Backup goaltender and overall ‘good team player’ ends his term in Buffalo without making much of an impression on the ice
Total Season Stats: 2-7-0, 3.69 GAA, .874 SV pct.
Age: 28
Contract Status: UFA; two-year, $3.6 million contract ended this summer
That Eric Comrie’s time in Buffalo is going to end up going down in the ‘miss’ category of General Manager Kevyn Adams’ free agency signings is of no doubt. Should he have taken the gamble at the time? Comrie had shown flashes of potential under limited ice time at the Winnipeg Jets in 2021-22, but struggled to replicate his 2.58 GAA and .920 save % numbers in Buffalo’s defense-optional system.
Eventually, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen solidifying his claim as a #1 goalie and the rise of young Devon Levi ensured that Comrie did not get much ice time, and was not really missed either. There is a chance that he might still end up playing in the NHL, but at this point in his career it does look like that single season at the Jets was more the exception and it’s likely he’ll continue playing at the AHL level.
With the Sabres falling out of the playoff wildcard race late in the season, Comrie would get an opportunity to say farewell to his teammates and fans with the start in Buffalo’s last home game of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 59th pick in the 2013 draft leaves Buffalo having played 29 games, with 11 wins, 16 losses and one overtime loss. The 28-year-old ended up failing to grab the starting role which was lying vacant when he joined, and and in the end didn’t really stake a solid claim for the backup spot either.
One thing that can be said about the journeyman however is that he is well-liked by his teammates, as his emotional farewell speech after the win over the Lightning showed. From his time on the Jets when coach Paul Maurice called him one of the nicest guys in hockey (paraphrased) to all the little snippets of him on the bench and in practice always smiling, there is no doubt whether or not he made an impression on the ice, he certainly was a positive locker room presence on a team that has struggled to find success.
Season Grade: C