According to John Vogl of the Buffalo News, Jason Botterill has not been able to convince Cal Petersen to sign with the Sabres. Instead, the top goaltending prospect will test free agency. Petersen informed the league that he would not be returning to Notre Dame for his senior year, which gave Buffalo 30 days to sign him. Though there are a few days left in that window, it’s clear that he’ll wait them out and see what he’s worth on the open market.
Any team will be able to sign Petersen to a two-year entry-level contract, but there is some financial leeway through signing bonuses for teams to give him more incentive. That said because of Petersen’s high stock as a goaltending prospect he’ll likely be able to pick and choose where he wants to begin his professional career. The fifth-round pick of the Sabres in 2013 has become one of the best goaltenders in the NCAA ranks, and was named as the first goalie captain in Notre Dame history.
Recording a .926 save percentage in his junior year, Petersen has an innate ability to read the play and is often ahead of a pass even in tight. While he doesn’t have the size of Jake Oettinger, the top goaltending prospect in this year’s draft and an Hockey-East rival with Boston University, Petersen does possess excellent reflexes and the ability to make highlight-reel saves with his flexibility. He still needs to work on tracking the puck through traffic and improving his rebound control, but all the tools are there to make the NHL.
The interesting thing about Petersen is that he’ll turn 23 this fall and should be considered closer to the NHL than any of the prospects selected this weekend. Whether news of his availability in free agency changes any team’s plans is unclear, though drafting and signing goaltenders at any level has plenty of built in risk. It’s unfortunate that the Sabres can’t get him locked in before the deadline, though that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t circle back in free agency and bring him aboard.