OT: The Carey Price “I told you so” posters

[Habs 4 Life]

Craey Price has been saying for years, get me a good backup, rest me up and I will perform to the highest level

Well it took Bergevin many many years to understand, and now we all saw the level that Carey can perform to!

What a series he played, simply unreal!

 

[Theosis]

Always been a Price fan, although haven't been hugely active on HFBoards for the past few years.

Sure, he's had his struggles, but he always brings it when it matters the most.

 

[Not The One]

The thing about carey Price is that he's the flakiest "elite" goaltender in the league. When he's in the zone like he is right now he looks superhuman but when he's not he's an 10.5M backup (barely).

His advanced stats for the last few regular seasons are just disgusting for what he earns and he had that awful period during the Halak season when he couldn't stop a beach ball. He's also had absolutely elite seasons and playoffs at other times. You can blame the defense all you want for his awful regular season but he's playing with the same guys right now and looking great.

You want your number one, elite, 10.5M goalie to be consistent. Price isn't.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He’s a big game goalielno argument. But no goalie is worth 10.5M.

Not many players have the kind of impact Price does. He's well worth that money.

Price takes mediocre teams to first place finishes. He takes bad teams to bubble status. As poorly as he played this year, he still had a good record at 12-7-5. Allen played really well... until he became the starter. Then we couldn't shelter him anymore and suddenly we couldn't win a game.

Ask any GM if they'd pay 10 mil for a guy to take an undeserving team past a playoff round. Price has done this repeatedly. Two years in a row he's lead his team to a major upset.

He's worth 10 mil without a doubt.

 

[Mrb1p]

So many people should eat crow.

(mod) Ragging on a GOAT goaltender.

 

[Natey]

I’m a lurker on HFboards. I comment the odd times but I mostly read. But I noticed @Lafleurs Guy has consistently stuck up for Price even threw hard times during Price’s struggles which is brave. Are there other posters around here who you would say are saying back saying “I told you so” right now?

Nope. He's always great when games matter. That's why he'll be there for Team Canada.

The regular season does matter though at some point though and he seems to forget that.

 

[Jabba11]

I told you so!

 

[26Mats]

Always said his contract was dumb for a goalie, but that despite what the stats said he was always Montreal's best player by a fair margin and a top 5-10 goalie in the NHL year after year

In recent (<3 ) years, whenever I watch Montreal seem to give out grade A chances like candies. I enjky watching other teams around the NHL and wowza that doesn't happen nearly as often

That contract is looking really good this season.

Many assumed it would be a real anchor in the final years. It remains to be seen whether or not those predictions will come true. That he's playing some of the best hockey of his career at 33 bodes well for his late 30's. But we just don't know until we get there.

 

[sandysan]

It's funny how HF boards posters keep saying he's an average goalie. But the truth is he's been on a really bad team for at least half his career. In 2017-18 he had a down year, but what was the defense back then?

Juulsen
Schlemko
Jerabek
Mete
Reilly
Morrow
Alzner
Benn
Davidson

They all played a significant number of games and were sloted in the top 4. Hard to believe right?

Now you see the difference a guy like Markov can do. Carey went from a .930 to a .900 save%.

Get him a true to 3 and he'll be the best goalie in the world.

He played behind a d-corps where we waived 4 D men in the same year!

And they all cleared!

 

[Natey]

Remember when people were saying Allen was better than Price? Good times.

Price is obviously a better goalie than Allen when he's on. When he's on, he's the best in the world. He just isn't on half the time during the season.

However, taking shots at Allen right now would be like me taking shots at Price if he faulters at all next series. Allen got us here through the injuries and team disappearing after the start of the season. He stole so many points for us even if he couldn't clutch most of the games.

 

[Mrb1p]

The thing about carey Price is that he's the flakiest "elite" goaltender in the league. When he's in the zone like he is right now he looks superhuman but when he's not he's an 10.5M backup (barely).

His advanced stats for the last few regular seasons are just disgusting for what he earns and he had that awful period during the Halak season when he couldn't stop a beach ball. He's also had absolutely elite seasons and playoffs at other times. You can blame the defense all you want for his awful regular season but he's playing with the same guys right now and looking great.

You want your number one, elite, 10.5M goalie to be consistent. Price isn't.

No, hes not. He's playing behind a tire fire team. Its impossible to be dialed in to the level he needs to be dialed in for extended periods of time. He has shown time and time again that he's the best goaltender on the planet and a top 5 player (Top 3?) in the NHL when it counts.

Also lol at bringing up his age 21 season to discredit him. Whats next, youre going to tell me Henrik Lundqvist wasn't good at 21 ? Ya, he wasn't even in the league.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Price is obviously a better goalie than Allen when he's on. When he's on, he's the best in the world. He just isn't on half the time during the season.

However, taking shots at Allen right now would be like me taking shots at Price if he faulters at all next series. Allen got us here through the injuries and team disappearing after the start of the season. He stole so many points for us even if he couldn't clutch most of the games.

We don't make the playoffs without Allen this year. He was great in the backup role for us. And even as the starter I felt he played well with little support. Full marks to him.

 

[Natey]

No, hes not. He's playing behind a tire fire team. Its impossible to be dialed in to the level he needs to be dialed in for extended periods of time. He has shown time and time again that he's the best goaltender on the planet and a top 5 player (Top 3?) in the NHL when it counts.

Also lol at bringing up his age 21 season to discredit him. Whats next, youre going to tell me Henrik Lundqvist wasn't good at 21 ? Ya, he wasn't even in the league.

Well, like it states above, part of that tire fire is his responsibility with a $10.5M contract. Now, if I was him, I'd take Bergevin for everything he was worth too since I know I'm not getting real help anyway if I take a discount. So I don't blame him.

Price does lose focus though, I think that's obvious - if the games aren't super important. When the games are important, he's usually on a level not seen since Hasek.

PS. I hate these kinds of threads just because it could be made for literally any player at any point. And you could point at any poster or even real life GMs. IE: Bergevin waived Byron this year and his goal in Game #1 was the thing that gave this forum a little hope... because before that, there was next to none. Any good poster (or good GM) would eat their crow and be done with it.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The thing about carey Price is that he's the flakiest "elite" goaltender in the league. When he's in the zone like he is right now he looks superhuman but when he's not he's an 10.5M backup (barely).

His advanced stats for the last few regular seasons are just disgusting for what he earns and he had that awful period during the Halak season when he couldn't stop a beach ball. He's also had absolutely elite seasons and playoffs at other times. You can blame the defense all you want for his awful regular season but he's playing with the same guys right now and looking great.

You want your number one, elite, 10.5M goalie to be consistent. Price isn't.

Depends on how you measure consistency. If you're just looking at one stat that doesn't take shot difficulty or volume into consideration, then sure...

I posted this elsewhere... do yourself a favour and look at what happens to this team with and without him. He's a hugely impactful player. Very few players elevate their teams the way Price does.

2014 he leads them to the conference finals. Gets hurt, they lose.
2015 he leads them to a first place finish.
2016 they are 10-2 with him. He gets hurt and they lose 12 of their next 15 and finish out of the playoffs.
2019 and 2020 the club plays the shit out of him because their backup can't win a game.

Even this year Price got off to a bad start before turning things around. Still had a decent record (12-7-5) and his backup played well. He gets hurt though and the team once again tanks. Jake Allen can't be sheltered anymore and has a sub .900 save percentage with 7 wins in their next 23 games.

With Price the team at least has a shot at the playoffs. Without him they're a lottery team.

Also, he's the ONLY ten mil+ player still in the playoffs. And he's the main reason why we're still here. Last year he knocked out Malkin and Crosby. This year it's Matthews and Marner. How's that not worth ten mil?​

 

[Milhouse40]

I've been one of his biggest defenders.....so yeah, I've told you so.

How many times I said to put a good team in front of him (and I'm not considering this one a good team)
He's doing miracles with a bubble team, imagine giving him a slightly better team than what we have now.
2 or 3 more quality players.

That's why I NEVER been on the rebuild bandwagon.
You can draft for 10 years and never get a game changer like Price.

 

[Treb]

Price is obviously a better goalie than Allen when he's on. When he's on, he's the best in the world. He just isn't on half the time during the season.

However, taking shots at Allen right now would be like me taking shots at Price if he faulters at all next series. Allen got us here through the injuries and team disappearing after the start of the season. He stole so many points for us even if he couldn't clutch most of the games.

How am I taking shots at Allen by saying Price is better than him? I never said Allen was bad.

Allen is a good backup, but that's what he is, a backup. His years in STL proved he is not a starter. Price is a starter.

You putting a picture of Allen with the Cup as some kind of retort when he played 24 minutes is funny. Similar as if I posted a picture of Barbashyov with the Cup to argue that he's better than Danault.

EDIT: Wrong cup winning season.

 

[Natey]

How am I taking shots at Allen by saying Price is better than him? I never said Allen was bad.

Allen is a good backup, but that's what he is, a backup. His years in STL proved he is not a starter. Price is a starter.

You putting a picture of Allen with the Cup as some kind of retort when he played 4.75 games (and won only 2 of them) is funny. Similar as if I posted a picture of DLR with the Cup to argue that he's better than Danault.

Well, he was better than Price during the season. That's not even a question.

And nope, cause I didn't say Allen was better in that post. But Carey might want to win one of those.

 

[coolasprICE]

I've had this user name since the beginning. It still holds just as much truth today as it did when he was 20.

His confidence and calm when he is dialed-in is contagious. Under better circumstances he should of had a cup or two by now.

Bergevin owes him.

 

[Treb]

Well, he was better than Price during the season. That's not even a question.

And nope, cause I didn't say Allen was better in that post. But Carey might want to win one of those.

I edited my post as I took the stats of 2019-2020 by mistake. Allen played 24 minutes 28 seconds in the Cup run, allowing 1 goal on 4 shots.

He was about as important in their Cup as Jakub Jerabek who watched the whole thing from the press box.

As for better during the season, it's debatable if you look at the end result and not just the first 10 games.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Well, he was better than Price during the season. That's not even a question.

And nope, cause I didn't say Allen was better in that post. But Carey might want to win one of those.

MB might want to actually build a team around Price so it's a possibility.

I can't believe Price saved his job - again - last night. That's the dark cloud in what's otherwise a huge silver lining.

 

[Not The One]

Depends on how you measure consistency. If you're just looking at one stat that doesn't take shot difficulty or volume into consideration, then sure...

I posted this elsewhere... do yourself a favour and look at what happens to this team with and without him. He's a hugely impactful player. Very few players elevate their teams the way Price does.

2014 he leads them to the conference finals. Gets hurt, they lose.
2015 he leads them to a first place finish.
2016 they are 10-2 with him. He gets hurt and they lose 12 of their next 15 and finish out of the playoffs.
2019 and 2020 the club plays the shit out of him because their backup can't win a game.

Even this year Price got off to a bad start before turning things around. Still had a decent record (12-7-5) and his backup played well. He gets hurt though and the team once again tanks. Jake Allen can't be sheltered anymore and has a sub .900 save percentage with 7 wins in their next 23 games.

With Price the team at least has a shot at the playoffs. Without him they're a lottery team.

Also, he's the ONLY ten mil+ player still in the playoffs. And he's the main reason why we're still here. Last year he knocked out Malkin and Crosby. This year it's Matthews and Marner. How's that not worth ten mil?​

We all know that Price has spent the vast majority of his career without any viable backup. I don't know if it's (another) confidence issue where he has to absolutely be the man to feel good, of if it's just that management always decided to spend their cap elsewhere.

Management traded Huet for a measly 2nd and sent Price into the oven in his very first season, which I will never understand.

Management traded Halak after his playoff heroics even though Price was struggling like hell.

Like you said, they didn't really have a viable replacement when he was hurt against the Rangers. I also consider that the 2015-2016 was ruined in great part because they failed again to get a decent backup and had to use Condon.

Now this year the reality is that we wouldn't even be in the playoffs without Allen, who outplayed Price for most of the year and had to hold the fort at the end when Price was once again hurt.

And it's not only the injuries, it's been the outright inconsistency of the 3-4 last seasons. Our 10.5M franchise player needs a quality backup, so we're going to have to spend 15 million at that position to get decent goaltending. But fans are willing to punt Danault to the curb if he wants more than 4.5 million...

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I edited my post as I took the stats of 2019-2020 by mistake. Allen played 24 minutes 28 seconds in the Cup run, allowing 1 goal on 4 shots.

He was about as important in their Cup as Jakub Jerabek who watched the whole thing from the press box.

As for better during the season, it's debatable if you look at the end result and not just the first 10 games.

Allen was a great pickup. And I give him tons of credit for steadying the ship when we needed it. But he ain't Carey Price and this is a sad sack team. The moment Price went down the team went into a huge slide.

I don't blame Allen for this at all. But this team isn't good. It needs an elite goaltender for it to do anything at all. It's a shame how we've wasted Price over the years.

 

[salbutera]

The thing about carey Price is that he's the flakiest "elite" goaltender in the league. When he's in the zone like he is right now he looks superhuman but when he's not he's an 10.5M backup (barely).

His advanced stats for the last few regular seasons are just disgusting for what he earns and he had that awful period during the Halak season when he couldn't stop a beach ball. He's also had absolutely elite seasons and playoffs at other times. You can blame the defense all you want for his awful regular season but he's playing with the same guys right now and looking great.

You want your number one, elite, 10.5M goalie to be consistent. Price isn't.

The issue is proper advanced stats don’t exist for goalies: sv% and xG (based on high danger opportunities) don’t tell the full story because they don’t take into account quality of shooter only probability from where a shot is taken

Price always faces better shooters than his opposing goalie

 

[Tyson]

Every Habs fan wants Price to succeed especially with the money he is being paid. It's great that he has elevated his game but because he was average at best this past season we barely made the playoffs and were the worst of the 16 teams that did.

We can all jump on the Price bandwagon right now but that doesn't excuse his recent putrid regular seasons.

 

[SOLR]

I’m a lurker on HFboards. I comment the odd times but I mostly read. But I noticed @Lafleurs Guy has consistently stuck up for Price even threw hard times during Price’s struggles which is brave. Are there other posters around here who you would say are saying back saying “I told you so” right now?

The fact that he's good when facing 20 shots isn't new. Let's see how he plays against Winnipeg.

Price is a goaltender with a low energy bank. He's better than most with the energy, worst than most without.