What's your Goaltending for next year?

[Big Daddy Cane]

Carolina won at a ~98 point clip in games in which Ward started, but only a ~68 point clip when Darling started.

 

[A Star is Burns]

If they get rid of Darling and bring Ward back as a backup, I can live with it. But I won't love it. I agree with the idea that he might be a detriment to goalies that are brought in, by no fault of his own. We also know that if he gets thrust into the starters role again that he'll falter even if he has a hot streak. I think he'd be too easy of a trap for Brindy to fall into as someone that has been around him for a long time and likely has a ton of loyalty to him.

I really do just want to move on from him because his presence just reminds me of all the recent bad times at this point for him and us, and I want to get back to remembering the good times. I don't look forward to the mocking when he's brought back yet again either.

 

[geehaad]

Ward proved that he can be a good backup...we can’t be sure of that with any other goaltender. If the starter goes down to injury, we won’t have reason to believe that the team is in dire straits. He would bring a level of security, confidence, and I think would help to push the starter to be better.

Just gotta get rid of Darling somehow...

 

[Navin R Slavin]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict that Darling will regain his form this season.

I will answer the question "what form is that, exactly?" as circumstances warrant.

 

[geehaad]

I will answer the question "what form is that, exactly?" as circumstances warrant.

I’m solidly in the “he was fat, yes, but regardless of that, his technique was dog shit” camp. Far be it for me to comment on goaltending principles, but it seems reasonable that you just can’t teach a 30-year-old goalie to slide from post to post without blowing out of the crease. He might get in super awesome shape and narrow down that 5-hole, but being awful on his skates is never gonna get fixed.

I’d be ok with a strategy of planning to bury him with Ned in CLT and bring in a guy they think can beat Ward for the #1 spot. I’d also be ok with them bringing in 2 guys that they think can beat out Ward, therefore not re-signing him. That way, maybe you create a 4-way competition between 2 new guys, Darling, and Ned. If CLT ends up with a shitty goaltender, bury him further and put Booth in his place.

 

[Ole Gil]

I’m solidly in the “he was fat, yes, but regardless of that, his technique was dog ****” camp. Far be it for me to comment on goaltending principles, but it seems reasonable that you just can’t teach a 30-year-old goalie to slide from post to post without blowing out of the crease. He might get in super awesome shape and narrow down that 5-hole, but being awful on his skates is never gonna get fixed.

He did have 64 games with a .923. I don't think the way he played this year could have put up a .923 in any league on any team. There has to be some daylight between what he was doing in net for the Canes and what he was doing in Chicago.

I assume when Francis was watching tape, Darling wasn't just letting everything in five hole, and flopping about like a drunk manatee. Which means Darling doesn't have to learn how to do it, he just needs to get back to whatever he was doing before, at least to some degree.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

I don’t know much of anything about the intricacies of the goaltending position, so someone is free to correct me here. I question the fit of Lack and Darling in the Peters’ system. What has been noticeable to me in recent years is how tight the neutral zone has been. That forces the opponent to try and skate it by the defense or chip and chase. To combat the latter, you need a goalie capable of playing the puck effectively. Lack and Darling, and I’ll lump Khudobin in there too, struggled with that aspect. Ward, in comparsion, is a very good puckhandler.

Tight gap control has led to fair amount of odd-man rush chances against, even when Carolina is leading. That system needs a goalie that is able to skate well enough to challenge and get across in net. Lack and Darling looked big and slow. Ward has looked noticeably more athletic in net.

There were a few games during the course of the season in which the Canes played a more conservative defensive style that saw the other team dominate possession; the one that stands out was the Columbus game at home in December:



Darling was noticeably excellent in that game. He was a mountain in net and the team defense clamped down on the rush chances against.

Had Darling not struggled to the extent he did, I’d be more bullish about his chances for a rebound under a different coach with a different system. Regardless of what direction they go, some consistency in style would be nice; have two big goalies in a conservative system or two athletic goalies that handle the puck well in an aggressive system so that the team knows what’s behind them every night and can play the same way effectively game after game.

 

[Tryamw]

I thought we had settled on we are not allowed the luxury of having even league average goaltending.

 

[Unsustainable]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict that Darling will regain his form this season.

I will answer the question "what form is that, exactly?" as circumstances warrant.

Returns to Hawks form in Chicago?

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Returns to Hawks form in Chicago?

Be patient. I will answer as circumstances warrant.

 

[vorbis]

Darling will regain his 2017 form before you can say "hey, wait a sec--"

 

[tarheelhockey]

At this point I think I’d be down with acquiring Byfuglien and Kessel, having both of them stand in the net, and letting the rest of the team play 4-on-5.

 

[geehaad]

At this point I think I’d be down with acquiring Byfuglien and Kessel, having both of them stand in the net, and letting the rest of the team play 4-on-5.

Darling can be bigger than both of them, and he is a lot cheaper. Just need to find another fatty.

I wonder if Jeff O'Neill would come out of retirement.

 

[TheBigKahuna]

Tape O'neill and Brendl together and stick them in net. Oh, that would be fun.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Tape O'neill and Brendl together and stick them in net. Oh, that would be fun.

Tkachuk - Brendl - O’Neill

We can call it the Buffet Line

 

[Moosetache]

I don’t know much of anything about the intricacies of the goaltending position, so someone is free to correct me here. I question the fit of Lack and Darling in the Peters’ system. What has been noticeable to me in recent years is how tight the neutral zone has been. That forces the opponent to try and skate it by the defense or chip and chase. To combat the latter, you need a goalie capable of playing the puck effectively. Lack and Darling, and I’ll lump Khudobin in there too, struggled with that aspect. Ward, in comparsion, is a very good puckhandler.

Tight gap control has led to fair amount of odd-man rush chances against, even when Carolina is leading. That system needs a goalie that is able to skate well enough to challenge and get across in net. Lack and Darling looked big and slow. Ward has looked noticeably more athletic in net.

There were a few games during the course of the season in which the Canes played a more conservative defensive style that saw the other team dominate possession; the one that stands out was the Columbus game at home in December:



Darling was noticeably excellent in that game. He was a mountain in net and the team defense clamped down on the rush chances against.

Had Darling not struggled to the extent he did, I’d be more bullish about his chances for a rebound under a different coach with a different system. Regardless of what direction they go, some consistency in style would be nice; have two big goalies in a conservative system or two athletic goalies that handle the puck well in an aggressive system so that the team knows what’s behind them every night and can play the same way effectively game after game.

I just wanted to thank BDC for that video and view point. You gave me reason for what I suspected was a bit of an issue last year. the analogy I thought of was that the canes D is like a goal line defense in football. Its great for stopping the other team at the line of scrimmage, but if they get through the line, its a TD.

I'd also like to point out the play by Faulk at the 6:10 mark of that clip...holy moly that was horrendous.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I just wanted to thank BDC for that video and view point. You gave me reason for what I suspected was a bit of an issue last year. the analogy I thought of was that the canes D is like a goal line defense in football. Its great for stopping the other team at the line of scrimmage, but if they get through the line, its a TD.

And to continue the analogy, a defense like this should probably not be backed up by a big, slow safety who likes to just dive into the pile looking for a big hit.

 

[Moosetache]

And to continue the analogy, a defense like this should probably not be backed up by a big, slow safety who likes to just dive into the pile looking for a big hit.

haha, that made me laugh. Lets get John Lynch to play net.

 

[RodTheBawd]

Are people really trying to convince themselves that Darling might actually turn it around?

 

[AD Skinner]

It may be naivety but I think there's a chance darling could still be an ok backup goalie in the NHL. Not a starter but ok backup. I'd prefer it be somewhere other than here though

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Are people really trying to convince themselves that Darling might actually turn it around?

I’m personally excited to see if he can get below .860

 

[BrindAmours Army]

Sign the most obese person in the world, that can still walk, to a league minimum deal and just stick them in front of the net.

 

[MinJaBen]

I’m personally excited to see if he can get below .860

...with the Hawks.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Sign the most obese person in the world, that can still walk, to a league minimum deal and just stick them in front of the net.

Why would he have to walk?

 

[Unsustainable]

My 600lb goalie: