Interesting Point on Goalies

From Russo's blog...

3. Why have a high-price goalie? Of the top-12 highest-paid goalies in terms of cap hit, only two -- Luongo (second, $6.75 mill) and Evgeni Nabokov (10th, $5.375 million) -- are in the Top 8 (I'm not including Cristobal Huet and Tim Thomas since they're caddying for Chicago/Boston). Henrik Lundqvist (1st), Niklas Backstrom (4th), J-S Giguere (5th), Miikka Kiprusoff (6th), Tomas Vokoun (7th), Marty Turco (8th) didn't make the playoffs. Detroit's Jimmy Howard, Montreal's Jaroslav Halak and Chicago's Antti Niemi, who are still alive, aren't even in the top-50. Tuukka Rask is the 20th and Brian Boucher, also still alive, is the 44th.

I have always been against signing Backstrom to his current deal... and this is yet another reason why is was a BAD MOVE that will handcuff this team for years to come!

Hater!

in the cap era you have to be careful what deal you hand out, i'm starting to be against chasing guys like Kovi and high priced FA's you can't pay a guy 6+mil a year if he isn't reliable to carry you in the playoffs.

Another interesting note

Jumbo Joe 7.2cap hit 4pts joe gives .55 pts per million also he's -4 so he really cost SJ 8 goals

pavelski 1.637 tho getting a raise 11pts pavelski gives 6.7pts per million +6 so hels really given SJ 17 points

yeah high priced dudes suck dick, which is why i want to see what guys can do in the playoffs before they get a big deal and Kovi is too much of an unknown.

Dude, I will *pay* you to go to a grammar class.

You look at that list, you wonder how the hell Backstrom is 4th and Nabby is 10th. Backstrom has never really done a thing, and Nabby has been great for a long time.

TaLoN wrote:

You look at that list, you wonder how the hell Backstrom is 4th and Nabby is 10th. Backstrom has never really done a thing, and Nabby has been great for a long time.

DR

the team behind Backstrom didn't really light it up either!

True the Wild needed scoring before paying out dough to a goalie. Once you get into the playoff your chance of dancing with the cup without a top notch netminder are pretty slim.
I give the advantage to Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Cansucks because those are the most consistently good goalies over the last couple years.

so who do you think montreal will trade? price? halak?

I see price ending up in a san jose jersey next season with nabokov signing in washington.

They will trade Price, the the Fans will be pissed when Price emerges as a great top tier goalie with out the fans breaking his back threatening him with rape if he fail but rather cheer for him and embrace him.

Nabakov won't be in Was its pretty clear that Varlamov is the future he is not the reason why they lost in the playoffs, and he has been solid and they have solid prospect at goalie, don't forget Was needs to cough up Backstrom's money if they want him and lets face it 101 point season isn't going to be cheap. They are dealing Semin tho.

Nabakov would be welcome to say Phili, maybe NJD if Brodeur can be convinced to hang em up, i don't see Lou wanting to do that to Brodeur.

Semin will be traded this summer. The contract they gave him pretty much assures that he's on the move.

1 year. 6 million.

Washington has more gaps to fill than most people think.

They need: #1 Goalie. Top-3 power forward type right winger for the Ovie - Backstrom - ? hole. A 2nd line left winger to replace Semin for Knuble and Laich. They also lack role players. Their D has holes as well, needing a top 4 d-man.

Varlamov is their future. But that future isn't *now*. Do you really think that after getting burned by a hot goalie in the first round isn't going to make them pursue one of the top UFA goalies? That would give Varlamov the time he needs to mature. There is also something to be said about the Russian connection...

Turco would fit into the Flyers "team persona" better than Nabokov.

Aren't they pretty set at D with Green, Schultz, Alzner, Carlson, for awhile? They're all young but yeah they have potential.

they need to add some grit on thr D and some grit on O iff Holmstrom is available i could see them ink him. the last 3 games Was played they were soft little grit, couldn't get in the middle and didn't harras Halak.

forthewild wrote:

they need to add some grit on thr D

This.

During the Montreal series, two things really popped out as holes, in my eyes, for Washington.

The first is that they had trouble clearing the crease for either goalie. This falls on the D. When you have Eric Belanger crease clearing, you know you're fucked.



The second thing is that neither Theodore or Varlamov tracked the puck very well. Varly needs the time to mature and has been rushed. Theo just has no excuse.

Example difference: Halak's eyes rarely left the puck. It was exceptionally easy to tell where the puck (on TV) was at all times by watching Halak. One example was when he saw the puck deflected into the netting and out of play. His eyes never left the puck. Most goalies see the puck hit the netting and then look at the Ref. Rask and Rinne, to name a few, see the netting bulge and then look either at the back of their net towards their water bottle or at the ref.

Halak basically stares lazer beams at the puck for every second he is out there and play is live. None of this "predicting when the refs blow the whistle" shit that gets some goalies in trouble.

Montreal also is doing a great job clearing the crease. Gill and boys are manhandling whoever is trying (and failing) to screen Halak.

A Holmstrom type player is what they need on the right side of Ovechkin and Backstrom.

dustin byfuglen is what they need he would have raped Gill and Chi is capped fucked if i were WAS GM i'd pursue him hard

I forgot that Byufglin would be available. Betcha Wash pursues him hard.

sqare wrote:

I forgot that Byufglin would be available. Betcha Wash pursues him hard.

if i was Chi i would not give up buffy, he just netted a trick on sievoungo i mean yeah its a terrible goalie but still he put in 3 on him.

Quisp wrote:

Once you get into the playoff your chance of dancing with the cup without a top notch netminder are pretty slim.
I give the advantage to Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Cansucks because those are the most consistently good goalies over the last couple years.

Shittsburgh? Done
San Jose? Done
Cansucks? Done

Blackhawks and Flyers, two teams with no-name goaltenders coming in? Playing for the cup.

TaLoN wrote:

Quisp wrote:

Once you get into the playoff your chance of dancing with the cup without a top notch netminder are pretty slim.
I give the advantage to Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Cansucks because those are the most consistently good goalies over the last couple years.

Shittsburgh? Done
San Jose? Done
Cansucks? Done

Blackhawks and Flyers, two teams with no-name goaltenders coming in? Playing for the cup.

there could be that mentality a goalie could get once they get their pay day that they dont have to try as hard anymore.

forthewild wrote:

TaLoN wrote:

Quisp wrote:

Once you get into the playoff your chance of dancing with the cup without a top notch netminder are pretty slim.
I give the advantage to Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Cansucks because those are the most consistently good goalies over the last couple years.

Shittsburgh? Done
San Jose? Done
Cansucks? Done

Blackhawks and Flyers, two teams with no-name goaltenders coming in? Playing for the cup.

there could be that mentality a goalie could get once they get their pay day that they dont have to try as hard anymore.

So explain the Roys and Brodeurs?

Chicago is spending 6+M on goalies though, even if the majority sits on the bench...

cehnehdeh wrote:

forthewild wrote:

TaLoN wrote:

Quisp wrote:

Once you get into the playoff your chance of dancing with the cup without a top notch netminder are pretty slim.
I give the advantage to Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Cansucks because those are the most consistently good goalies over the last couple years.

Shittsburgh? Done
San Jose? Done
Cansucks? Done

Blackhawks and Flyers, two teams with no-name goaltenders coming in? Playing for the cup.

there could be that mentality a goalie could get once they get their pay day that they dont have to try as hard anymore.

So explain the Roys and Brodeurs?

Nobody is saying there aren't all-time greats that come by from time to time... it's just that most goalies don't likely deserve the high price tag they get.

lolwat wrote:

Chicago is spending 6+M on goalies though, even if the majority sits on the bench...

Which... amazingly enough... is a LOT less than they were paying for the position LAST YEAR when they had both Khabibulin and Huet. They gave up on Bulin, and they've given up on Huet, and they learned that spending an arm and a leg on a goalie doesn't guarantee squat.

TaLoN wrote:

Nobody is saying there aren't all-time greats that come by from time to time... it's just that most goalies don't likely deserve the high price tag they get.

Which... amazingly enough... is a LOT less than they were paying for the position LAST YEAR when they had both Khabibulin and Huet. They gave up on Bulin, and they've given up on Huet, and they learned that spending an arm and a leg on a goalie doesn't guarantee squat.

Well Backstrom never did deserve his contract, as it was quite clear he was a product of Lemaire's system. As for Chicago, they have alot of players on cheaper deals for this year(Toews, Kane, Keith, Ladd, Hjalmarsson, Niemi) than they'll cost next year alone! You look at their cap situation for next year(57M in 14 players) and you see how truly deep that team is right now. Top picks on ELCs are a huge key to success in this league, as they outperform their salaries by a wide margin. Which is why if you're gonna lose, might as well aim for the #1 pick, which GMCF did not do.

Chicago is THE most fun team to watch in the league, and they have been all year. You look at Chi-town, and you look at the Wild, and you truly see how talent deficient this team really is.

And I completely agree with you that Backstrom never deserved his contract... but I recall saying that before he ever got that deal and getting ripped to no end for it (not saying by you, but by most the rest of the Wild fans for sure).

Not by me, Talon.

And I would bet that almost everyone here didn't.

Now, the fucktards on the WMBs... Yes. They probably did.

sqare wrote:

Not by me, Talon.

And I would bet that almost everyone here didn't.

Now, the fucktards on the WMBs... Yes. They probably did.

Yes, that was the days of the Wild.com boards for sure...