Sabres address areas of need with additions of Comrie, Lyubushkin

Kevyn Adams and his staff identified adding a goaltender and a right-shot defenseman as the Sabres' top priorities entering the start of unrestricted free agency on Thursday.
Both areas were addressed by the time Adams met with the media in LECOM Harborcenter. Buffalo signed goaltender Eric Comrie to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.8 million and shored up its defense corps with the addition of Ilya Lyubushkin, whose two-year deal is worth an average of $2.75 million per year.
The Sabres addressed their forward group on Tuesday by re-signing Vinnie Hinostroza to a one-year contract worth $1.7 million.

"We had a plan coming into this second phase of the offseason after the draft and feel really strongly that the staff did a great job and we executed on the plan," Adams said. "Feel really good about yesterday and really, really good about today."

Adams said Comrie caught the Sabres' attention during the regular season, when Comrie was putting up sterling numbers in a backup role with the Winnipeg Jets. As the Sabres dug deeper on the 27-year-old this offseason, they found their pro scouts, goalie coaches, and analytics department were aligned on his potential.
"He's one of these players that we feel has the opportunity to take the next step," Adams said. "He's very talented. He has a strong - from a numbers perspective - profile and body of work from what he's done through the American League and then his opportunity from when he has played in the NHL."
Comrie, a second-round pick in 2013, has played just 28 NHL games spanning six seasons but has a .905 save percentage in those appearances. His .920 save percentage in 19 games last season ranked sixth among goaltenders with at least 15 games played.
The advanced stats were just as promising. Comrie's 8.78 goals saved above average at 5-on-5 ranked 11th in the NHL last season, according to Natural Stat Trick. His .862 high-danger save percentage at 5-on-5 ranked 13th.
"He just hasn't had a ton of opportunity, but for me, this was a goaltender that we feel that is right there on the cusp of taking that step and that's why he was our guy we were going to target," Adams said.
Comrie joins an organizational depth chart that will also include Craig Anderson, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Malcolm Subban.
"We see a player that wants this opportunity, wants the chance to run with it and high-character," Adams said. "… That's a big deal. Looked at this organization as one he wanted to be part of, and I get excited when I hear that not just from him but the agent this afternoon."
Adams said he received similar sentiments from Lyubushkin, who viewed the potential opening on the right side of the Sabres' defense corps as a fit for his skill set.
Lyubushkin, 28, is a 6-foot-2, physical defenseman whose defense-first approach could complement the Sabres' young stable of offensively gifted defensemen, which returns a quartet of left shots in Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and Jacob Bryson compared to two right shots in Henri Jokiharju and Casey Fitzgerald.
Lyubushkin set career highs in points (15), average ice time (17:27), blocked shots (92), and hits (187) in 77 games last season. He was acquired by Toronto from Arizona at the trade deadline.

"He plays a hard game, he's a bigger game, he's solid, he can kill penalties," Adams said. "He can kind of play with any type of player. We just felt that with the D that we have and the young D that we have and the skill that we have, he'd be a good fit."
Here are more notes from Day 1 of free agency.

Adams emphasizes depth signings

The Sabres also signed a trio of defensemen to one-year, two-way contracts in Kale Clague, Jeremy Davies, and Chase Priskie.
Adams said all three players were identified by Buffalo's scouting and analytics staffs as players with successful AHL backgrounds who could jump in and play at the NHL level in the event of injuries.
"Those are players that (director of pro scouting) Jeremiah Crowe and (vice president of hockey strategy and research) Sam Ventura spent a lot of time working together on that we felt like could play if needed and actually have the chance to get better and better," Adams said.
"So that is a really important part of today as well, why I feel good about how the day went."

Sabres reiterate belief in Luukkonen

Adams said he spoke with Luukkonen on the phone Wednesday, reiterating the organization's belief in the 23-year-old after the addition of Comrie.
Luukkonen showed promise in a limited NHL stint last season, posting a .917 save percentage in nine starts before his run was interrupted by a lower-body injury. It was the latest in a string of ailments that have limited Luukkonen to 108 games since turning pro in 2019.
Adams said the Sabres' priority regarding Luukkonen's development is geared toward getting him consistent time in goal as opposed to rushing him to Buffalo.
"I just wanted to make sure he understood that we believe in him and we see him as a very good NHL goaltender and playing for the Buffalo Sabres, but what we don't need to do is rush him," Adams said. "We want to see him continue to get ice time, continue to get his starts."

Internal options at center

With the re-signing of Hinostroza, the Sabres have 12 of their 13 ice time leaders at forward set to return next season. The exception is Cody Eakin, an unrestricted free agent who ranked second on the Sabres in faceoffs taken last season.
While the Sabres have not signed a centerman to fill the void left by Eakin directly, Adams expressed confidence on behalf of the coaching staff regarding internal options who could move from the wing to center ice. That list includes Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Asplund, both of whom entered the NHL as centermen.
"We'll see how it shakes out," Adams said. "I do think it was important to be able to get Vinnie and another guy who we know what we're getting, wants to be here and believes in what we're doing."