Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres addressed their goaltending situation on Wednesday with the signing of Eric Comrie, while also inking a right-shot defenseman in Ilya Lyubushkin.
Wednesday was also the first day of Sabres Development Camp at Harborcenter.
After the second session of Day 1 of camp, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams spoke about the players he signed to start NHL Free Agency.
“We feel really good about how the day’s played out," said Adams on Wednesday.
“[Tuesday] it started with re-signing Vinnie [Hinostroza], and we had a plan coming into today. I felt the staff did a good job of executing the plan.”
Comrie was taken in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, but has only played 28 NHL games and never been a starter in the league. He has been the No. 1 guy for four seasons in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, and some goaltenders don’t hit their stride until 27 or later.
“We did a lot of work on Eric," Adams said of his new goalie. "What was interesting is our scouting staff, our goaltender coaches, and Sam Ventura and his crew really were aligned on this player, and felt that he’s one of these players that’s ready to take the next step.
“From a numbers perspective, he has a strong body of work through the American League. He just hasn’t had a ton of opportunity. So for me, this was a goaltender that we feel is right there on the cusp of taking that step. That’s why he was our guy that we were going to target.”
As usual with Adams, it was more than what he was seeing on tape. He says there were other factors that went into signing Comrie.
“We see a player that wants this opportunity and has high character," Adams said. "Really well-liked by his teammates, and wanted to be here. That’s a big deal.”
So the question now becomes, is there still an opportunity for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to win the job coming out of training camp? It really doesn’t sound like it.
“I had a really good talk with 'UPL' this afternoon, because I wanted to make sure that he understood that we believe in him and we see him as a very good NHL goaltender and playing for the Buffalo Sabres. What we don’t need to do is rush him. We want to see him to continue to get ice-time and continue to get his starts, and continue to get the reps he needs.”
When it comes to Lyubushkin, he’s a good open-ice hitter and is solid in his own zone. He will challenge Jacob Bryson and Casey Fitzgerald for time on the third defensive pairing.
"He plays a hard game. He’s a bigger guy, he can kill penalties. So we just felt with the young D that we have and the skill that we have, that he’d be a good fit," Adams said of the 28-year-old Russian-born defenseman. "Here’s another guy that looked at our team and thought it was a good fit for him.”
Sabres' 2021 second-round pick Aleksandr Kisakov is now in Ottawa trying to get immigration issues taken care of so he can begin working with the team. Adams says he likely won’t make it to Buffalo for any of development camp.
Adams also said Wednesday doctors looked at 2022 first-round pick Matthew Savoie’s shoulder and decided to hold him out of on-ice sessions this week. He hurt it during the Western Hockey League playoffs with the Winnipeg Ice.
Day 2 of Development Camp is Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET and is open to the public at Harborcenter.
