McBackup the Very Good Backup

[LeafalCrusader]

Not sure why so many hate him. He's exactly what we needed. Solid veteran backup who can play 15-20 games a year. He saved our butts last year too. We don't make the playoffs if we don't pluck him off waivers.

 

[Warden of the North]

wins and losses are a way way tinier sample size than saves and shots.

Well so what?

A goalie can win a game while allowing 5 goals.

Backup goalies get thrown into bad situations. Theyre disposable. If he can win more games then he loses but has a terrible sv% why does it matter?

 

[Warden of the North]

just because you SAY that is it doesn't make it true, I know you think that because you say it, it is true but that's not how things work

Yes it is. Do you *really* think Babcock cares about McElhinney's sv% in his two games a month? No. He cares about McElhinney winning. How that result is achieved doesnt matter. Weve talked before about Enroth. Enroth couldnt win and was moved. McElhinney wins more then he loses and thats all that matters.

Furthering my point, Jamie McLennan, a journeyman backup goalie most of his career and current NHL analyst, has stated this is how he judges backups and how he was judged when he played.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Yes it is. Do you *really* think Babcock cares about McElhinney's sv% in his two games a month? No. He cares about McElhinney winning. How that result is achieved doesnt matter. Weve talked before about Enroth. Enroth couldnt win and was moved. McElhinney wins more then he loses and thats all that matters.

Furthering my point, Jamie McLennan, a journeyman backup goalie most of his career, has stated this how he judges backups and how he was judged when he played.

let's do it this way.
if you had to choose between a backup goalie that let ins 2 goals or less, but had 0 wins and a backup goalie who let in 4 goals again but had 6 wins, which goalie would you want?

answer. the one who let in 4 goals a game, but had 6 wins.

 

[Eb]

I did a post earlier in the year showing that McBackup’s numbers over the past 4-5 seasons shows he’s a high end backup.

If the search function worked at all on the new boards, I’d repost it

I'd be interested in seeing this.

 

[Nithoniniel]

let's do it this way.
if you had to choose between a backup goalie that let ins 2 goals or less, but had 0 wins and a backup goalie who let in 4 goals again but had 6 wins, which goalie would you want?

answer. the one who let in 4 goals a game, but had 6 wins.

Would you really? Because one is doing his job, but is let down by his team. The other is not doing his job, but is saved by his team. We are not acquiring the team in this instance, we are acquiring someone to do his job.

I don't get judging a player on team performance when the player's own performance is right there.

 

[ShaneFalco]

 

[ACC1224]

Yes it is. Do you *really* think Babcock cares about McElhinney's sv% in his two games a month? No. He cares about McElhinney winning. How that result is achieved doesnt matter. Weve talked before about Enroth. Enroth couldnt win and was moved. McElhinney wins more then he loses and thats all that matters.

Furthering my point, Jamie McLennan, a journeyman backup goalie most of his career and current NHL analyst, has stated this is how he judges backups and how he was judged when he played.

You're correct, just win is all that he's asked to do.

 

[Bluelines]

Well so what?

A goalie can win a game while allowing 5 goals.

Backup goalies get thrown into bad situations. Theyre disposable. If he can win more games then he loses but has a terrible sv% why does it matter?

It matters because in your scenario the team outscores the goalies incompetence. If you know the goalie you are playing in front of will let in 5 goals a game, you know as a player you have to open up the game and score at break neck speed. It puts necessary pressure on the skaters to over compensate for another players inabilities.

 

[zeke]

Well so what?

A goalie can win a game while allowing 5 goals.

Backup goalies get thrown into bad situations. Theyre disposable. If he can win more games then he loses but has a terrible sv% why does it matter?

If the Leafs had lost last night, Babcock wouldn't have blamed Mac one little bit.

 

[The List Of Jericho]

McElhinney

.906 career
.910 last 5yrs
.919 last 2yrs
.925 this year

and he's not even being used in traditional "sheltered" matchups - he just gets the backends of back to backs no matter who the opponent is (and always has a tired team in front of him).

He's feeling the heat with Pickard and Sparks looking great in the AHL, if he was below par in his other starts he would have been sent packing.

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

let's do it this way.
if you had to choose between a backup goalie that let ins 2 goals or less, but had 0 wins and a backup goalie who let in 4 goals again but had 6 wins, which goalie would you want?

answer. the one who let in 4 goals a game, but had 6 wins.

Lol, wut? How many goals did the goalie score in the 6-win scenario to make him worth the extra goals against?

 

[Cor]

I'd be interested in seeing this.

Did some digging and found it. It was just before the season, in response to people wishing we had signed Mike Condon to an expensive deal. McBackup now has a .925 sv% and a 2.44 GAA this season.

In the past 4 seasons, McBackup has made 2,442 saves. He's allowed 243 goals. That is 2,685 shots against.

AKA a sv% of .910 Last season, that would have ranked T-42nd among NHL goalies. In fact, McBackup finished 26th among goalies last season.

McBackup, for the past half decade, has been one of the most consistent and reliable backups in the league, who, as Babcock says "knows his role, and does it well" and we have him signed for less than 900K.

I'll take that over a 2.5M goalie who had a nice hot streak

 

[Gary Nylund]

Did some digging and found it. It was just before the season, in response to people wishing we had signed Mike Condon to an expensive deal. McBackup now has a .925 sv% and a 2.44 GAA this season.

To complete the picture, we should also add Condon's stats this season - .902 sv% and 3.28 GAA.

 

[ACC1224]

If the Leafs had lost last night, Babcock wouldn't have blamed Mac one little bit.

wouldn't that depend on how they lost?

 

[zeke]

wouldn't that depend on how they lost?

true.

if he had played badly, win or lose, babcock would think less of him.

if he played well, win or lose, babcock would think more of him.

 

[rent free]

get used to him, he's gonna be playing 3 more times this month

 

[rent free]

Would you really? Because one is doing his job, but is let down by his team. The other is not doing his job, but is saved by his team. We are not acquiring the team in this instance, we are acquiring someone to do his job.

I don't get judging a player on team performance when the player's own performance is right there.

it takes 16 wins to hoist the cup, doesn't care how you get it

 

[BayStreetBully]

Would you really? Because one is doing his job, but is let down by his team. The other is not doing his job, but is saved by his team. We are not acquiring the team in this instance, we are acquiring someone to do his job.

I don't get judging a player on team performance when the player's own performance is right there.

Opposing teams may let up once they have an early 2-0 lead, and focus more on keeping the puck out of their net.

For backup goalies especially, who won’t be seeing time in the playoffs, and who won’t be playing enough games in the regular season to have as accurate a sv% reflective of his abilities as a starter who plays more minutes and more games, I really just look for my backup to provide me wins so we don’t miss a beat while our starter rests.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Would you really? Because one is doing his job, but is let down by his team. The other is not doing his job, but is saved by his team. We are not acquiring the team in this instance, we are acquiring someone to do his job.

I don't get judging a player on team performance when the player's own performance is right there.

one is winning, one is not. that's how the backup position is judged. i mean. at the end of the day that's what's important for the backup goalie. did you win? yes - okay did ya not, okay why not?

 

[MJ65]

one is winning, one is not. that's how the backup position is judged. i mean. at the end of the day that's what's important for the backup goalie. did you win? yes - okay did ya not, okay why not?

Yes I totally agree - the bottom line is "W", regardless of how you get (doesn't matter what your stats are)

 

[Daisy Jane]

Yes I totally agree - the bottom line is "W", regardless of how you get (doesn't matter what your stats are)

exactly. like if just as an example McBackup played 15 more games and all of those games were 9-8 affairs - are we really going to quibble that McBackup let in 8 or is it more important that he won 15 games? because for me i'd be team yay we won (in regards to the Backup). if this was regarding Freddy it's a different story.

 

[Eb]

We're only going to get to see more of McBackup this year.

If we're sitting pretty like we are currently in the later months, there's no doubt Babcock will be playing him more often. Thinking we will see Andersen play 63-65 games if we continue to hold our placement in the standings.

 

[rent free]

We're only going to get to see more of McBackup this year.

If we're sitting pretty like we are currently in the later months, there's no doubt Babcock will be playing him more often. Thinking we will see Andersen play 63-65 games if we continue to hold our placement in the standings.

the amount of backtobacks we have is the amount of games mcelhinney will play

 

[MJ65]

Well so what?

A goalie can win a game while allowing 5 goals.

Backup goalies get thrown into bad situations. Theyre disposable. If he can win more games then he loses but has a terrible sv% why does it matter?

Very true as long as your goalie is making timely saves and letting the team with a chance to win despite giving up those goals

Going back to the topic, yes Curtis has played very well this season with the exception of couple of games and we won last game on his heroic performance