Despite his inconsistent play the last few years, is Carey Price still Canada's first choice goalie?

[Pavel Buchnevich]

LOL, Darcy Kuemper over Carey Price. Only on HFboards.

What about in the stat column? Kuemper stops shots at a higher rate. Is that not what you want out of a goalie?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I recognize your username. You’re the guy who hates Price because you believe he has no business being mentioned near Lundqvist. It’s fine to think that, but don’t let your biased get carried away on other topics.

Link? Or are you just mad I don't think your team's player is as good as you do? Talk about being biased.

 

[thefutures]

Price easily

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Proven? So he just beat the Leafs in the playoffs, he beat the Pens last year, he has a career of solid international play where he has not lost a game...but he hasn't proven anything? Yet you seem to think Fleury, Binnington and Kuemper have proved more? Obviously you haven't been watching Fleury's career. I love the guy but he has cost his teams in playoffs and internationally too many times for him to be the #1.

Where did I say he hasn't proven anything? He has proven that right now he's not a good goalie, and it's trending further in that direction.

Do you really want to go down the path of anointing goalies based on one playoff series? Some pretty terrible goalies have one individual playoff series. I'll take the much bigger sample where he's been very mediocre in recent seasons.

Besides, picking an Olympic roster should have nothing to do with their careers. You don't pick the teams based on their careers, otherwise Thornton, Perry, Spezza, Staal, Getzlaf would all be in contention to make the team.

 

[North Cole]

Yes.

 

[RSPens]

Where did I say he hasn't proven anything? He has proven that right now he's not a good goalie, and it's trending further in that direction.

Do you really want to go down the path of anointing goalies based on one playoff series? Some pretty terrible goalies have one individual playoff series. I'll take the much bigger sample where he's been very mediocre in recent seasons.

Besides, picking an Olympic roster should have nothing to do with their careers. You don't pick the teams based on their careers, otherwise Thornton, Perry, Spezza, Staal, Getzlaf would all be in contention to make the team.

Your words "Price isn’t good though. It’s proven." His 16-0 international record is more than enough proof. Just because Kuemper has good regular season numbers, it means jacksh*t without any playoff experience. No one would be comfortable going into a must win game with a goalie that has never played in a must win game. I don't like the Habs, I have no reason to pump Price's tires but his career speaks for itself.

Also we are talking about an ~8 game tournament...so Hell yeah I am going to take the goalie that has proven he can win Best of 7 or 5 series that he has no business winning.

 

[jetsforever]

Three factors makes me say yes, he should start for Canada.

1) Price allowed 2 goals during the whole 2014 Olympics tournament. TWO GOALS. DURING THE WHOLE BEST-ON-BEST TOURNAMENT.

2) Unfortunately Canada doesn't have a whole lot besides Price. Fleury, sure, but he's actually older than Price, and has a much poorer track record internationally. No real reason to go with Fleury instead of Price. Holtby is obviously over the hill. There are a bunch of younger goalies like Hart and Blackwood, but they havent been good enough that you can justify not going with Pricer

3) His first round against the Leafs. I mean sure you can argue that he has been inconsistent in the last couple of years and has had some pretty bad stretches. But he's had a ton of injuries and the team ahead of him has been bad. If he is healthy, focused and playing behind Canada's defense, he's basically impossible to beat, as we saw.

What happens in the beginning of next season will ne very telling. If Price has a meltdown, I could see them going with someone else. But let's be real, the Olympic tournament is another beast than the regular season. Once they arrive in China, it's a whole new ball game. I honestly don't see anything other than injury keeping Price out of the starter's net for Canada.

Agreed, in general I think both Price and MAF are overrated but Canada is actually relatively weak at goalies right now and Price seems to be a big-game player.

 

[Ivo]

Certainly. He’s been there a number of times and excelled. If they had a superstar young goalie to replace him, then sure, go with the new guy, but their other goalies right now are kind of meh, so just play the guy who is proven.

 

[Treb]

It's him or Fleury.

Then you have probably 5-6 guys fighting for the 3rd spot.

 

[Number 57]

I’ll go with the bigger NHL sample. I think that’s more predictive of how he’ll play. Also, his record and goals allowed is less impressive than you make it seem. He plays for the overwhelming best team internationally. When it’s in a league where there’s parity, we see he doesn’t play anywhere near as well. All Canadian goalies in the NHL should have much better international numbers than NHL numbers.

Did you just miss the Leafs' series or what? He dominated with a less than stellar team in front of him and shut down Matthews and Marner

 

[Number 57]

It’s not a good group of goalies right now. I’d probably say Fleury, Kuemper, and Binnington.

That's just ridiculous

 

[Mikeshane]

If Montreal could give him a couple weeks off leading up to the Olympics that would be much appreciated.

 

[Captain Mountain]

I kind of love Price's current reputation on HF Boards, where some posters kind of simultaneously hold that:

-Price is massively overrated, has one of the worst contracts in the NHL and is not even worth an Olympic spot; and

-Price is the only reason Montreal can win a play-in round/play-off series.

And then go to hilariously extreme lengths to justify having both positions simultaneously.

 

[slapKing]

I would say atm, it's Price. He's got the stats, wins, championships, and reputation in his favour.

His only big rival for the net is MAF. I say Team Canada would choose the familiarity of Price.

 

[redgrant]

I kind of love Price's current reputation on HF Boards, where some posters kind of simultaneously hold that:

-Price is massively overrated, has one of the worst contracts in the NHL and is not even worth an Olympic spot; and

-Price is the only reason Montreal can win a play-in round/play-off series.

And then go to hilariously extreme lengths to justify having both positions simultaneously.

Price is a good goalie - I just dont think 10m is the way to go tied up in a goalie. Its too volatile of a position.

 

[5 14 6 1]

Price and Fleury

 

[Captain Mountain]

Price is a good goalie - I just dont think 10m is the way to go tied up in a goalie. Its too volatile of a position.

This is probably the reasonable way to look at it.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Your words "Price isn’t good though. It’s proven." His 16-0 international record is more than enough proof. Just because Kuemper has good regular season numbers, it means jacksh*t without any playoff experience. No one would be comfortable going into a must win game with a goalie that has never played in a must win game. I don't like the Habs, I have no reason to pump Price's tires but his career speaks for itself.

Also we are talking about an ~8 game tournament...so Hell yeah I am going to take the goalie that has proven he can win Best of 7 or 5 series that he has no business winning.

Good refers to his current ability, not what he's done in what mostly amounts to irrelevant games against inferior competition to what most players are judged on.

I tend to believe that there's not a big difference between most players regular season and playoff form. In some circumstances, there can be, but I see no reason to believe the player you picked on, Kuemper, wouldn't be able to play well in the playoffs.

And while this is a shorter tournament where flukier things can happen, it doesn't mean that you throw out the most relevant measures of performance. You pick your best players in the NHL. Price isn't one of those for Canada.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Did you just miss the Leafs' series or what? He dominated with a less than stellar team in front of him and shut down Matthews and Marner

In a small sample.

 

[nhlfan9191]

It will be Price’s job to lose. Doesn’t matter how many people like it or not. Fleury I guess would be next in line. I’m more worried about our depth moving forward. I hope a couple of these younger Canadian goalies step up. There doesn’t seem to be a passing of the torch candidate right now like there was with Brodeur to Luongo then Luongo to Price.

 

[jetsforever]

It’s not a good group of goalies right now. I’d probably say Fleury, Kuemper, and Binnington.

Huh, just discovered Kuemper is Canadian

 

[Streetsamurai]

Its gonna be price nfor sure, unless he falls off a cliff. Though, to be honest, if Canada plays like they done in these last few tournament, you could put youppie into the net and they will win it

 

[montreal]

Since 2015 Price is 11-0 when the Habs score 3 or more goals in the playoffs. Look at the teams he's had in front of him during that time, the blueliners he's had. The guy steps up big when it counts.

 

[cg98]

What about in the stat column? Kuemper stops shots at a higher rate. Is that not what you want out of a goalie?

Kuemper has been hot garbage whenever he puts on a Canadian jersey and youre taking him over Price who was our starter for the last 2 best v best competitions and won? LMFAO

 

[Old Gregg]

If the Olympics started today then it would be price as number 1, Fleury backup and then who knows for number 3. I mean after 2017 it looked like Matt Murray may have been up and coming but ever since his dad passed away he's struggled a lot.