GDT: Free Agent Frenzy 2023

[MadDevil]

Everyone (including us) says our goaltending is weak. Carolina's goaltending is just as much of a question mark yet, nobody notices.

I think it's a fair criticism when it comes to the playoffs. Vitek has shit the bed as a playoff goalie and Schmid's sample size is still very limited. Andersen and Raanta have both at least been solid at times in the playoffs before.

 

[Mgd31]

Waddell said he is still executing the trade. I guess Pesce/Skjei and Teravanien will be on the way out

Actually I guess they can LTIR Svechnikov to start the season and they would have enough room.

 

[Devilsgrl35]

I think it's a fair criticism when it comes to the playoffs. Vitek has shit the bed as a playoff goalie and Schmid's sample size is still very limited. Andersen and Raanta have both at least been solid at times in the playoffs before.

That's fair. We need an upgrade at goalie but we shouldn't act like Carolina has a Saros, Sorokin, or Igor in net either.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Canes were always the biggest hurdle, I don't think adding Tank really changes much

 

[Bleedred]

Everyone (including us) says our goaltending is weak. Carolina's goaltending is just as much of a question mark yet, nobody notices.

I wouldn't put it quite as questionable as VV/Schmid in terms of performance, but it can go south with regards to health which makes it questionable for sure

Their goaltending is slightly deeper than ours, just because their younger prospect goalie is still #3 on their depth chart, whereas ours is #2, if not possibly even #1. Kochetkov probably should be #2, but they brought back both Andersen and Raanta.

Nobody notices that their goaltending isn't a question mark because Andersen USED to be really good. USED to be really good. See the key word there? He's been a mediocre to BAD goalie for 3 of the last 4 years. He had an up year in 21-22, so people forgot about the two straight years before that, and still forget about it despite yet another mediocre, decline season this past year. Reputations like that go a really long way and goalies even worse and even older than him have continued to still get signed around the league. Just look at the joke Rangers signing the pissed and cat shit on Quremains the other day.

I'm sure his playoff run also buys him a bit more rope too.

Raanta is old and washed up, but they can't seem to get enough of both him and Andersen in Carolina. Both of them are so unreliable health wise, it's a wonder Andersen was available at all the last two rounds. I'm still pretty sure Carolina would have beaten the Rangers in the second round in 2022 if Andersen were healthy.

BOTH these guys are 34 years old and the two of them are such injury cases that they know at least one of them will likely miss time, either significantly or pop up injuries that keep happening all season long, which was the story of Andersen's 22-23 season.