I probably hate on price more than most, and it’s not really because I think he’s a bad goaltender, he’s one of the better goalies in the league and he’s not even close to the top of the list of on-ice issues I have with this team... He’s just been put in a no-win situation by management and to some extent by the Canadian media. The media hung the “best goalie” in the world moniker on him and refuse to let it go, the broadcast crew on Saturday used it at least one during Saturday’s OT loss.
There was a time he was, but for some reason we now believe that is who is, prime Price was the best in the league during that stretch, but that’s not who he’s been the rest of his career and it’s unfair of us to think he’ll ever be that good. The league has a handful of goalies who have truly been elite at times in their careers, Price is one of them, but just one of them, no one is still calling Lundqvist the “best goalie” in the league during Ranger’s broadcasts – when Lundqvist entered the league, it was clear from the start he was some thing special – Price muddled along showing flashes of brilliance, but also loosing his starting job twice over his first six years.
Price - career
First six years – 310 games, 2.47Gaa - .913Sv%
Next four years – 199 games – 2.16Gaa - .928Sv%
Next three years – 166 games – 2.76Gaa - .910 Sv%
Lundqvist’s first six years – 406 games, 2.32 - .918Sv% - 3 x Vezina finalist, never out of the top six in voting. He didn’t finish out of the top six ant any point in his first 10 years in the league. Price finished in the top six four times in his first 10 years. They both got huge deals to the age 38.
Price has a huge deal, that’s not his fault – he is never going to be able to live up to that deal... it stands as a warning to other GMs, Price will be the highest paid goalie for the length of that deal, no one is going to give a goalie that much any time soon... because he’s the highest paid, we expect more out of him, but more than likely, he career will follow that of Lundqvist, who hasn’t been a top level goalie from age 33 on, after having been consistently a top level goalie for 10 consecutive years – if Lundqvist couldn’t do it with that pedigree, why on earth do we expect Price to do it. I’d be happy if Price could put up 2.76Gaa and .910Sv% playing the number of games he does – keep in mind, last year only six goalies 33 or older played 50 or more games and only Rinne and Fleury did so and had a better than league average Sv%. If price can put up these numbers, which are better than league average, while playing 50 or more games a year, he will be in rare company.