That’s giving UPL away. I think Levi’s emergence and hindsight only looking at the stats have unfairly soured people on UPL. He had a lot of good outings and gave a pretty poor defensive team a chance to win most nights he was out there. He was above .500 as a starter, and was expected to spend the year in Rochester. I’m encouraged by what I saw and he could be #2 behind Levi moving forward.

UPL is barely an NHL goalie. If buffalo, by this point, has been unable to salvage him then I can't imagine he has any real value.

there's no reason to put any unnecessary pressure on Levi by giving him the starting position. I think with what he's shown, he could be a solid 1B option (until he continues to develop). but any more than that would possibly strain him. bringing a veteran like Varlamov in for 1-2 years could provide Levi with a solid mentor, before he's ready to take over as your starter.

I know buffalo fans have suffered in the goaltending department, and Levi is a light at the end of the tunnel, but there isn't a reason to throw him in the starting position just yet. let him ease into it.

There is a reason to throw him in the starting position. He’s our best goalie and showed down the stretch that he could handle pressure games and is just getting started.

it's a small sample size. he's a rookie goalie, the last thing you'd want to do is have him as your 1a next season and eventually crumble because he hasn't been seasoned enough. let him 1b for a year or two to build up his confidence. you could give him 15-25 possible games while an actual starter carries the pressure. again, Varlamov would be a great option at 1-2 years.

and who could take the pressure off him when he does? UPL? that would be terrible for buffalo.

ill repeat this: I know buffalo fans have suffered in the goaltending department, and Levi is a light at the end of the tunnel, but there isn't a reason to throw him in the starting position just yet. let him ease into it.

Lol
This didn’t hold up so well….

He’s our “starter” & we are quite happy with him
Thanks