JohnC

I'm simply stating an opinion based on what I believe KA's instincts are in making such a consequential goalie decision: I don't think he is going outside the organization to make such an impactful deal. If I had to guess, I would speculate that he would ride the wagon that has Comrie, UPL and Levi riding on. Again, this is my opinion/guess: I think that he is going to backdoor the goalie problem by bringing in a quality defenseman or two to shore up that unit. The failed Chycrun deal influences my thoughts on that issue. On this issue, you and I are taking the same bus.

He would have been an interesting consideration. He signed with the Predators for a 3 year and $4.35 M deal. The Sabres have a large stable of forward prospects in their system. It's likely that the organization felt that it would be better grooming and sticking with the players in their own system.

And to a lesser exgtend moving Mitts to the wing salvaged what was a descending career. When one tabulates all the personnel and coaching decisions that have been made since the installation of KA, the overwhelming proportion of them have worked out. And sometimes not doing something turns out to be a good decision that many of us are not even aware of.

Every deal isn't going to be a major deal. The GM added Lyubushkin to the unit in the offseason. And during the season he added Spellman, a lower pairing player. In addition, there was a serious attempt to deal for Chycrun. It didn't materialize. Other additions were made during the season such as adding Jost and Greenway. None of the additions were significant deals but they were deals that improved the team and its depth. The major element to improving this team is going to be internal improvement from the young players and drawing players from within the system. That is the approach the GM said he was going to take when he took the job, and that is exactly what he is doing. From an overview perspective, the approach he laid out and is following is working. You may not disagree with that assessment but that's okay.

I would bet that Savoie would more likely be on the third line with Mitts. When Granato was recently asked about Greenway on WGR, he said that he is playing impaired and that next year he expects him to be better. He added that he coached him before and strongly believes there is more to his game to draw from.

If I'm not mistake didn't Anderson already play a Florida game? I'm with you that I would go with Levi.

I wonder if playing in an area near where his family resides will be a factor in playing the veteran?

The drafting of Quinn and moving up to get Peterka were good draft moves. And getting Tage, Samuelsson and Cozens re-signed sooner rather than later were good future hockey and cap decisions. The trade of Reinhart that resulted in getting Levi could prove to be one of his most impactful personnel decisions. (As others have already stated.) From the staffing side replacing Krueger with Granato and then giving him the position on a more permanent basis made a tremendous difference on the team and individual players. I'm sure Dahlin and Skinner would agree.

I remember when Granato was talking about Quinn and Peterka and the organization's thought process about keeping them down for more developing in the AHL. The coach and staff concluded that both players outgrew the AHL and little was to be gained keeping them in the lower league. The same line of reasoning applies to Savoie. Since the AHL option is foreclosed it makes more sense to jump him up to the Sabres. I can see him on the third line with Mitts.

The GM did make a serious move to trade for Chycrun. It didn't work out. What moves are you hypothetically advocating for?

In yesterday's pregame meeting with the press the coach said that he is still day to day. He said the player is getting better and close to getting back into action. He said he may or may not play against Florida. Translation: Maybe plays. Is that helpful information? No.

In my estimation, he is best suited to be a winger on a third line. (As you noted.) In addition, he also adds value because of his versatility. He can be moved to the center position, even to a higher line due to an injury, and acquit himself well. He's certainly not a first line center but on a temporary basis he can adequately fill a void. I also see his value on the second PP unit. In general, I would say that he is a solid player. He has a role on this team.

We disagree on Joki's performance. That's okay.

Just some quick thoughts on this game. Tuck gets the first star. UPL gets the second star. He made a lot of good saves. Mitts played well. He got three assists in this game. He made a number of high-end passes. The drop pass to Tuch for a score was impressive. Krebs made a precise pass to Okposo for his score. And Quinn made another nice pass along the boards to Tuch for the SH goal. For a big man Tuch can be nifty. He also has a quick shot. I liked Joki in this game. Power's game is so efficient that sometimes you don't appreciate how well he is playing. Considering this was a back to back game I liked the Sabres effort. Sometimes they had difficulty getting the puck out of their zone but they kept pushing. I was surprised that Granato went with UPL in net. The coach has a pulse of the team and his players. Maybe the addition of Levi elevates this big goalie's game. In the past 5 games the Sabres have earned 9 out of 10 points. The Sabres have played with Tage out of the lineup and when he was hurting. Collectively, the players are stepping up. Attached is a link of the standings from NHL.com. I didn't think that the Sabres could get to 90 points. I may be wrong. That would be a 15 point improvement from the previous year. That's progress. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/wildcard

Do you really believe that Comrie deliberately quit trying to stop pucks? The team let him down in that game and it responded well in his next game where they won. Apparently, I did miss the joke.

I disagree with you that size necessarily does matter. Levi isn't a big goalie. So what. He may not cover more net when he is stationary but he is able to cover plenty of the net by being more quick than a bigger goalie. Tage is big. Skinner is not. Quinn isn't very big. Big freaking deal! What ultimately matters is how you play. That's the point. I'm not bothered by any player that doesn't fit the standard profile of any player at any position. What counts is performance. It's not a difficult concept to grasp.

Comrie gave up 10 goals when his team in front of him quit playing defense. In his next outing against the Islanders the goalie played a sterling game. And it shouldn't be surprising that the team played exceptional defense in front of him in that game.

I thought the first sequence in the beginning of the game when Skinner got 4 shots off (didn't score a goal) was one of his most impressive sequences.

No one is penciling anyone in. He will come to next year's camp and compete for a roster spot. Then a decision will be made by the staff. Nothing will be given to any prospect. You earn your spot or not. That's how it should be.

Don't count out Levi making the Sabre roster when training camp is concluded. He possesses maturity traits that indicate him being able to handle the jump up. Last night was an indication of that. The season is winding down. If he plays as he did against the Rangers in his upcoming games, it will increase the odds that he makes the roster when the season starts. It's a very credible claim right now to say that he is our best goalie.

Attached is a link from Sabres.com with Granato's postgame comments. There is a segment at around the 5 min point where the coach talks about Greenway. He made a comment indicating that he is still playing impaired and that he expects that he will be better next year. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/don-granato-postgame-33123/t-277822760/c-16305474

It doesn't hurt to have the religious community rooting for you.

The team play for Comrie in his recent games has also been good. This has been a whirlwind week for Levi. I would let him decompress. We'll see who the coach decides to put in. I trust his judgment and am fine with whatever he decides.

How did this picture get by the moderators? It looks like a penis with a severe curve at the top. 😬

With this caliber of goaltending we would be talking about playoff matchups and not about longshot qualifying odds. The Sabres would be at least 10 pts better in the standing that where they are now. And I'm being conservative in my estimation.