Speculation: Armchair GM Thread: Long long journey through the darkness, where is our goalie?

[Anglesmith]

This analogy is getting out of hand fast

But wait, there's more!

What do we have to do to fix the hole in the boat?

Well, you need to spend some time over the weekend putting in work, and in future you take a bit more care when you're in dangerous waters and do what you can to protect your boat.

But really, the whole point here is that some issues make other issues redundant. The quality of your goaltending isn't really a factor if you can't put your goalie in a situation to be a difference maker. During this losing streak, a common, consistent theme has been giving up extremely high-percentage chances (2-on-0s, breakaways, loose pucks sitting in our slot with Flames standing and watching, tip-ins, etc.). That is not the type of hockey where a top goalie can turn you from a loser to a winner.

Right now, Mike Smith isn't a superstar, but he's got a track record that shows that even if he's kept busy, if you can clean up chances against to allow just a few opportunities for great saves, he can win those games for you. He is still making a handful of great saves every game, but just the volume of those opportunities is such that even with a good number of them being saved, a good number are still getting in. He even has showed up this season that he's still capable of winning you a game you don't deserve, so long as you avoid the huge mistakes that are plaguing our game. I just honestly don't believe that there is any goalie in the league that could change the story from the last few games given the type of defence we've made and the type of chances we've allowed.

I'm not opposed to looking for an upgrade in net, if possible. We have nothing really invested in Smith and still need to worry about the next few years. SKRusty outlined a few scenarios which may make sense, some of which seem like good ideas, and others of which don't seem like likely improvements. But I just don't know why you wouldn't wait until you're playing a brand of hockey that makes it possible to fairly evaluate what Mike Smith is right now.

 

[Bounces R Way]

So is Smith the hole in the boat? Or a bad motor in need of replacing? Seems to me he's more or less a life jacket, has some holes and is a bit constricting but will occasionally save your ass.

 

[Mr Snrub]

I guess I'll bite - I think the hole in the boat is the ridiculous turnovers and dangerous chances against, and Smith is the duct tape that you're trying to use to patch the hole, but you can't tell whether the tape's waterproof or not because water keeps getting into the damn boat.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

I guess I'll bite - I think the hole in the boat is the ridiculous turnovers and dangerous chances against, and Smith is the duct tape that you're trying to use to patch the hole, but you can't tell whether the tape's waterproof or not because water keeps getting into the damn boat.

Smith hasn't been great, but the egregious turnovers are just as bad.

 

[Erndog]

I have Mike Smith in my fantasy pool.

Should I be looking to upgrade (I also have Vasilevsky) or will Smith turn it around and it's just some bad luck/bounces right now?

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I have Mike Smith in my fantasy pool.

Should I be looking to upgrade (I also have Vasilevsky) or will Smith turn it around and it's just some bad luck/bounces right now?

He’s gonna have some beast mode stretches this season as well as some very frustrating ones. As a 2nd goalie, he’s fine.

 

[CraigsList]

I have Mike Smith in my fantasy pool.

Should I be looking to upgrade (I also have Vasilevsky) or will Smith turn it around and it's just some bad luck/bounces right now?

I think he’ll turn it around, but he’s no Tim Thomas.

 

[Mobiandi]

I have Mike Smith in my fantasy pool.

Should I be looking to upgrade (I also have Vasilevsky) or will Smith turn it around and it's just some bad luck/bounces right now?

It's our defense. He routinely saves grade-A chances every night but he won't stop all of them when he faces 20 a game

 

[JPeeper]

See I disagree that it's the defence. Not saying our defence is all-world or anything, but the goals Smith are letting it are soft as butter. Either he is playing too deep so he isn't cutting down the angle properly or he gets on his knees too early and leaves the top half of the net open.

He is being beaten by wrist shots cleanly. The goals against aren't tic-tac-toe defence no where to be seen goals.

The Rinaldo goal in Calgary is textbook "your goalie literally couldn't play any deeper in the net". He comes out and actually challenges then Rinaldo's shot gets saved. The shot was only perfect because that's all the net Smith gave him, Smith comes out just a foot and Rinaldo has no where to shoot. Too many times this year Smith is getting beat clean on shots, that isn't on defence.

 

[super6646]

See I disagree that it's the defence. Not saying our defence is all-world or anything, but the goals Smith are letting it are soft as butter. Either he is playing too deep so he isn't cutting down the angle properly or he gets on his knees too early and leaves the top half of the net open.

He is being beaten by wrist shots cleanly. The goals against aren't tic-tac-toe defence no where to be seen goals.

The Rinaldo goal in Calgary is textbook "your goalie literally couldn't play any deeper in the net". He comes out and actually challenges then Rinaldo's shot gets saved. The shot was only perfect because that's all the net Smith gave him, Smith comes out just a foot and Rinaldo has no where to shoot. Too many times this year Smith is getting beat clean on shots, that isn't on defence.

Don't go on flames reddit on that, they will say smith is perfect and your stupid.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

It's our defense. He routinely saves grade-A chances every night but he won't stop all of them when he faces 20 a game

Noooo. We did the exact same last year. Except Smith made the saves he shouldn’t have made.

We are doing the same thing we are just not getting any saves either

 

[Mobiandi]

Noooo. We did the exact same last year. Except Smith made the saves he shouldn’t have made.

We are doing the same thing we are just not getting any saves either

That Mike Smith was delivering Vezina-level goaltending. The Mike Smith that we have today is delivering league-average goaltending that is made to look worse by a very porous team defense

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

That Mike Smith was delivering Vezina-level goaltending. The Mike Smith that we have today is delivering league-average goaltending that is made to look worse by a very porous team defense

You honestly think he’s giving league average goaltending?

I agree what he was doing last year at the start was way above average. But he’s been terrible this season. 2 weak goals a game. Terrible rebound control. Soft goals from bad angles.

 

[Mobiandi]

You honestly think he’s giving league average goaltending?

I agree what he was doing last year at the start was way above average. But he’s been terrible this season. 2 weak goals a game. Terrible rebound control. Soft goals from bad angles.

League-average goaltending to me is filled with high peaks and low troughs, rather than a consistent effort across games. He's had some games where he's been awful and the score has been run-up on us (Blues game) and he's had some games where he's stopped a lot of high quality chances and still not been able to keep that GAA down due to some awful defense (Boston game, home Preds game)

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

League-average goaltending to me is filled with high peaks and low troughs, rather than a consistent effort across games. He's had some games where he's been awful and the score has been run-up on us (Blues game) and he's had some games where he's stopped a lot of high quality chances and still not been able to keep that GAA down due to some awful defense (Boston game, home Preds game)

Fair. And I agree he will solve his save percentage as the season goes. But yeah, he’s certainly in a dip so far

 

[Mobiandi]

Good win but I don't really see a reason to scratch Czarnik in favour of putting Dube on the fourth line. At this point we might as well just send Dube down

 

[InfinityIggy]

The problem is not a hole in the boat. The problem is that sometimes a bunch of the sailors quit bailing water out because they have scurvy.

In short, this team needs more lemons.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

The problem is not a hole in the boat. The problem is that sometimes a bunch of the sailors quit bailing water out because they have scurvy.

In short, this team needs more lemons.

 

[SKRusty]

Good win but I don't really see a reason to scratch Czarnik in favour of putting Dube on the fourth line. At this point we might as well just send Dube down

The kid is going to be great but I think it would be in DUbe's and the clubs best interest to send him to the AHL for 18-20 minutes a night to flush out the rest of his game. I don't know if it is just me but it appears as if Dube's whole game has cooled starting against the Rangers and other than a few flashes here and there he has not been a factor.

 

[Mr Snrub]

The problem is not a hole in the boat. The problem is that sometimes a bunch of the sailors quit bailing water out because they have scurvy.

In short, this team needs more lemons.

 

[Calculon]

Friedman on Blue Jackets’ ‘frustration with Bobrovsky’

“I think there has been a lot of frustration with Bobrovsky, and the frustration goes back to the summer. Jarmo Kekalainen set up a meeting with both Panarin and Bobrovsky in the summer to talk to them about this year, and Panarin went to the meeting and Bobrovsky blew it off.

“Bobrovsky was apparently upset about some things they said about him at the end of last year, two years ago. I don’t know if he’s right or wrong about that. Everybody interprets things different ways. But I know the organization was upset about the fact that Bobrovsky blew off that meeting.

“Bobrovsky - to be honest, I think they would like to keep him too, but he has made it very clear he doesn’t want to stay. I think that meeting caused them a lot of frustration. I think at times they felt he hasn’t been as focused on the day-to-day details as maybe Panarin or some of the other players have been. I think that’s made it very difficult at times between them. They’ve been frustrated with his attitude. They’ve tried to give Korpisalo basically the job. He got pulled last game and Bobrovsky came off the bench, and got them back in it at least. And as you guys mentioned, he was really good last night.

“Panarin they can trade. Bobrovsky has a complete no-move clause. I believe that he has given them an idea of where he will consider to go, and I think Columbus has explored that. I mean, everything we’re looking at is the Islanders. I don’t know if it’s going to end up being that way, but if we were wagering right now they would be the team.

Bobrovsky seems like a terrible investment. Thankfully his NMC probably rules out Calgary.

 

[MDCSL]

I would take bobrovsky in a second provided we don’t have to sell off one of our talented young players to do it

 

[Mobiandi]

There is no chance in hell that Treliving breaks his internal Gio cap for a goaltender

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

6 year 6.5 million extension

Gillies, Stone, Smith, top 5 protected first, decent prospect. Do it.

Bo-bo is a top 2 goalie in the world. A few bad games doesn’t change that

 

[FerklundCGY]

6 year 6.5 million extension

Gillies, Stone, Smith, top 5 protected first, decent prospect. Do it.

Bo-bo is a top 2 goalie in the world. A few bad games doesn’t change that

Sure, but not a chance in hell Bobrovsky accepts an extension like that.

He'll simply cost too much