Not only am I a Buffalo Sabres fan, but two areas of great interest to me are goaltending and strength and conditioning. I am not only a beer league goalie, but I have worked with youth hockey goalies as my kids grew up in youth hockey, and two of my kids have played goalie at different times in their youth hockey careers. So, I have viewed the position from about as many different angles as possible.
With the Sabres having zero goalies under contract for the 2022-23 season, one goalie under team control for next season in pending Restricted Free Agent Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and two goalies on their reserve list in Devon Levi and Eric Portillo, they have a lot of work to do to fill out their NHL, AHL, and ECHL goalie depth, along with a need to strengthen their goalie prospect pipeline.
But rather than contemplate what goalies the Sabres should sign, trade for, or draft this off season, I am going to look at another thing that the Sabres could do to improve the goalie position. The InGoal Radio podcast interview with Sabres goalie development coach Seamus Kotyk from earlier this season allowed fans to take a look behind the curtain of what the Sabres do to support their goalie prospects. My big suggestion would be for the Sabres to follow a trend around the league and build a Goalie Department of Excellence. The Florida Panthers hired Roberto Luongo to head up their goalie department. I think the best candidate for the Sabres to hire would follow a similar path as the Luongo hiring in Florida.
Ryan Miller is the perfect fit for the role with the Sabres. In Ryan Miller's most recent interview on the InGoal Radio podcast, he talked about his transition from his playing career to what he wants to do next. Miller was originally named as the goalie coach for team USA at the Olympics when NHLers were going to participate in the tournament. This was not a traditional goalie coaching job as it was more about trying to help pick the right three goalies for Team USA and providing as much support as was needed in a short tournament with goalies already playing at the highest level. But, I think this is the type of higher level thinking that a head of a goalie department for an NHL team needs. And if you have listened to either of Ryan Miller's InGoal interviews, you can see how deeply Miller thinks about the position and how he approached the game.
We also know that Ryan Miller still has a big place in his heart for the Sabres organization. Not only did he pull out some old Reebok Sabres gear to record his video tribute for RJ Night, but he also worked with the Sabres social media team to record an amazing "Welcome to Buffalo" video for when Owen Power was drafted first overall in the 2021 Draft. The fact that Miller, a member of the first family of Michigan State hockey, did that for a guy being drafted from the Michigan Wolverines just added to how special that truly was.
So, this wouldn't just be about getting a former player to come back into the organization for nostalgia. I truly believe that Ryan Miller would be a great hire for a job that would have a huge positive influence on the Sabres organization.
Another piece to the goalie development puzzle that I think would be great would be if they added a strength and conditioning coach that is a goalie development specialist. Adam Francilia and Maria Mountain are two of the top coaches in the game when it comes to goalie development and would make great additions to the Sabres organization. Mountain has worked with the Sabres as a guest coach at development camp in the past.
The Sabres need to invest in the goalie position in more ways than just adding players to their organization. And I think this is an approach that could yield a ton of dividends moving forward.
Keeping guys healthy
One of the big issues this season has been the volume and length of injuries to players both in Buffalo and Rochester. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has talked about how he will look at what they can do to improve in that area, including talking to people with the Buffalo Bills about what they do. Over the past few years, the Bills have been one of the healthiest teams in the NFL. So, the stark contrast in injuries between the two teams is interesting given all the shared resources they have.
If it were up to me, the first person I would consult would be Mike Boyle. Boyle is one of the most well respected experts in ice hockey strength and conditioning. He has a long career both in the private sector and working for teams. He has been the head strength and conditioning coach for Boston University, the Boston Bruins, and various USA Hockey national teams, including the women's national team at the most recent Olympics.
I would not expect Mike to leave the Boston area. But, I would pick his brain for who would be the best fit for the job. One name that I would expect him to put out there would be Brijesh Patel who is the long time director of athletic performance at Quinnipiac University. Patel has been the strength coach for the Bobcats men's hockey team as they have grown into a top tier program in ECAC Hockey and the NCAA. Patel is a guy that gets overlooked and underestimated because he didn't play the game and doesn't look the part. But, I think that is the type of person the Sabres should be looking to add. Patel would also fit in well with an organization that is all about player development given his long tenure working with college athletes.
The Sabres need to be willing to improve how they do things. I believe that hiring Boyle, Patel, or another coach in the Mike Boyle strength and conditioning coaching tree would be a great move forward for the Sabres.
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