Goaltending remains this organization’s biggest question mark.

[GASabresIUFAN]

I asked back in April what KA was going to do about the team’s clean slate in goal.  Instead of bringing in proven new blood he chose the path of least resistance.  He re-signed Anderson, UPL, Subban and Houser. The new blood is 27 year old Eric Comrie and 23 year old Beck Warm.  Comrie has 28 games of NHL experience, including 19 solid starts last year and Warm has a total of 33 games of professional experience split between the AHL and ECHL.  While I like Comrie, I still wish he had gone for more proven help for the 3rd straight season.  KA’s failure to properly address this area has remained a huge problem with rebuild 3.0 and IMHO has kept the team from improving faster.

I hate to be Johnny Rain Cloud heading into the season, but our goaltending remains highly suspect.  The best goalie in camp was UPL and he is back in Rochester.  DG “challenged” Comrie in two preseason games by playing him behind AHL rosters and he faired poorly.  Anderson was fine, but at 41, how much can we really expect from him.  If he duplicates his 3.12 with a .897 save% in 31 games, we should consider ourselves lucky.  Oh yeah, 4th string goalie, Subban, is already on the IR.  

To make matters worse, all the teams in our division have better goaltending on paper. That doesn’t mean we’ll end up with the worst goaltending this season, but it points out how small is our margin for error in this department. 

While I like Comrie’s potential, if the goaltending fails again this year, KA will have no one to blame but himself.  

The best case scenario is that Comrie duplicates his results from last season with WPG over 45-50 games in Buffalo, Anderson remains healthy and plays solidly for 25 games and UPL proves that camp wasn’t a fluke and gives us .915% over the other 12 games. If this happens, KA’s value approach will be hail high and low on this board and elsewhere.

Worst case, Anderson is worse than last year, UPL reverts to the AHL UPL of last season and Comrie can’t handle the extra work load.  If happens, we could be back in the Bedard sweepstakes.  

Most likely scenario?  Comrie is exceedingly average in 40-42 games with a 2.85 gaa and a .908 save %, Anderson gets hurt and only plays 17-20 games at similar numbers to last year.  UPL plays the most of the balance and gives us similar numbers to Comrie. Somehow Houser sneaks in a couple of starts and outplays the guys ahead of him on the depth chart making people here again wonder why he doesn’t get more of an opportunity. This gives us slightly below average goaltending but we score enough to be above NHL 500 by year’s end.

I think fans will be screaming for better goaltending long before the trade deadline.

 

[Digger]

Yes I agree that goal is our weak point.  I'm happy to give Comrie a chance and hope he plays well immediately.  My gut feel worry about the current tandem of Comrie / Anderson is health.  Anderson can't handle a big workload and that's been acknowledged on all levels.  If Comrie goes down with the extra playing time then it's down to UPL and pretty weak from there (Subban?).  Maybe that's negative thinking but our depth in goal remains weak.

[dudacek]

I think it’s inevitable that UPL becomes the starter.

The only real questions for me is under what circumstances (injury, poor play by one or both of the others, or his own good play), and whether we are still within striking distance when it happens.

I disagree with the notion other teams in the division are in better shape. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit all have as many questions as we do and Florida’s duo is no sure thing either.

Now someone will emerge from the pack as better than we think, but I think it’s hard to say who.

[Doohickie]

Okay.

[DarthEbriate]

Goaltending has been the concern since Hutton's eye year after his hot start. Ullmark wasn't great and had some injuries, but he's a .915 guy every year. This team is in the playoff chase with a .915 guy playing 55 games. Question is now: is Comrie capable of that? If not, pray UPL ascends (and also stays healthy), and that Levi and Portillo flunk out of school by January.

[Ruff Around The Edges]

Craig Anderson was a great story last year but let's be fair: It needs to be a UPL/Comrie show right now.

[tom webster]

I’m not sure anyone, including KA, would argue that the goaltending situation couldn’t be better. The real question is, was there anyone available, that wanted to come here, that would not have cost a significant asset that would have been foolish to give up at this point. 

[LGR4GM]

Im not particularly worried about Comrie to be honest. I think he will be fine. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 minute ago, tom webster said:

I’m not sure anyone, including KA, would argue that the goaltending situation couldn’t be better. The real question is, was there anyone available, that wanted to come here, that would not have cost a significant asset that would have been foolish to give up at this point. 

That’s always the question isn’t it.  Other organizations in the last 3 years, including dumpster fires like Det and Ott, seemed to find ways to acquire goaltending.  Forsberg in Ott was a waiver pick up.  I have said for years that this wait and see approach hoping one of the prospects emerges is a mistake. Devon “Goalie of the future” Levi is still 2 years away.  UPL may never make the NHL and Portillo is likely to go elsewhere.  

I thought in April that KA should have brought in someone to challenge UPL.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Im not particularly worried about Comrie to be honest. I think he will be fine. 

From your lips to G-d’s ears.  Like i’ve said before I like Comrie, but I would have upgraded Anderson as well. 

 

[tom webster]

4 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

That’s always the question isn’t it.  Other organizations in the last 3 years, including dumpster fires like Det and Ott, seemed to find ways to acquire goaltending.  Forsberg in Ott was a waiver pick up.  I have said for years that this wait and see approach hoping one of the prospects emerges is a mistake. Devon “Goalie of the future” Levi is still 2 years away.  UPL may never make the NHL and Portillo is likely to go elsewhere.  

I thought in April that KA should have brought in someone to challenge UPL.  

I agree that none of the “prospects” can be counted on as sure fire. I do think it’s just as likely that Comrie is as good as anyone that was available to them. Obviously they tried to acquire Murray and I’m pretty sure they attempted to convince Gibson to come here. Another season of progress will open doors to other possibilities.

[PromoTheRobot]

Everything is a question until they start to play, and then you never know if they will stay that way. That's the magic of life. It's full of mystery.

[Mustache of God]

I think Comrie is going to give us the best goaltending we've seen since Miller was traded away. This is the best defense the Sabres have iced since the tank began and he's put in his time and is due for this opportunity. 

I didn't love the Anderson re-signing, but it sounds like he's a great veteran presence in the locker room (which this team deinitely needs) and it's also obvious he's only here for one more year which drives competition for UPL/Comrie next year.

I will remain as optimistic as I can about this season until I see otherwise.

[DarthEbriate]

10 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Everything is a question until they start to play, and then you never know if they will stay that way. That's the magic of life. It's full of mystery.

Tend or do not. There is no goal.

[RochesterExpat]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Somehow Houser sneaks in a couple of starts and outplays the guys ahead of him on the depth chart making people here again wonder why he doesn’t get more of an opportunity

This is the way. (louder for the kids in the back)

Michael Houser has the highest win percentage of any of the 58 goalies to ever dress for the organization!

His SV% is 8th of 58!

He gloves left which basically makes him a right shot defenseman (which we need).

He is 19th for GSAA (cumulative), but is 6th in GSAA relative to ice time--with the only players ranked ahead with more games played being Hasek and Edwards who both have Vezinas.

He is 8th all time in shots against per 60 minutes so he knows how to handle a busy net!

Sources suggest he once gave a kidney to a stranger on the internet.

He is 6th all time in goals allowed percent relative to league goals allowed. Behind only Hasek and Edwards for goalies who have played more games than him as a Sabre.

I'm pretty sure he runs an animal shelter for abused puppies.

He's won both the CHL Goaltended of the Year award as well as the ECHL Goaltender of the Year award. Not even Hasek managed that!

Last season he was statistically the best goalie the Sabres iced.

He works as a cancer researcher in the offseason.

Last season saw an improvement of 42% in GAA!

He probably gives all his money to charity.

He is the all time team leader in Quality Starts %

I mean, c'mon people, just look at the man. How can you not love this face/neck ratio?
 

 

#TeamHouser

#NeckMan

#BrickHOUSEr

#SampleSizeBeDamned

#RaiseTheRoofOnThisHOUSEr

 

 

[Malazan]

30 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

I mean, c'mon people, just look at the man. How can you not love this face/neck ratio?
 

That neck looks.. awfully Giraffe like..

[DarthEbriate]

https://comingupmilhouse.com/ Everything's coming up milHouser!

 

[CallawaySabres]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Everything is a question until they start to play, and then you never know if they will stay that way. That's the magic of life. It's full of mystery.

How did you get a hold of my yearbook quote?

[Thorny]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

I think it’s inevitable that UPL becomes the starter.

The only real questions for me is under what circumstances (injury, poor play by one or both of the others, or his own good play), and whether we are still within striking distance when it happens.

I disagree with the notion other teams in the division are in better shape. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit all have as many questions as we do and Florida’s duo is no sure thing either.

Now someone will emerge from the pack as better than we think, but I think it’s hard to say who.

Do you view UPL becoming the starter as more likely a good thing, a neutral thing, or a bad thing? I’m a little surprised your thoughts on him are as strong as believing it’s “inevitable” he’ll become the starter. Unless I’m misreading that and you simply mean he’ll be “starting” at some point. Which I agree will happen, I’d just say “Starter” implies a more mainstay term.

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

Do you view UPL becoming the starter as more likely a good thing, a neutral thing, or a bad thing? I’m a little surprised your thoughts on him are as strong as believing it’s “inevitable” he’ll become the starter. Unless I’m misreading that and you simply mean he’ll be “starting” at some point. Which I agree will happen, I’d just say “Starter” implies a more mainstay term.

I think the most likely scenario is that Comrie is adequate but not “good” and the Sabres eventually make the switch in a bid to jumpstart their season and get a real look at what they have in UPL.

I also would not be surprised if at least one of these things will happen within the first 2 months to accelerate the process: Anderson gets hurt, UPL is outstanding in Rochester, or Comrie crumbles under the weight of his opportunity.

The switch might be good bad or indifferent depending on the circumstances. I just don’t think Comrie will be good enough or UPL bad enough to prevent it from happening.

Whether UPL is good enough to hang on to the crease once he gets it is another story. If pressed, I guess I find it easier to picture him as a “starter” than I do Comrie, but not in any substantive way.

Edited October 11, 2022 by dudacek

[Sabres Fan in NS]

All KA did was buy 2 years for the next very good to great goalie to be ready (I believe it is Levi).

IMO, KA did a good job bringing in a better goalie in Comrie.  The Sabres will be fine and will learn a lot about team defense over the next two seasons and will win a lot of games in doing so.

[Thorny]

8 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

All KA did was buy 2 years for the next very good to great goalie to be ready (I believe it is Levi).

IMO, KA did a good job bringing in a better goalie in Comrie.  The Sabres will be fine and will learn a lot about team defense over the next two seasons and will win a lot of games in doing so.

What do you see as the plan for 2 years from now, in net, if Levi doesn’t pan out? 

[Digger]

24 minutes ago, Thorny said:

What do you see as the plan for 2 years from now, in net, if Levi doesn’t pan out? 

That's why we should be trying hard to sign Portillo as well Leinonen from last year's draft.  We need the depth in the very least.  Remember the tragedy that happened with Blue Jackets goaltender Kivlenieks.  We shouldn't plan on bad things happening but lots of things can happen in life.  We're doing well home growing talent at forward and defense. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

15 hours ago, Thorny said:

What do you see as the plan for 2 years from now, in net, if Levi doesn’t pan out? 

They have to be trying to sign at least one of the other two kids lazing about someplace (Potillo and that other guy).

This is why you have to pick a goaler someplace in every draft.

[mjd1001]

15 hours ago, Thorny said:

What do you see as the plan for 2 years from now, in net, if Levi doesn’t pan out? 

The plan is to do what they are doing, keep trying.  Who COULD be the solution?  Anderson and Subban are not.

Comrie could be. UPL could be (I personally am more than 50% sure that one of them will be a very good NHL goalie).  You have possibilities (still) in both Portillo and Levi.  You drafted Leinonen.  So you have a lot of 'lottery tickets', and these aren't 1-in-1000 chance lotter tickets.  Based on their backgrounds/draft status alone odds say (but not guarantee) that 1 of more of them will be a solution.  

You can still draft goalies going foward next year as you get closer to getting your answer on the guys in your system now.  You can always take a shot next year on a guy in the same situation as Comrie.  And, If this team gets better you are more likely to be able to trade for/attract a higher level free agent next year and beyond.

So are there any guarantees? Nope. But they are in a lot better position now for their goalie options going forward then they were just a couple years ago (now knowing that Ulmark is not an option).

Am I happy with the current goalie situation?  No, not happy.  But I am happy with the quantity and quality of the pipeline/future plan.