All I have seen this offseason is how Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams has dropped the ball by sticking with young goaltenders Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for next year, and I am sick of it.
Last season’s netminding woes
Last season saw the Sabres start their year with the goaltending tandem of then 41-year-old Craig Anderson, who started opening night, and Winnipeg Jets backup Eric Comrie. Luukkonen started last year in Rochester and didn’t get his NHL call-up until midway through November.
I get that the standards have been raised for this team since last year, but I do not see the issue with a Levi, Luukkonen duo. While both guys have yet to prove themselves at the NHL level, goaltending is so volatile, that I am okay swinging for the fences on these two. Buffalo brought in Comrie last year to be that assurance, and he is currently the third option.
Levi stole the keys to the Sabres crease once his season at Northeastern ended. He played seven games for Buffalo and had a .905 save percentage along with a 5-2 record. The 21-year-old played the biggest games of the season as the Sabres were fighting for a playoff spot, and Levi was the backbone to that push.
The Sabres struggled all year it seemed like in net. They finished the year third in the NHL in goals for, and 26th for goals against. If the team had average goaltending, they would have broken their 11-year playoff drought.
Why Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are the answer
The Sabres’ best goaltender last year really was Anderson. He led the team in save percentage and was a few points behind Levi in goals against average.
With Anderson retired, it only makes sense to gamble on Levi and Luukkonen being the goalies of the present and the future. If the Sabres are going to have long-term success, they need to find their “Ryan Miller” in net. Levi is only 21 years old, and Luukkonen 24. Miller did not make the jump to the NHL full time until he was 25. Let’s give these kids a chance to prove themselves and show why they have moved from the future of the Sabres to the present.
Going from stop-gap to stop-gap in the crease will not give this team the long-term success that is on the horizon. And moving on from Luukkonen is a gamble that doesn’t make any sense. Give him at least one more year to prove it, and if not cut your losses and move on. We still don’t know who exactly he is in net as he has only played 46 games in the NHL.
Free agent options
I get some people wanted to see the Sabres push more for free agents like Fredrik Anderson or Antti Raanta, but you still never know when you bring a goalie in. Below is the list of free agents from this summer from Spotrac.
Any goalie on this list is a gamble, and I would rather gamble on a 21 and 24-year-old. We know how these two play in front of the Sabres defense, and these two have the longevity to carry this team for years to come on hopefully team-friendly deals.
What do you think of Kevyn Adams’ decision to keep Levi and Luukkonen? Comment down below and let me know your thoughts.
5 Responses
Totally agree with this article.
Let the 2 goalies prove everyone wrong.
Going to be a fun season🏒🏒
Levi and UPL are the answer.
I believe he made the correct decision. There are to many GMs ? out there who think with their heart instead of their head. The win it all now with such a young team lacks forethought.
Lovi it!
Honestly this is what I believe too. They can more or less split time this season and play the hotter hand. I personally think Levi ends up winning the starting job with a more than capable back up in UPL. Let’s go Buffalo ⚔️🙏🏻🎙️