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

[Treb]

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.

I don't blame Allen either and I loved how he played (as a backup). I'm hoping he doesn't get picked by Seattle and is here next year too.

He's just not better than Price despite what some people clamored during the year.

 

[tooji]

Man is on a mission.. literally no celebration for the last 3 wins.

He has the ability to carry a team on his back when he wants to

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

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...

The problem is not that we haven't had a backup. The problem is that our teams are so bad that backups get eaten alive.

Jake Allen is as good as it gets. He played great in a backup role. But the moment he took over the starter's role he drowned. Sub .900 and couldn't win a game. That's NOT his fault. He actually played pretty well. But the team sucked.

That's what Price has played behind for YEARS now.

And Price was able to make us into a first place team back when we at least had a legit top pairing. But once Markov left and we had AHLers on the left side, even he couldn't save us.

With Price we have a shot at the playoffs. Without him we're a lottery team. And even on those bad clubs he can still steal a series. This is the second straight year he's proven it.

 

[SOLR]

I don't blame Allen either and I loved how he played (as a backup). I'm hoping he doesn't get picked by Seattle and is here next year too.

He's just not better than Price despite what some people clamored during the year.

He's better than Price when Price is tired, easily.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I don't blame Allen either and I loved how he played (as a backup). I'm hoping he doesn't get picked by Seattle and is here next year too.

He's just not better than Price despite what some people clamored during the year.

Well,

We're starting Allen in game one of the next series aren't we?

That's what people told me we should do vs TO.

 

[Doc5]

Price was the best goalie and our best defensemen in Game 7.
Price actually was drafted the year I started following hockey, so I always had a soft spot for him. However, recently I turned bitter and would hate on all the soft goals he would allow and would wish we could trade him. Thank you Price for reminding me why you were my favourite player growing up and why I would use variations of your name for all my passwords <3.

 

[Not The One]

The problem is not that we haven't had a backup. The problem is that our teams are so bad that backups get eaten alive.

Jake Allen is as good as it gets. He played great in a backup role. But the moment he took over the starter's role he drowned. Sub .900 and couldn't win a game. That's NOT his fault. He actually played pretty well. But the team sucked.

That's what Price has played behind for YEARS now.

And Price was able to make us into a first place team back when we at least had a legit top pairing. But once Markov left and we had AHLers on the left side, even he couldn't save us.

With Price we have a shot at the playoffs. Without him we're a lottery team. And even on those bad clubs he can still steal a series. This is the second straight year he's proven it.

I HATE that narrative. It's a loser argument that places all responsibility for everything good that happens to this team solely on Price and the responsibility for failures on everybody else but price. It's neither a fair nor a good way to evaluate a team. It's why we are spending 14-15 million on goaltenders while other teams are doing more with less.

Here are the full stats for every goalie that has played on the Habs since Prices's rookie year, sorted by season. It's very interesting.

NHL Stats

Outside of the 2013-2017 period it's not that big a difference with his backups, and he've had some really lousy ones. The only good goalies in that list outside of Price are Huet, Halak and Allen and they've all matched or outplayed him.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I HATE that narrative.

It's not some made up narrative. It's a fact. And I just gave you several examples of it. And backup goalies are sheltered like crazy here. We give them weaker teams while we play Price against top competition.

Look at THIS year.

Allen before becoming the starter
5-3-4
.922

Allen after becoming the starter
6-9-1
.896

Price, despite playing some very bad hockey at the start of the season was still 12-7-5.

It's a fact that we were first place in 2015. It's a fact we were 10-2 in 2016 and then the team tanked when he got hurt.

It's a fact that we played Price at a ridiculous level down the stretch in 2019 and 2020. Why? Because our coach knew that we were on the bubble and needed him to win.

It's a fact he was our best player in the 2020 and 21 postseasons where we were largely outplayed but still won at least one series.

The club has always been overly dependent on Price to win. That's why we haven't gone anywhere. You can't lean on one player as much as we do and expect to win cups.

You may not like to hear it... but it doesn't make it any less true.

 

[Sorinth]

It's not some made up narrative. It's a fact. And I just gave you several examples of it. Look at THIS year.

Allen before becoming the starter
5-3-4
.922

Allen after becoming the starter
6-9-1
.896

Price, despite playing some very bad hockey at the start of the season was still 12-7-5.

It's a fact that we were first place in 2015. It's a fact we were 10-2 in 2016 and then the team tanked when he got hurt.

It's a fact that we played Price at a ridiculous level down the stretch in 2019 and 2020. Why? Because our coach knew that we were on the bubble and needed him to win.

It's a fact he was our best player in the 2020 and 21 postseasons where we were largely outplayed but still won at least one series.

The club has always been overly dependent on Price to win. That's why we haven't gone anywhere. You can't lean on one player as much as we do and expect to win cups.

You may not like to hear it... but it doesn't make it any less true.

The same thing happened in 2015-2016. Before Price's injury our backup Mike Condon's number's were
7-2-2
.913
2.23

After Price's injury
14-23-4
.900
2.86

You can never really compare the stats of a backup to those of the starter, and that's not just a Price/Habs thing it's throughout the league. The starter faces tougher games then the backup does which influences the numbers and brings them closer together then the true talent of the goalies.

 

[abo9]

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.

yeah I mean I just disagree with the fundamentals of paying a player 10.5M when they play max 60/70 games a year - or that contract to anyone going late 30's . I also did not see the team going in a direction where they'd be able to compete before modway through his contract, nut I guess anything is possible with him in nets

But at the same time his contract is not the reason why the Habs were unable to build a decent team around him - and to this day has not been a cap anchor/blockage.

If they win the Cup obviously everythikg is worth it. To MB that contract was worth it bc it possibly means an extension for himself lol

 

[abo9]

It's not some made up narrative. It's a fact. And I just gave you several examples of it. And backup goalies are sheltered like crazy here. We give them weaker teams while we play Price against top competition.

Look at THIS year.

Allen before becoming the starter
5-3-4
.922

Allen after becoming the starter
6-9-1
.896

Price, despite playing some very bad hockey at the start of the season was still 12-7-5.

It's a fact that we were first place in 2015. It's a fact we were 10-2 in 2016 and then the team tanked when he got hurt.

It's a fact that we played Price at a ridiculous level down the stretch in 2019 and 2020. Why? Because our coach knew that we were on the bubble and needed him to win.

It's a fact he was our best player in the 2020 and 21 postseasons where we were largely outplayed but still won at least one series.

The club has always been overly dependent on Price to win. That's why we haven't gone anywhere. You can't lean on one player as much as we do and expect to win cups.

You may not like to hear it... but it doesn't make it any less true.

yeah it's not a narrative it's a fact. One bad backup happens. But year after year of bad backups is pretty much the confirmation that the team is bad and the staryer just that good

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

yeah it's not a narrative it's a fact. One bad backup happens. But year after year of bad backups is pretty much the confirmation that the team is bad and the staryer just that good

I think we all saw Allen this year too. How many times did he play well only to get let down? That's been the story of Price's entire career here

Folks are in for a shock when he retires. We've been so spoiled here over the years with Dryden, Roy, Price... Look at teams like Philly who missed out on several cups because their goalies sucked. Ottawa would've had a couple but they had Lalime. Goaltending isn't important... until you don't have it.

I wouldn't pay 10 mil for a goalie unless he's an elite superstar. Guys like Lundqvist and Price are worth that cash. They are set it and forget it goalies. You KNOW they'll be there over the long haul. And they are able to steal you a series in the playoffs. Not many players can take over a series like that.

We were the better team last night. First time in the series I felt like we really outplayed TO. But we never would've even got there without Price. With even a good goalie it's over in four. We needed a superstar to save us and that's what we got.

 

[Whitesnake]

I'm not sure how posters can blame other postes for their Price analysis when the players that are PLAYING WITH HIM are telling the world that this Price is the best Price he has ever seen. That's what Gallagher said.

In the end, Price is jsut able to get another gear in the playoffs....but I don't think he never was as dominant as he was in this series. But yeah...it says it all about the team in itself. Will be tougher with a more complete team in Winnipeg. And there's so much miracles Jesus can make. But Price is proving that even though he played his absolute best, that we wasted that guy for the last 10 years or so.

 

[ahmedou]

@Genesis76: “i ToLd yOu So”

 

[Plante]

As a goalie the same age as Price, who has a ton of Leaf fans friends, and has always defended Price due to his obvious and otherworldly talent.

This is about as gratifying as it gets.

 

[angusyoung]

Is this the Pierre McGuire thread?

 

[Canadienna]

Another interesting takeaway from this series imo is that it showed the limited usefulness of SV% and GAA in analyzing a goalie.

Campbell was good, but Price was miles better and yet lost the "stats" matchup.

Of course a deeper dive into the stats show Price was indeed better, but I just thought this series was the perfect example of an all world performance seeming just "great" by the basic numbers.

 

[Clumsyhab]

Well,

We're starting Allen in game one of the next series aren't we?

That's what people told me we should do vs TO.

Really? You keep saying that people wanted Allen to start vs the Leafs, but I don't recall anyone in here wanted him to start game 1.

Some people including myself said that Allen should start if we lose the first 2 games in Toronto and Price plays like regular season Price, but I don't think anyone in here consider Allen as a starter for game 1.

 

[nhlfan9191]

@Genesis76: “i ToLd yOu So”

This guy disappeared off the face of planet earth.