Goaltending Post-Miller

[OpIv37]

So what happens now? Enroth isn't awful but I'd prefer we kept him as a back up. I don't think he will ever be more than average as an NHL starter. Is Hackett ready? Is it wise to go into the season with these two as the goaltending tandem?

It's a weird problem to have. Despite utter mediocrity, starting goaltending hasn't been a problem for this team for ages.

[JATMtheJATM]

short term (this depends on hacketts knee, which was injured badly at the end of last season): i would trade enroth, if possible. i wouldnt give him away, but trade him if i could. i would go with neuvirth and hackett this season. see what they have. this would open the amerks up to a possible lieuwen/makarov tandem. both goalies really pushed their ceilings last year, and could be NHL material shortly. neither was expected to do much, both took their opportunities and ran with them. ullmark is spending next year with MODO, so he can come over in 15-16.

long term: draft a goalie high. id draft a goalie early in the second round, if i could. in a weak draft, drafting a goalie high makes sense. yes, its a gamble, but in a weak draft class, its worth the risk, IMO. they sabres shouldnt have passed on fucale last june.

[Ginger Vitis]

long term: draft a goalie high. id draft a goalie early in the second round, if i could. in a weak draft, drafting a goalie high makes sense. yes, its a gamble, but in a weak draft class, its worth the risk, IMO. they sabres shouldnt have passed on fucale last june.

Ding..Ding..Ding.. with multiple 2nd round picks the Sabres have.. Murray should be able very easily to get one of the Top 3 goalies on the Sabres board

Woudnt hate it if Enroth plays 50 games next year someone has too

[trapezeus]

i think goalie situation is ideal in this long term build out. we need to suck again to really have a chance the fololwing year. miller, who played well couldnt make this team a contender. enroth and neuvirth or whatever combo should be just fine getting us to the bottom of the heap again. and if we are taking a tope goalie prospect in the draft, i like what hte following year could mean for us.

Move enroth at trade deadline for some team that wants a little depth for their run.

[coastal]

The way Murray makes it sound... you take the biggest goalies later in the draft, because they're a crap shoot.

[swiper]

It sounds like they'll keep Enroth and get a patch to form a tandem while they wait on the players they already have in the system.

The question is what does Murray think of the young goaltenders already working their way up in the system. If he likes what he sees he will draft a goalie later on. If he doesn't trust what he sees he may take one of those higher picks and get a goalie.

It seems that the decision-makers within the Sabres organization don't feel Enroth is a stand-alone answer for the long haul.

[Ginger Vitis]

The question is what does Murray think of the young goaltenders already working their way up in the system.


One of the hosts on WGR550 claimed that Murray has a high opinion of Nathan Lieuwen.. Ill be very surprised if Murray doesn't take a goalie in the 2nd round assuming he has at least 2 2nd round picks once the draft gets to the 2nd round

[JATMtheJATM]

One of the hosts on WGR550 claimed that Murray has a high opinion of Nathan Lieuwen.. Ill be very surprised if Murray doesn't take a goalie in the 2nd round assuming he has at least 2 2nd round picks once the draft gets to the 2nd round

thats my feeling too. i hope its thatcher demko but ive heard questions about his hips already.

[tampabay25690]

One of the hosts on WGR550 claimed that Murray has a high opinion of Nathan Lieuwen.. Ill be very surprised if Murray doesn't take a goalie in the 2nd round assuming he has at least 2 2nd round picks once the draft gets to the 2nd round

Don't be surprised to see the Sabres sign a Goalie in Free Agency either......:)

[JATMtheJATM]

Don't be surprised to see the Sabres sign a Goalie in Free Agency either......:)

they already have enroth and neuvirth. so signing one makes little sense unless they move one.

[Ginger Vitis]

i hope its thatcher demko but ive heard questions about his hips already.

Interesting... Demko didn't play that well in the Frozen Four his stock has dropped a bit.. The goalie class this upcoming draft is average at best

[Ginger Vitis]

Don't be surprised to see the Sabres sign a Goalie in Free Agency either......:)

So is Ryan giving any thought at all to coming back to Buffalo?

[JATMtheJATM]

Demko is probably better then anyone else the Sabres have i the pipeline.

[tampabay25690]

they already have enroth and neuvirth. so signing one makes little sense unless they move one.

Just saying they r looking elsewhere,

[tampabay25690]

So is Ryan giving any thought at all to coming back to Buffalo?

Prob out west if anything..
But to answer question yes and no if that makes sense..
Him leaving was very hard on him!

[casdhf]

I love Miller as much as the next guy. Him signing here costs us our best shot at McDavid.

[DetDannyWilliams]

don't expect the Sabres to draft a goaltender

<iframe src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=625656&site=sabres" frameborder="0" width="640" height="395"></iframe>

1:00 in to the Press Conference Murray says that "goaltending is not a pressing need"

[The Jokeman]

don't expect the Sabres to draft a goaltender


1:00 in to the Press Conference Murray says that "goaltending is not a pressing need"

I don't know but whenever I see Murray in a press conference I think of this:


<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3PL4wUIFU-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[JATMtheJATM]

That's a shame. We don't have any blue chip goalies in the pipeline, an overload of skater prospects, a weak draft class after the top 3, and a good prospect in demko who could fall to the second round.

[doug45]

don't expect the Sabres to draft a goaltender

<iframe src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=625656&site=sabres" frameborder="0" width="640" height="395"></iframe>

1:00 in to the Press Conference Murray says that "goaltending is not a pressing need"

What "goaltending is not a pressing need" ?!?!?! With only young players !!! At least Miller could keep the team in the game most of the time!!! He was also fun to watch, now it will be a bunch of fumbling kids with no veterans to teach them!!! It is going to be a sad 6 or 7 years before things get competitive again.....

[swiper]

I guess he lied.

[chernobylwraiths]

I don't know. Third round in hockey isn't necessarily blue chip material. I think there were still some higher rated prospects when he traded down too. So, I assume he was still going under his "best talent available" process.

[JATMtheJATM]

Third round for a goalie is considered pretty high due to the risk factor. So its not a throw away pick for sure.

[SkateZilla]

dont we still have noy-verth? (yeah I dont know how to spell it)

[JATMtheJATM]

Yes we do.

[SpikedLemonade]

Why not make the tank a complete mockery and have no goalie and go with 6 skaters.

[Downinfloflo]

Why not make the tank a complete mockery and have no goalie and go with 6 skaters.

Make sense, Last year they went with just the goalie and no defense.

[SpikedLemonade]

Make sense, Last year they went with just the goalie and no defense.

"But...but...but...John Scott gave us respect."

[coastal]

Why not make the tank a complete mockery and have no goalie and go with 6 skaters.hater.

the tank is on and has been since the fire sale. For all intents and purposes and with Erhoff now gone, the tank is done.

Now it's rebuilding.

we had four picks in the first 2 rounds this year and have 5 before the middle of round 2 next year... to go with the existing stable of talent that's in wait and the few decent players like Girgs who are already here.

belittle it all you want and it may take a few years for the results to translate onto the ice... but the future doesn't look bleak at all.

i just hope Nolan is able to survive under Murray. I fear he's setting him up.

i like Nolan.

[SpikedLemonade]

Nolan is being set up.

They will can him after this year's tank.

[OpIv37]

dont we still have noy-verth? (yeah I dont know how to spell it)

Yeah but he's stopgap at best.

[SpikedLemonade]

Yeah but he's stopgap at best.

But that seems to be what the Sabres want this year -- a goalie who allows goals through a big gap and stops nothing.

[JATMtheJATM]

Yeah but he's stopgap at best.

Disagree. Hes got a good skill set. He has the talent to be a solid starter.its his chance now to prove it. Beats enroth.