Jon Prescription said:
It's also funny that everyone looks over Price's absolutely brutal U18 showing.
You really have an affinity for generalizing. If you had been reading carefully over the past six weeks, plenty of people have brought up his less than spectacular Under-18's including many a Hab fan. He was far from "brutal" as you describe (he only had one bad game and one average game), but there have been better goaltending performances through the years. One shouldn't forget that Canada's defence wasn't exactly overwhelming with the likes of Letang, Gragnani, and Kucerba, and that was most evident against Kessel and the Americans.
Not every Hab fan was or is crazy about the Price selection as it took most by surprise. What most Hab fans are is loyal however, and when other fans trash a Hab pick for whatever reasons, some Hab fans will react. No, we don't know whether Price will be a great goalie or not, but we have faith in the Habs braintrust. Since Savard, and then Gainey and Timmins, joined the Habs the drafting has been noticeably improved. Thus, most fans are confident that he was properly scouted during the 70 or so games he played this past season with Tri-Cities, and are not just relying on our sketchy memories of watching him on television last spring.
Tell me Jon; when the cameras were following the puck carrier in the corner or deep in the slot at the Under-18's, were you still able to pay close attention to Price? Were you somehow able to see off to the side of the camera, where the goalie was? I'd say it's close to impossible to judge a goalie prospect by viewing a few televised games on an ice surface larger than he's used to playing on.
I watched Price at the Ottawa rookie tournament; I kept a close eye on him when the puck was in the Habs zone. His positioning, puck handling, rebound control, quickness and style were all well above average for a just-turned 18-year-old goalie. Did he let in a goal or two that might possibly have been stopped? Yep - he wasn't perfect; I've yet to find one that is. Yet overall, looking at the total package live and not in front of a TV screen, I came away mightly impressed with his game.
As for who will be better; it's way too early to say. If Montoya bounces back the way he's capable of and Price has a rocky season in Tri-Cities, most everyone next summer will be saying Montoya is way better than Price.
We'll know a lot better when both are competing at the NHL level. That's at least two years away.
Price was rated the next BPA by the Habs and they picked him. Short term, most wanted a forward, but in the long run, I hope he makes us forget who we passed on. As for who is better, I have no idea. Goaltenders are very hard to guage, but I'd have to say that both organizations should be happy with their goaltending propects.
