As we hopefully creep closer to the start of the 2021 NHL season, I’ve found myself pondering what’s the one area I’d have the Buffalo Sabres upgrade. There are a few areas on the roster that could use some change, but what if you could only add one more player?

What position would you address?

Well, Anthony and I are going to tackle this very question and give you the one player each of us would add to the Sabres. I should note, we’re only considering realistic options here. We can’t say we want to trade for Andrei Svechnikov, for example.

Upgrade in Goal

If I could pick only one area for me to upgrade the choice is easy. They need to find an upgrade in goal. Adding all the pieces at forward is great, but that position can take it all down. We’ve seen it happen with more talented clubs.

There is still too much inconsistency for them at an important position. We know Carter Hutton can’t handle the starter role and while he improved last season, Linus Ullmark hasn’t shown he can either. Both finished outside the top 25 in goals saved above expected last season amongst goalies to play at least 1,000 minutes, according to Evolving Hockey.

The numbers are better for Ullmark at 5 on 5, but you have to remember the Sabres were a top-10 shot suppression team last year. Among that same group of goaltenders to play 1,000 minutes, Ullmark faced the eighth-lowest shot quality against at 5 on 5 and Hutton faced the 10th-lowest.

It may be difficult for the Sabres to repeat that defensive performance next season. It’s not only the fact that they lost their best defensive forward in Johan Larsson, but they’re going to need to change their system. With the upgrades at forward they’ll need to play a more open style. They can’t minimize the talents of a player like Taylor Hall to play a safe defensive game.

The blue line could have used some changes as well, but if they’re going to play a more high-event style this group could work for that. They need their goaltenders to be able to handle counter attacks on the rush and higher quality scoring chances against. If they can’t get consistent support from Ullmark and Hutton it’s going to drag them down.

Next season won’t be a situation where they can lean just on Ullmark and only play Hutton sparingly. They’ll need both of them. It’s likely the league is going to go with a shortened season that will start in February and end in July. If they go with a 48-game regular season that starts in February and ends in May, it’ll be roughly 12 games a month for each team. Close to an every other day clip.

The other part to consider is if they take the baseball style of a three-game series model to reduce travel, it’s unlikely one goaltender would play in all three games. It’s conceivable Hutton, as the backup, would play one in every three games.

Antti Raanta

I’m honestly surprised that they didn’t address this position in the offseason. They were actively looking for options at goalie, but nothing materialized for them. At least not to this point. Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and the new starting goalie of the Ottawa Senators, Matt Murray, were two names connected to the Sabres.

The player that I would continue to target to upgrade between the pipes would be Antti Raanta from the Arizona Coyotes. When the Coyotes place Marian Hossa on long-term injured reserve, they’ll be about $3.6 million under the salary cap. They don’t need to make any other moves, but for a team that was talked about wanted to shed salary, spending $8.75 million on goalies isn’t ideal.

The part that gets tricky for the Sabres in their cap situation. They have $3.4 million in space, according to Cap Friendly. That’s before you add in the cap hit of $925k from Dylan Cozens. Bringing in the $4.25 million cap hit from Raanta would mean someone would have to go out the door for the Sabres. Which is something they could do by removing a player from their blue line.

While the cap logistics behind this move are something to consider, brining in Raanta to split time with Ullmark would be a big upgrade. When healthy, Raanta has been one of the top goaltenders in the league the last few years. Over the last three seasons he ranks third in the NHL in goals saved above expected among goalies to play at least 1,000 minutes, according to Evolving Hockey.

The Finnish goaltender only has one year remaining on his deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent, therefore, the Sabres wouldn’t have to commit long-term. They can keep that cap flexibility and re-evaluate their situation in goal after the season.

If I could make only one more move to improve this team going into next season, this would be it. I think they’re taking a big risk not addressing their situation in goal.

Tomorrow, Anthony will share with you the one player he would bring in prior to the season.

Data via: Evolving Hockey and Charting Hockey 

Photo Credit: Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images