The Sabres will have a goalie battle to watch at training camp.
The Sabres will have a goalie battle to watch at training camp.
The Buffalo Sabres are entering a massive 2024-25 season. The Atlantic Division club's top objective is to finally take a big step forward and break their 13-year playoff drought. It is hard to predict what will happen on that front right now, but Kevyn Adams has revamped his roster this summer.
One area that Adams focused on was the Sabres' goaltending. He let Eric Comrie walk and brought in veteran goaltender James Reimer. Reimer is undoubtedly an upgrade from Comrie, and bringing him in has created a goalie battle to watch at training camp.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the Sabres' clear starter heading into next season after his breakout campaign. However, the backup role is more difficult to determine. Promising youngster Devon Levi will be fighting for the spot against Reimer.
While Levi has a very bright future, he also struggled with consistency at the NHL level last season. In 23 games, he posted a .899 SV% and a 3.10 GAA. However, he was also lights out while with the Rochester Americans, recording a .927 SV% in 26 games. He also showed improvement when given more chances back with the NHL later in the season.
However, with Reimer, the Sabres also now have a veteran goalie who is known for consistency. He has had a .900 SV% or better in 13 out of his 14 NHL seasons. This trend continued in 2023-24 with the Detroit Red Wings, as he had an 11-8-2 record, a .904 SV%, and a 3.11 GAA.
Ultimately, signing Reimer has given the Sabres another option to work with if they feel Levi may benefit from more time in the AHL. It will be interesting to see who wins the backup role at the start of the season. It could genuinely go in either direction. Perhaps we could even see a scenario where the Sabres have all three goalies on their roster on opening night.
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