In this series we build the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster one by one leading up to the season opener on October 3.
G--Linus Ullmark
26 yrs. old
6'4" 213 lbs.
2012, sixth round (163rd overall)
Career stats: 63 games played | 24-27-7 record | 2.87 GAA | .910 Sv% | 2 shutouts
Sabres backup goalie Linus Ullmark had a rude awakening last season, although you'd never have known it as the player with the twitter handle, "Icebear Dude," is always chill even in the face of the disaster like the one that unfolded during the second half of the season for the team and himself. Ullmark takes it as it comes and maintains his calm demeanor opting for a general philosophy that involves inevitability and acceptance rather than fits of emotion. Just how far this takes the 26 yr. old netminder in the National Hockey League remains to be seen, but goaltenders are a quirky bunch so...whatever works.
Ullmark, like the team started out pretty strong last season and it showed in a solid performance during the first two months as he went 5-0-2 with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .927 save-percentage. What didn't show up in those numbers for both he and starter Carter Hutton were the number of saves they made to either keep Buffalo close enough for a comeback or kept them ahead for the eventual win. From December onward it was a different story as he went 10-14-3 with a 3.27 GAA and .898 SV%, a stat-line that mimicked a team in a death spiral.
Through it all, Ullmark told the media yesterday that he didn't think he played all that bad. "There were maybe one or two games that I thought I was playing really bad. Other than that, I thought I kind of kept it together to what I wanted to be.
"The thing is, I didn't make those extra saves that the team needed out of me."
Both Ullmark and Hutton had their fair share of down moments for the Sabres last season and where the needle lands on the truth-meter with Ullmark's statement above varies. With a scatterbrained defense in front they ended up overcommitting to plays for easy goals by the opposition and everyone on the ice looked bad in the process.
As the season went on, it didn't get any better.
"It definitely got tougher the longer we got into it," said Ullmark. "I thought I could handle it better being in the minors for a few years, but it's a totally different thing, a whole different beast to tame when you get up here in the show."
And there's the rub. The jump from the AHL to the NHL is huge, especially for a goaltender no matter how many starts he had in the minors.
When Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill signed Hutton to a three-year free agent contract, it looked as if the team would be easing Ullmark into the starter's role during that time. Hutton would carry the bulk of the load last year and this year would be more 50/50 with Ullmark shouldering the lion's share of the work load in 2020-21. That process should still be in place however, with the way it went last season there are question marks moving forward.
As we enter the 2019-20 season, the Sabres have a new head coach in Ralph Krueger who will be looked upon to get the most out of each player. Krueger has simplified everything so that the skaters should know where they need to be at any given moment and having that certitude should help the goaltenders play to their strengths.
At least that's the plan.
Should it work out that way, it'll be much easier for IceBear Dude to wax philosophical after wins than a string of losses.
Building the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Jeff Skinner / C, Jack Eichel/ RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jimmy Vesey / C, Casey Mittelstadt / RW, Marcus Johansson
LW, Victor Olofsson / C, Evan Rodrigues / RW, Conor Sheary
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin / RHD, Brandon Montour
LHD, Jake McCabe / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
Marco Scandella / RHD, Colin Miller
G, Carter Hutton
G, Linus Ullmark
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