Hutton to. Sabres May happen!

[Buffalo Rick]

Well if the reports are true I am excited!!!  This would put us back on the map!!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

If true, @Hockey Junkie , and from the cursory glance I took at the news stories out there it seems to be the case, Hutton becomes an interesting choice for Buffalo.

 

The negatives here are, of course, that he is a 32 yr old goaltender (not old mind you), and will NOT be the guy in net when the Sabres are seriously ready to contend for a championship.

As you know, Buffalo now has quite a few very good young players on their roster, but still need some maturing on many of them and some sorting of the "right" veterans to remain on the team (both on offense and especially, defense), and who can be signed to help the young talent along.

Much, much work to be done yet and by the time most of the core young players are ready for true prime time, Hutton will likely be 35 or older.

 

Also, while Hutton has put up good numbers in his NHL career, he not only has been a career backup, but one on good defensive type teams.....he will not be afforded that luxury in Buffalo....at least, not unless the defensive core turns things around really quickly.

 

The positives though are that Hutton HAS put up good NHL numbers. Good defenses in front of him aside, he STILL has to make stops, still needs to make big saves, and for the most part, he has done that to this point.

Buffalo now will be his time to show he is more than just a 'system goalie'.

 

Other positives is....the man has to be "hungry"...I mean, 32 years old, always playing in the shadow of either Pekka Rinne or Jake Allen...… he HAS to be itching to go out there and make that starting net his own. He should be highly motivated.

 

I'd agree Buffalo fans have much to look forward to.

Hutton won't fix all that ails the team, but he certainly is a big step in the right direction.

I've been saying for a while now that Linus Ullmark will likely be the guy in net when the Sabres are ready to make a championship run.

 

Best case scenario for Sabres fans:  Buffalo signs Hutton, and both he and Ullmark push each other for the starter's job.

[ruxpin]

14 hours ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Well if the reports are true I am excited!!!  This would put us back on the map!!

 

Yes, a 32 year old career backup will put you back on the map!  

 

On the highway to hell.

 

If he's not part of a tandem...if he's expected to be the starter...God, that's just criminal negligence by Botterill.    As a Sabres fan, you should accuse him of assault and sue for damages.

 

In a tandem, I think he's a decent move.

[ruxpin]

11 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Best case scenario for Sabres fans:  Buffalo signs Hutton, and both he and Ullmark push each other for the starter's job.

 

Yeah, Hutton would actually be a great choice if the plan is to have him start nearly 50% of the games while letting Ullmark learn his way into the NHL.   I think of goalies available he's probably the perfect choice for that.   If Ullmark fails for any reason, they're in trouble, though.

 

Here's the thing:  Other than Ullmark, they have exactly two goalies in their system.  Luukkonen was drafted only last year and is still 19 and is probably 3 years away at least.   The other is Jonas Johansson, who in my opinion blows.  

 

And that's it.    So my question is what the hell is the Sabres front office doing?   Why so few goalies?

 

Even this year, they had 6 picks.  Knowing they have absolutely nothing in the system and that their plan was to go get a 32 year old career backup, they spend no picks on goaltending.  5 D and 1 C.     Now, one of the defensemen was a no-brainer and you wouldn't pick a goalie at #1 anyway.   You wouldn't really use #32 for a goalie either, but just as an aside: Samuelsson was a horrible pick there.

 

The #54 pick or the #89 would have been great moments to grab a goalie.  I swear the front office staff starting from the owner down (to possibly including the scouts) is pathetic and clueless.  Sorry, HJ, I'm not trying to just throw stones, but they've made this tremendously harder than it needed to be.   It has to be a bit aggravating.   Kudus to you for not having a Sabres-gear bonfire and switching to some random new team like some immature or stupid little fan boy with a Napoleonic complex.

 

The Sabres are getting there and will be good despite your front office acting like a boat anchor.  

[Buffalo Rick]

13 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

If true, @Hockey Junkie , and from the cursory glance I took at the news stories out there it seems to be the case, Hutton becomes an interesting choice for Buffalo.

 

The negatives here are, of course, that he is a 32 yr old goaltender (not old mind you), and will NOT be the guy in net when the Sabres are seriously ready to contend for a championship.

As you know, Buffalo now has quite a few very good young players on their roster, but still need some maturing on many of them and some sorting of the "right" veterans to remain on the team (both on offense and especially, defense), and who can be signed to help the young talent along.

Much, much work to be done yet and by the time most of the core young players are ready for true prime time, Hutton will likely be 35 or older.

 

Also, while Hutton has put up good numbers in his NHL career, he not only has been a career backup, but one on good defensive type teams.....he will not be afforded that luxury in Buffalo....at least, not unless the defensive core turns things around really quickly.

 

The positives though are that Hutton HAS put up good NHL numbers. Good defenses in front of him aside, he STILL has to make stops, still needs to make big saves, and for the most part, he has done that to this point.

Buffalo now will be his time to show he is more than just a 'system goalie'.

 

Other positives is....the man has to be "hungry"...I mean, 32 years old, always playing in the shadow of either Pekka Rinne or Jake Allen...… he HAS to be itching to go out there and make that starting net his own. He should be highly motivated.

 

I'd agree Buffalo fans have much to look forward to.

Hutton won't fix all that ails the team, but he certainly is a big step in the right direction.

I've been saying for a while now that Linus Ullmark will likely be the guy in net when the Sabres are ready to make a championship run.

 

Best case scenario for Sabres fans:  Buffalo signs Hutton, and both he and Ullmark push each other for the starter's job.

It gives us a shot to be competitive at least and with Lehner no way.  Do not forget the young Finnish goalie.  He may be the guy that is in the nets when we are ready!!!

[Buffalo Rick]

1 hour ago, ruxpin said:

 

Yes, a 32 year old career backup will put you back on the map!  

 

On the highway to hell.

 

If he's not part of a tandem...if he's expected to be the starter...God, that's just criminal negligence by Botterill.    As a Sabres fan, you should accuse him of assault and sue for damages.

 

In a tandem, I think he's a decent move.

Is he any worse than freakin Mason and some of the Flyers train wrecks?

[yave1964]

I don't think much of Ullmark, he is lousy with rebound control, he reminds me of Jonas Gustafsson in a lot of ways, maybe not even quite that good. Hutton is a nice way to hedge the bet. By the time the team is good tho both will be long gone in the rear view mirror.

[ruxpin]

4 hours ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Is he any worse than freakin Mason and some of the Flyers train wrecks?

 

HJ, neither you nor I are worse than freakin Mason (by the way, my daughter really did think his first name might be "Freakin").

 

No, I like Hutton.  I think that's a great get if the plan is to have him share the crease and help bring Ullmark along.   He's not the one going to ultimately put them on any map, though.  Ullmark needs to end up being the guy or the Sabres are in trouble.  But the Sabres should end up with the right guy if the plan is to have Hutton start 35-45 games this year.

[ruxpin]

4 hours ago, yave1964 said:

I don't think much of Ullmark, he is lousy with rebound control, he reminds me of Jonas Gustafsson in a lot of ways, maybe not even quite that good. Hutton is a nice way to hedge the bet. By the time the team is good tho both will be long gone in the rear view mirror.

 

They're going to need help if Ullmark isn't the guy.  They are several years out from their only other prospect option being ready.   They also don't want to have to rely heavily on Hutton in the meantime.    How often does a veteran backup--even a solid one that I would count Hutton among--go somewhere and become a long-term quality starter?   It rarely happens.  Even Talbot so far fizzled after the first year.

 

Like I said to HJ, I like Hutton.  But he's a backup or crease-sharer at best.  If Ullmark isn't up to his end of the bargain, it's another early draft pick.

[Buffalo Rick]

5 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

HJ, neither you nor I are worse than freakin Mason (by the way, my daughter really did think his first name might be "Freakin").

 

No, I like Hutton.  I think that's a great get if the plan is to have him share the crease and help bring Ullmark along.   He's not the one going to ultimately put them on any map, though.  Ullmark needs to end up being the guy or the Sabres are in trouble.  But the Sabres should end up with the right guy if the plan is to have Hutton start 35-45 games this year.

Everyone seems to be forgetting the big Fin we drafted and just signed for 3 years.  He is going to get a shot too at some point

[OccamsRazor]

12 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

Yeah, Hutton would actually be a great choice if the plan is to have him start nearly 50% of the games while letting Ullmark learn his way into the NHL.   I think of goalies available he's probably the perfect choice for that.   If Ullmark fails for any reason, they're in trouble, though.

 

Here's the thing:  Other than Ullmark, they have exactly two goalies in their system.  Luukkonen was drafted only last year and is still 19 and is probably 3 years away at least.   The other is Jonas Johansson, who in my opinion blows.  

 

And that's it.    So my question is what the hell is the Sabres front office doing?   Why so few goalies?

 

Even this year, they had 6 picks.  Knowing they have absolutely nothing in the system and that their plan was to go get a 32 year old career backup, they spend no picks on goaltending.  5 D and 1 C.     Now, one of the defensemen was a no-brainer and you wouldn't pick a goalie at #1 anyway.   You wouldn't really use #32 for a goalie either, but just as an aside: Samuelsson was a horrible pick there.

 

The #54 pick or the #89 would have been great moments to grab a goalie.  I swear the front office staff starting from the owner down (to possibly including the scouts) is pathetic and clueless.  Sorry, HJ, I'm not trying to just throw stones, but they've made this tremendously harder than it needed to be.   It has to be a bit aggravating.   Kudus to you for not having a Sabres-gear bonfire and switching to some random new team like some immature or stupid little fan boy with a Napoleonic complex.

 

The Sabres are getting there and will be good despite your front office acting like a boat anchor.  

 

Yeah it is a huge roll of the dice going with him.

 

I wanted him on the Flyers but that was with the thought of him playing about 50 games and Elliott playing the rest.

 

Might have worked.

 

Being the main guy and all the hopes and dreams riding on him and that defense question mark in front of him it feels doomed from that start.

 

Oh well I'm sure Rick has them in the finals vs. the Blues....

[ruxpin]

30 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Everyone seems to be forgetting the big Fin we drafted and just signed for 3 years.  He is going to get a shot too at some point

I didn't forget him. I talked about him in this very thread, but i actually referred to him by name. 

 

But that's my point. Outside of Ullmark, the Sabres have exactly 2 signed goalies in their entire system. That's negligence. It's simply a horrible job. 

 

Luukkonen is no less than 3 years away, so better hope Ullmark isn't as mediocre as he seems (don't take offense. As a Flyers' fan I'd kill for mediocre in net!). 

[OccamsRazor]

25 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

I didn't forget him. I talked about him in this very thread, but i actually referred to him by name. 

 

But that's my point. Outside of Ullmark, the Sabres have exactly 2 signed goalies in their entire system. That's negligence. It's simply a horrible job. 

 

Luukkonen is no less than 3 years away, so better hope Ullmark isn't as mediocre as he seems (don't take offense. As a Flyers' fan I'd kill for mediocre in net!). 

 

It's not negligent when you tank for your franchise goalie for next year.

 

Starting now.

 

F**k ot one more year won't hurt.

[ruxpin]

18 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

It's not negligent when you tank for your franchise goalie for next year.

 

Starting now.

 

F**k ot one more year won't hurt.

Lol.  Luukkonen seems like he'll be good. Who knows, though, he's 19.

 

I think Buffalo is still a top 10, if not a top 5, pick next year. But I think you'll agree they have to go skater.  They'd be well-served to start using a pick a year in rounds 3-6 on a goalie. 

[hf101]

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Congrats to Buffalo on this signing.

 

Probably the right guy, at the right price, at the right point in time for this team.

 

Obviously, Hutton will still have to show he can deal with the more porous defense Buffalo has compared to the Blues and previously, the Preds, but all he's really gotta do is match Robin Lehner's performance....then take it a step or two better....shouldn't be that hard for Hutton to do if he truly is starter worthy.

[Buffalo Rick]

22 hours ago, ruxpin said:

I didn't forget him. I talked about him in this very thread, but i actually referred to him by name. 

 

But that's my point. Outside of Ullmark, the Sabres have exactly 2 signed goalies in their entire system. That's negligence. It's simply a horrible job. 

 

Luukkonen is no less than 3 years away, so better hope Ullmark isn't as mediocre as he seems (don't take offense. As a Flyers' fan I'd kill for mediocre in net!). 

He is closer than 3 years. Come on.  And we are a small market.  Dont forget that

[Buffalo Rick]

Done deal!!!!!  We are back in the NHL

[ruxpin]

26 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

He is closer than 3 years. Come on.  And we are a small market.  Dont forget that

 

No, he's really not.  He just turned 19.  He's still really green.   He could be there the third season from now (2020-21), but I think that may actually be too soon.   Carter Hart was drafted the year before Luukkenon and will only finally be in the AHL this coming season.  On the Flyers by next season if all goes well.   Luukkonen just turned 19 in March; Hart will turn 20 in August.  So they're roughly 7 or 8 months apart.   So I would expect the Luukkenon to sniff at the NHL the year after Hart.  You need to be careful not to bring them up too early or they turn into a Robin Lehner situation (I 'm not bringing him up to taunt, but using him because you're familiar with him and he's actually a great case study).   The Senators drafted him after the 2008-09 season.  They brought him up to the AHL the very next year as 18 year old and then as a 19 year old and a 20 year old he split time between the AHL and NHL.   They destroyed him.    Why?  Well, because they're the Senators and they're a trash organization.  

 

But the fact you're a small market -- and the fact you have no other goalie prospects to speak of -- you want to be careful with your assets.   Luukkonen looks like he's going to be a good one, but goalies are like a really good cake:  you have to let them finish baking.  If not, you end up with a 26 year-old unemployed goalie.

[ruxpin]

38 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Done deal!!!!!  We are back in the NHL

 

I think he's a good signing.  I'm hoping Phil Housley uses him correctly and brings Ullmark along.   Honestly, the term and salary are perfect.   3 years gets you to when I said Luukkonen should be ready so it's really smart.   They can always extend a year or so at the end of it if it's warranted.  Really well-done by Botterill on this one, I think.

[Buffalo Rick]

19 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

I think he's a good signing.  I'm hoping Phil Housley uses him correctly and brings Ullmark along.   Honestly, the term and salary are perfect.   3 years gets you to when I said Luukkonen should be ready so it's really smart.   They can always extend a year or so at the end of it if it's warranted.  Really well-done by Botterill on this one, I think.

Of course we did pick up this other goalie.  Wedgewood or something?  Maybe Hedge hog?  Likely headed for the AHL>

[ruxpin]

2 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Of course we did pick up this other goalie.  Wedgewood or something?  Maybe Hedge hog?  Likely headed for the AHL>

 

Probably AHL.  With Ullmark heading up, they'll need someone there.  Also possibly insurance against injury or something at the NHL level.  Not a bad idea.