Since turning professional in 2014, the 27-year-old has performed for six groups and totaled 207 video games within the AHL and simply 28 within the NHL. The Sabers are rolling the cube, he’ll be adequate to prime that final quantity this season alone. Two years and $1.8 million a season was the danger they had been prepared to take.

“I really feel like possibly I can win a couple of extra begins and possibly work on getting somewhat extra enjoying time. And that was an amazing resolution why I picked the Sabers,” Comrie stated Monday in his introductory video name with reporters. from Buffalo. “I cherished my time in Winnipeg, I cherished each second I used to be there. It was an amazing place for me, however they’ve an NHL goaltender there (Connor Hellebuyck) who is de facto established.”

The Sabers have a younger, constructing staff that options the type of burgeoning defensive corps any goalie would wish to play behind and a veteran mentor to work with in Craig Anderson.

“I’ve heard unbelievable issues about him and what an amazing human being he’s, what an amazing particular person he’s,” Comrie stated. “The quantity of information he brings to the sport and the way a lot he understands and helps completely different gamers develop their sport and enhance was an enormous turning level for me. Lots of people communicate extremely of him.”

From the second it was born in 1970 to the evening it was traded to Ryan Miller in 2014, this was a franchise whose historical past has been stuffed with standout goalies. The opening has been large lately.

You’ll be able to virtually go so as from Roger Crozier and Dave Dryden to Don Edwards and Bob Sauve, to Tom Barrasso and Daren Puppa, to Dominik Hasek and Martin Biron and eventually to Miller.

Because the Miller commerce, solely Jhonas Enroth, Robin Lehner and Linus Ullmark have performed 100 video games for the Sabers. Solely Ullmark reached 50 wins. This franchise is on the lookout for anybody to grow to be The Man in internet.

Comrie’s numbers from final season at Winnipeg are promising (10-5-1, 2.58/.920) however they arrive with an enormous Small Pattern Measurement Alert.

Nonetheless, amongst NHL goaltenders who performed not less than 19 video games final 12 months, Comrie’s .920 save proportion was sixth. The 5 names above him learn like a who’s who of the 2021-22 netminders: Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin, Frederik Andersehn, Jacob Markstrom and Darcy Kuemper.

Amongst goaltenders who performed not less than 19 video games final season, Comrie led the league in even-strength save proportion with .938. Basic supervisor Kevyn Adams stated final week that the Sabers had their eyes on Comrie for months, and next-level numbers like which are one purpose why.

Hellebuyck began 66 video games. One wonders, primarily based on Comrie’s play, if the Jets had been responsible of overusing their starter and underutilizing their backup. There was a purpose.

Dawe Lowry was an interim coach instead of Paul Maurice in hopes of pushing his staff to the playoffs and bettering his credentials to maintain the job. It did not occur both, because the Jets got here up brief and Rick Bowness received the job.

In doing so, the Jets additionally made Comrie accessible to Buffalo. Had he performed simply 90 extra minutes, he would have been a restricted free agent reasonably than unrestricted, thus topic to staff management for one more 12 months. Fortuitous sufficient for the Sabers, he did not hit that minute threshold.

“It’s a must to play your weapons each evening to offer whoever you’re feeling like they’re giving themselves one of the best probability, and I utterly understood that,” Comrie stated. “It may need labored out higher, you by no means know, however I am actually joyful to be a Saber now.”

Kevin, normal supervisor of the Jets Cheveldayoff downplayed all the scenario final week when he famous that Comrie would have gotten an arbitration award exterior the Jets’ vary anyway if he had remained an RFA. Comrie stated watching the carousel spin as free company opened Wednesday was eye-opening.

“That was fairly loopy somewhat bit there. It was chaos. Goalkeepers had been going left and proper,” Comrie stated. “Abruptly, as quickly as Buffalo referred to as, we knew it was the suitable alternative. And it was the suitable alternative.”

Comrie stated he was impressed with the Sabers in each conferences with Winnipeg final 12 months. Every went to a penalty shootout, with the away staff profitable.

“I do know we did not make the playoffs final 12 months, however our staff on paper was an excellent staff in Winnipeg,” he recalled. “So for us it was like, ‘Wow, this Buffalo staff has a variety of potential. They’re a extremely good staff.’ After which all I’ve heard from the blokes since I signed is like, ‘Wow, you signed in a tremendous place. This staff is de facto taking the subsequent step right here.’ “

Comrie stated he benefited enormously from working with Hellebuyck throughout the 2021 taxi squad season after Winnipeg claimed him on waivers from New Jersey, the place his solely sport with the Devils was a 5-3 win over the Sabers in Buffalo. on January 31, the sport earlier than each groups had been knocked down by Covid-19 points.

“One other head coach within the Nationwide Hockey League informed me we had been going to should take him off the ice in observe after which a participant who performed with him that I coached stated the identical factor,” Sabers coach Don Granato, after the closure of the event camp. “He is a hockey man, he is a rink rat. Hockey is his ardour.”

“I am simply going to go in there to attempt to win begins,” Comrie stated. “You earn your begins in observe ensuring you look good in observe to verify the blokes belief you, the coach trusts you. So for me, it is not taking issues too far. It is about taking good care of that day. “.