Rumor: Backup goalie

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Sep 27, 2017
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Here is a free agent (The Sporting News. I like Czech goalies:
Pavel Francouz, G, Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL): Despite putting up an incredible .949 save percentage in the playoffs, Francouz couldn’t help Traktor get past Ak Bars in the Western Conference final. On the bright side, the Czech national and free agent can now start contemplating which NHL team he wants to sign with - and there’s a lot of interest. NHL arrival: 2019-20

I believe he signed in Colorado.
 

ShelbyZ

Registered User
Apr 8, 2015
3,793
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Here is a free agent (The Sporting News. I like Czech goalies:
Pavel Francouz, G, Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL): Despite putting up an incredible .949 save percentage in the playoffs, Francouz couldn’t help Traktor get past Ak Bars in the Western Conference final. On the bright side, the Czech national and free agent can now start contemplating which NHL team he wants to sign with - and there’s a lot of interest. NHL arrival: 2019-20

Francouz (the goalie that took the #1 job from Mrazek on last summers WC Czech team) already signed with the Avs on 5/2/18.

Säteri is UFA, don't have to trade.

X2. And they wouldn't benefit from obtaining his right either, as most of the competition to sign him will likely come from the KHL...
 

MikeyDee

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Dec 29, 2017
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I find it ironic, that Holland, once a goalie himself, has not been able to draft a good goalie outside of Jimmy Howard. Notice, I say Jimmy is good, not great.
 

ShelbyZ

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Apr 8, 2015
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I find it ironic, that Holland, once a goalie himself, has not been able to draft a good goalie outside of Jimmy Howard. Notice, I say Jimmy is good, not great.

IIRC, Holland was pretty much making the picks while he was Director of Amateur Scouting and Assistant GM, so you can probably lump Osgood in there too. But that's still two goalies in almost 30 years of drafting.

IMO, Holland just has really strange luck with goalies, and often times it works out the exact opposite of expectations:

-Expectation: Now that Vernon is gone, this guy Hodson will be a great back up
Result: In less than a year Hodson loses the #2 job to Norm Maracle

-Expectation: Bill Ranford will be great insurance if Osgood gets hurt in the playoffs and then we'd like to re-sign him in the offseason when we lose Maracle in the expansion draft
Result: Ranford dumps the bed hard against the Avs, forcing Osgood to play hurt

-Expectation: Hasek is going to return and be backed up by Legace, and we'll trade Joseph.
Result: Hasek is unspectacular in the rare instances that he's healthy, Legace starts for most of the back half of the season and then Joseph finishes in the playoffs.

-Expectation: Osgood is coming back to be starter and will be backed up by Legace.
Result: Osgood gets hurt, Legace never loses the starting job and then craps the bed in the playoffs.

-Expectation: Osgood just won us a Cup, so he'll be the starter and Conklin will be back up
Result: Conklin carries the team into the playoffs while Osgood is a dumpster fire

-Expecation: Osgood almost won us another Cup, so hopefully he can start again, because we have absolutely zero cap space to re-sign Conklin. Also because of the cap and because he might be lost on waivers, we have literally no choice but to make Howard the back up.
Result: Howard quickly steals the #1 job and ends up 2nd in Calder votes

-Expectation: Even though he was pretty bad with the Blues, we think Conklin can have another good year in Detroit as Howards back up.
Result: Conklin is garbage and Joey MacDonald comes in to keep the record home win streak alive and steals the back up job.

-Expectation: Yeah, I know we said Joey MacDonald rightfully earned the #2 job for next season, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to sign Jonas Gustavsson. We think he can push Howard and challenge for the starting job in a contract year.
Result: Gustavsson starts that first season on IR, and never gets going once healthy, forcing the team to ride Howard. Howard ends up posting a near career year and almost gets the team to the WCF, helping earn him his much maligned current contract. Outside of a decent couple of months, Gustavsson spends around 2/3's of his tenure in Detroit on IR and is otherwise utterly forgettable when healthy. Meanwhile, MacDonald gets claimed on waivers by a basement Flames team that loses Kiprusoff long term and actually plays surprisingly well in locking down the starting job in Kiprusoffs absence.

-Expectation: With his 6 year deal, Howard will be a good starter for the foreseeable future.
Result: Howard struggles with injuries and poor play in the first 3 seasons of the deal. He then loses the starting job for a while, and is mired in trade speculation before gaining the job back because of...... (see next expectation)

-Expectation: We see Petr Mrazek as the starter going forward and will try to address the situation with Howard to fully hand over the team
Result: Mrazek dumps the bed hard, gets unprotected in the expansion draft and eventually traded to the Flyers where he still remained a complete dumpster fire


This is why I said earlier in the thread that they'd probably be better off just giving someone like Hammond $750k instead of paying good money or assets to get a goalie with higher expectations like Hutton or Grubauer/etc. :laugh:
 
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Henkka

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Jan 31, 2004
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Tampere, Finland
Goalies are just that. A mental rollercoaster. Same happens almost everywhere. They go up and down, hot and cold. It's just crazy. Like Carey Prive got his 10M payday and dropped to a level of 2M goaltender. Next season he will proably bounce back.
 
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MikeyDee

Registered User
Dec 29, 2017
285
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Metro Detroit
IIRC, Holland was pretty much making the picks while he was Director of Amateur Scouting and Assistant GM, so you can probably lump Osgood in there too. But that's still two goalies in almost 30 years of drafting.

IMO, Holland just has really strange luck with goalies, and often times it works out the exact opposite of expectations:

-Expectation: Now that Vernon is gone, this guy Hodson will be a great back up
Result: In less than a year Hodson loses the #2 job to Norm Maracle

-Expectation: Bill Ranford will be great insurance if Osgood gets hurt in the playoffs and then we'd like to re-sign him in the offseason when we lose Maracle in the expansion draft
Result: Ranford dumps the bed hard against the Avs, forcing Osgood to play hurt

-Expectation: Hasek is going to return and be backed up by Legace, and we'll trade Joseph.
Result: Hasek is unspectacular in the rare instances that he's healthy, Legace starts for most of the back half of the season and then Joseph finishes in the playoffs.

-Expectation: Osgood is coming back to be starter and will be backed up by Legace.
Result: Osgood gets hurt, Legace never loses the starting job and then craps the bed in the playoffs.

-Expectation: Osgood just won us a Cup, so he'll be the starter and Conklin will be back up
Result: Conklin carries the team into the playoffs while Osgood is a dumpster fire

-Expecation: Osgood almost won us another Cup, so hopefully he can start again, because we have absolutely zero cap space to re-sign Conklin. Also because of the cap and because he might be lost on waivers, we have literally no choice but to make Howard the back up.
Result: Howard quickly steals the #1 job and ends up 2nd in Calder votes

-Expectation: Even though he was pretty bad with the Blues, we think Conklin can have another good year in Detroit as Howards back up.
Result: Conklin is garbage and Joey MacDonald comes in to keep the record home win streak alive and steals the back up job.

-Expectation: Yeah, I know we said Joey MacDonald rightfully earned the #2 job for next season, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to sign Jonas Gustavsson. We think he can push Howard and challenge for the starting job in a contract year.
Result: Gustavsson starts that first season on IR, and never gets going once healthy, forcing the team to ride Howard. Howard ends up posting a near career year and almost gets the team to the WCF, helping earn him his much maligned current contract. Outside of a decent couple of months, Gustavsson spends around 2/3's of his tenure in Detroit on IR and is otherwise utterly forgettable when healthy. Meanwhile, MacDonald gets claimed on waivers by a basement Flames team that loses Kiprusoff long term and actually plays surprisingly well in locking down the starting job in Kiprusoffs absence.

-Expectation: With his 6 year deal, Howard will be a good starter for the foreseeable future.
Result: Howard struggles with injuries and poor play in the first 3 seasons of the deal. He then loses the starting job for a while, and is mired in trade speculation before gaining the job back because of...... (see next expectation)

-Expectation: We see Petr Mrazek as the starter going forward and will try to address the situation with Howard to fully hand over the team
Result: Mrazek dumps the bed hard, gets unprotected in the expansion draft and eventually traded to the Flyers where he still remained a complete dumpster fire


This is why I said earlier in the thread that they'd probably be better off just giving someone like Hammond $750k instead of paying good money or assets to get a goalie with higher expectations like Hutton or Grubauer/etc. :laugh:

Yeah, I should have lumped Osgood in there, too. Although, Osgood made his bones in the NHL, which IMO gives Holland a pass, not a pat on the back. ;)
 

MikeyDee

Registered User
Dec 29, 2017
285
183
Metro Detroit
Goalies are just that. A mental rollercoaster. Same happens almost everywhere. They go up and down, hot and cold. It's just crazy. Like Carey Prive got his 10M payday and dropped to a level of 2M goaltender. Next season he will proably bounce back.

So, Good = consistency, Very good/Great = cup, and Hall of Famer = cups. I could agree with that or some version thereof.

As far has Holland's ability in this department, I'm a bit critical. One would think with his experience he could do better, but then again, maybe one that has been drafted is a Hall of Famer in the making. Like you said... mental rollercoaster.
 

Oddbob

Registered User
Jan 21, 2016
15,764
10,302
I think our situation is both a bit of bad luck, and bad drafting with both our D and G. I honestly don't think we are any worse than most teams when it comes to scouting and drafting, just haven't had a lot of luck lately. Also, until the most recent seasons, we have had very few high draft picks, so that is going to go far, when it comes to getting really exciting players.
 

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