Pirates looking for goaltending Options

[Wildcat48]

Well.... not really the Pirates looking, but you get the point.

Pirates will be looking for a goaltender and perhaps two.....

I questioned why Lamoureux was an RFA if he signed as a UFA. Well, I managed to get some clarification on that from both the NHLPA and PHPA.

He is not. He is a UFA who can sign freely with any team. Secondly, the Sabres are pondering letting Enroth be the backup in Buffalo this season and not signing a backup goalie for the Sabres. They could make a trade, but right now it's on the table that Portland could have a pair of new goalies between the pipes in the fall.

This post has been edited by Wildcat48: Jul 1 2010, 07:42 PM

[t114]

If Enroth is given the backup job I'd be a little shocked if they didn't pursue someone for Portland that is NHL capable should an injury befall Miller and/or Enroth... I know that the Sabres are cheaper than me when it comes to personnel depth, but I can't imagine they'd want to be caught with their pants around the ankles mid-season without a capable goaltender to step up...

Lamoureux is no NHL-caliber goaltender and next year they'll have to contend the possibility of two rookie goaltenders providing depth at the position in the system... But if that's the way Buffalo management wants to chance things, who am I to question their lack of vision...

This post has been edited by t114: Jul 1 2010, 04:41 PM

[Emil The Troll]

What's Ray Emery doin' these days?

[Wildcat48]

If Enroth is given the backup job I'd be a little shocked if they didn't pursue someone for Portland that is NHL capable should an injury befall Miller and/or Enroth... I know that the Sabres are cheaper than me when it comes to personnel depth, but I can't imagine they'd want to be caught with their pants around the ankles mid-season without a capable goaltender to step up...

Lamoureux is no NHL-caliber goaltender and next year they'll have to contend the possibility of two rookie goaltenders providing depth at the position in the system... But if that's the way Buffalo management wants to chance things, who am I to question their lack of vision...

That's pretty cheap!!!!!!!

[Wildcat48]

Sabres willing to look within to fill NHL roster
Published on: 1st July, 2010 by Chris Roy

Although July 1 is Canada Day north of the border, it’s also a day for NHL players to cash in big with the start of the free agency period, and for some teams, they dove in head first while others sat back to let the market play out.

Read More>>>>

[t114]

If Enroth is given the backup job I'd be a little shocked if they didn't pursue someone for Portland that is NHL capable should an injury befall Miller and/or Enroth... I know that the Sabres are cheaper than me when it comes to personnel depth, but I can't imagine they'd want to be caught with their pants around the ankles mid-season without a capable goaltender to step up...

Lamoureux is no NHL-caliber goaltender and next year they'll have to contend the possibility of two rookie goaltenders providing depth at the position in the system... But if that's the way Buffalo management wants to chance things, who am I to question their lack of vision...

That's pretty cheap!!!!!!!

It's a fair comparison...

[Maine Mariner]

Last year I thought the Pirates and the Sabres would both be terrible.

I was dead wrong.

This year, it LOOKS like both teams will be terrible. I hope I'm dead wrong again. Regier seems to have a keen eye for picking up young players that win rookie of the year in this leagie and I sure hope he has another one up his sleeve.

[penaltyboxattend...]

That could be Luke Adam. He is highly regarded. A little slower than Ennis or Gerbe, but he is bigger and plays a smarter game i hear.

[Wildcat48]

Last year I thought the Pirates and the Sabres would both be terrible.

I was dead wrong.

This year, it LOOKS like both teams will be terrible. I hope I'm dead wrong again. Regier seems to have a keen eye for picking up young players that win rookie of the year in this leagie and I sure hope he has another one up his sleeve.

I don't think you will be wrong.... The Sabres will be decent, but I think the Pirates are not going to be very good this season for three reasons.

1.) They have little veteran presence on the blueline.
2.) Scoring will be an issue with no bona-fide goal scorer
3.) Who is going to play in goal?

[penaltyboxattend...]

Last year I thought the Pirates and the Sabres would both be terrible.

I was dead wrong.

This year, it LOOKS like both teams will be terrible. I hope I'm dead wrong again. Regier seems to have a keen eye for picking up young players that win rookie of the year in this leagie and I sure hope he has another one up his sleeve.

I don't think you will be wrong.... The Sabres will be decent, but I think the Pirates are not going to be very good this season for three reasons.

1.) They have little veteran presence on the blueline.
2.) Scoring will be an issue with no bona-fide goal scorer
3.) Who is going to play in goal?

you say this every season

[Wildcat48]

Last year I thought the Pirates and the Sabres would both be terrible.

I was dead wrong.

This year, it LOOKS like both teams will be terrible. I hope I'm dead wrong again. Regier seems to have a keen eye for picking up young players that win rookie of the year in this leagie and I sure hope he has another one up his sleeve.

I don't think you will be wrong.... The Sabres will be decent, but I think the Pirates are not going to be very good this season for three reasons.

1.) They have little veteran presence on the blueline.
2.) Scoring will be an issue with no bona-fide goal scorer
3.) Who is going to play in goal?

you say this every season

I don't say it every season.... In 05-06-07, I thought the team was going to be pretty good and last year I will admit they surprised me. That said, looking at the roster for the upcoming team -- it is still only July -- they are looking pretty weak.

They have no veteran presence on the blueline... They let Kostka (2 years pro) and Generous both walk and they are losing Weber, DiPenta and possibly Gragnani depending on what the Sabres do with the back-end. Even signing a vet, they won't be close to the depth they had with as their blueline which will consist of Brennan, Persson, Schiestel, Crawford and Biega.

Portland is losing their top-5 scoring forwards from last year (Mancari - 74pts, Ennis - 65pts, Wanvig - 38pts, Gerbe - 38pts and Gogulla - 35pts) and potential top-6 team scorers. It's early in the free agency season, but I want to know where this team is going to replace 250pts and 90 goals. Maybe Adam will produce, but again I don't see that happening with what's available on the market.

Here's an example of what I mean by that.... Chris Minard, who I would say is a pretty good scoring forward just signed a deal with Detroit. His AHL salary will 300k if they assign him to Grand Rapids. That's after he scored 40 pts (22g, 16a) in 38 games with the Falcons. I don't see the Sabres dishing out 300k, 200k or even 150k for an AHL goal scorer. Sabres paid three players the 105k, which is the max to prevent re-entry waivers.

Finally.... We still don't know who will play in goal. Right now the Sabres have two goalies under contract and they are seriously thinking about putting Enroth in Buffalo as the backup... Lamoureux is a UFA and hasn't been signed. He's not even listed on the Sabres prospect camp... So I tend to think they aren't to serious about re-signing him. Again, if the Sabres sign a backup for Buffalo then this doesn't even matter, but until they do.... It's a big piece of the puzzle.

This isn't about being negative..... I look at the team and I analyze them good, bad or indifferent. That what I'm paid to do and right now there are some major holes in this franchise.

I mean I haven't even hit on coaching because Dineen is no longer under contract.... I'm assuming he will be back, but anything is possible.

Fortunately, it's still July and I've been known to be wrong.

[penaltyboxattend...]

I know what you are saying. But like you said, most of the Free Agent signings don't come until later in the summer. Who knows, maybe we will get a undrafted college player who can produce. I believe Brennan will have a big year on the powerplay and with ice time. Crawford is an offensive defenseman. But yes, with Persson and Scheistel back there, who knows what major turnovers we may have. I have never seen clips of Biega play, but I hear he is physical.

If we can get someone speedy to play along with Adam, I think that would help him out alot. I think a lot will depend on if guys breakout or step up their game. We may have no idea until mid-season just how this team is.

On somewhat of the same subject, where is the roster for the prospect camp? I felt it was weird that the Sabres or Pirates both did not release it.

Any chances on Corey Tropp being signed?

[Wildcat48]

I know what you are saying. But like you said, most of the Free Agent signings don't come until later in the summer. Who knows, maybe we will get a undrafted college player who can produce. I believe Brennan will have a big year on the powerplay and with ice time. Crawford is an offensive defenseman. But yes, with Persson and Scheistel back there, who knows what major turnovers we may have. I have never seen clips of Biega play, but I hear he is physical.

If we can get someone speedy to play along with Adam, I think that would help him out alot. I think a lot will depend on if guys breakout or step up their game. We may have no idea until mid-season just how this team is.

On somewhat of the same subject, where is the roster for the prospect camp? I felt it was weird that the Sabres or Pirates both did not release it.

Any chances on Corey Tropp being signed?

I'm hoping they can get Tropp signed.... They are speaking with his agent now so maybe in the next several weeks.

I was surprised they didn't publicly release the roster... But, I have it here......

[Maine Mariner]

It's amazing how cheap the Buffalo franchise is. Any sabres die-hard will agree.

It's super amazing how good they have been. They get quite the bang for thier buck.

I'm always worried (thats just me) that if you keep walking on a tightrope, a gust of wind will eventually come up.

[AmerkFan]

It's amazing how cheap the Buffalo franchise is. Any sabres die-hard will agree.

It's super amazing how good they have been. They get quite the bang for thier buck.

I'm always worried (thats just me) that if you keep walking on a tightrope, a gust of wind will eventually come up.

Their player payroll is never that low. But they are cheap in other areas for sure, and that would be noted by any Sabres fan.

They've never been the type to spend highly on AHL free agents. And a quick look at capgeek shows how high these AHL veteran salaries are becoming. Top vets are going to cost 200-300 thousand at least.

[t114]

Here's my take on this...


In 09-10 the Sabres went and signed 6 good veterans for Portland... You can debate them, but the experience and/or experience they brought to Portland made them either solid contributors or valuable pieces to the team... So decent veteran experience can be found without breaking the bank...

Defense is a concern (again) and will be a weakspot... Even if they sign a defenseman who's capable of going straight to Buffalo it's still not going to help a blueline that can only boast Gragnani as the seasoned veteran... And I'll tie this bunch in with Enroth because he compensated for the defensive mistakes through some solid and at times phenomenal goaltending... If Buffalo intends to make Enroth the back-up and they don't find a quality keeper for Portland, the lack of blueline experience and the eventual learning mistakes will only be compounded...

The pieces that helped the 09-10 Pirates are gone and they haven't been replaced or even addressed... That's where it's hard to see the prospect for this season being close to or on par with last year's campaign...

[Wildcat48]

It's amazing how cheap the Buffalo franchise is. Any sabres die-hard will agree.

It's super amazing how good they have been. They get quite the bang for thier buck.

I'm always worried (thats just me) that if you keep walking on a tightrope, a gust of wind will eventually come up.

Their player payroll is never that low. But they are cheap in other areas for sure, and that would be noted by any Sabres fan.

They've never been the type to spend highly on AHL free agents. And a quick look at capgeek shows how high these AHL veteran salaries are becoming. Top vets are going to cost 200-300 thousand at least.

That is certianly the one thing that I am finding out with this organization... It's not that they are a bad organization or they don't have talented players, but they will never be in the running for players who make 150k, 200k and above.

Here's the Pirates roster as it sits with players signed.
Luke Adam -- $65,000.00
Jacob Lagace -- $50,000.00
Paul Byron -- $55,000.00
Felix Schutz -- $55,000.00
Travis Turnbull -- $40,000.00
TJ Brennan -- $65,000.00
Dennis Persson -- $62,500.00
Drew Schiestel -- $60,000.00
Nick Crawford -- $55,000.00
Alex Biega -- $40,000.00


TOTAL -- $547,500.00

[AmerkFan]

Yeah Jeff Taffe and Clay Wilson alone almost doubt those numbers. Both one way deals, both probably end up in Rochester.

The writing was on the wall years ago. Not trying to bring that whole debate back up at all. I'm long past it. Buffalo just chooses to do things their way, and they will never be in on the Haydar's and Sterling's of the AHL.

[Wildcat48]

Will Goalie Jhonas Enroth Crack the Sabres Lineup?
By Bill Hoppe
MSG.com

LEWISTON, N.Y. – The numbers scream it. After two dazzling seasons in Portland, goalie Jhonas Enroth has outgrown the AHL. The apprenticeship should end. The 22-year-old appears ready to graduate to the Buffalo Sabres.

Read More>>>>

[penaltyboxattend...]

Hey wildcat, I was just curious if you plan to, or have ever asked Darcy about their AHL philosophy regarding veterans. I understand AHL comes 2nd, but, Colorado has already signed 6 AHL players for Lake Erie, Boston has signed 3, the list goes on and on. I mean, I don't see the harm in doing it, even if it is guys who come cheap.

I know from seeing Darcy via television he looks like a dick, is he?

Maybe something you can ask him next time you speak with him.