The Sabres have handled their goalies poorly this season.
There are several words that can be used to explain the way the Buffalo Sabres have managed their goalies this year. Some adjectives that spring to mind include unconventional, perplexing, and irresponsible.Although Devon Levi is a great prospect,
It’s evident that, despite the Sabres’ initial optimism following his impressive audition at the end of the previous season, he is not yet ready to start in the NHL.That’s okay; goalies typically grow over time, but the Sabres organization has never shown patience.
This season, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has supplied reliable goaltending. Compared to Levi, he is 24 years old and further along in his developmental cycle. Since Luukkonen is a capable starting goalkeeper for the Sabres, the common thought is to start Eric Comrie in the minor leagues as a backup while Levi develops. Levi has instead spent the majority of the season in tandem with Luukkonen thanks to the Sabres, and they are failing him.
Luukkonen Deserves the Initial Position
The starting goaltender spot was up for grabs for the Sabres going into the season between Comrie, Levi, and Luukkonen. Luukkonen has started six of the team’s last eight games as they approach the final stretch before the All-Star Break, finally gaining the organization’s trust.
Early on, the Sabres gave Levi the most playing time, but Luukkonen soon started to get more starts. He finished November with a 2.88 goals-against average (GAA) and a.905 save percentage (SV%). Levi and Comrie, on the other hand, allowed more than three goals per game and had SV%s below.880.
Luukkonen seemed to be settling in as the obvious starter, but things changed in December. During that month, Levi made six starts with an SV% of just.866. Comrie continued to have inconsistent play, while Levi had his greatest stretch of the year.
He recorded better stats and started eight games, two more than Luukkonen. Levi was starting to re-enter the race for the starting position.
But when 2024 rolled around, Luukkonen overcame his December dip and took back the top rank. He has a 4-2-0 record with a.955 SV% and two consecutive shutouts thus far in January. His shutout streak of 164:09 was the longest in team history, breaking Ryan Miller’s 2010 franchise record of 161:35.
Because it takes into account the caliber of shots faced, goals saved above expectation, or GSAx, has emerged as the industry standard statistic for goalies. Luukkonen is ranked 17th in the NHL this season with an 8.75 GSAx. With a current GSAx of -2.95, Levi is ranked 65th, and Comrie is ranked 63rd.
All three of the Sabres’ goalies have had moments of inconsistency, but when you take the average of their performances, Luukkonen has numbers worthy of a starting goalkeeper, and the other two have at most played at the backup position.
Sabres should give Levi more time.
It’s possible that the Sabres were naive in believing that Levi would go straight from college to the NHL as a starter. This has never happened before at any other company. The standard development approach is to allow your young goalies to learn how to succeed consistently in the minor leagues before trying to make the NHL.
The Sabres decided to give each of their goalies a chance to start playing with more responsibility, and Levi’s performances have been uneven. Though he has a lot of potential, this young goalkeeper is athletic and not yet ready for the NHL.
He suffers the next night after putting on a great show the night before. Rookies almost always experience ups and downs, especially goalies. The Sabres were entitled to anticipate this.
Less than half the season remains. It’s okay if Levi isn’t starting right now in the NHL. Sending him to Rochester in the American Hockey League (AHL) is currently the greatest thing the Sabres can do for him.
He can lead the Rochester Americans to a postseason run in the spring, be the team’s full-time starter, and receive more opportunity to hone his craft. Levi has been denied far too much of the Sabres’ invaluable growth experience in the last 12 months.
Sabres Must Consider the Wide Picture
Buffalo now has more time to allow Levi to get minor-league experience thanks to Luukkonen’s play. There’s no need to push a 22-year-old into an NHL job where he won’t play as much when they have a primary goalkeeper.
Maybe the Sabres organization still wants to try to make the playoffs and doesn’t think highly enough of Comrie to assign him to a backup role. To be honest, if that’s the case, I believe it’s time for them to accept the truth of their circumstances.
They would need to beat six teams in the Eastern Conference standings in order to qualify for the playoffs. Compared to the Sabres, five of those teams have played fewer games.
While making the playoffs is not a given, it is exceedingly doubtful that the decision of which of the two backup goalies to send down would determine whether the team advances or fails
. Luukkonen will make the difference because it’s his net. In Buffalo, this is not a welcome statement, but patience is essential. The Sabres need to give Levi’s growth greater consideration. He’s too valuable to be thrown away.
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