dealing with their strengths and weaknesses. Krueger wanted to force the players to adapt to his system instead of adapting to the specific talents of the players. That ability to adapt is what distinguishes Granato from Krueger.

Of course, Ralph was going to be loved during an winning streak, just like any coach would be. However, his body of work is deemed a failure because it is a failure. There is no other way to evaluate his tenure. The Krueger era and post Krueger era are stark contrasts. It's not too difficult to come to a judgment about his stint as a coach here.

The appeal for Kaleta was more derived from him being a Buffalo area guy and a good guy. He didn't have much talent to draw from, but he always gave maximum effort. He was a lesser version of Rob Ray. Very often nostalgia clouds the reality. I believe that he works for the Sabres in community relations. Good for him.

I'm not sure in this era that Kaleta is good enough to make the Rochester roster?