I always get a kick out of the post-draft hype - McGuire overreacts and posters follow suit.
I don't see people criticizing Atlanta for picking Lehtonen even higher; you can't go into the draft assuming all goalie prospects will flop or you'll never have any good ones in your system.
Fact is , goalies are the hardest to rate. Fleury was ranked number four going into the draft, he was picked first. Dipietro was ranked anywhere from third to 7th, he went first. Price was ranked 7th on most pre-draft charts, he went fifth.
What about Ottawa using the 9th pick on a player ranked by most to go in the mid to late teens or higher? Is that okay because McGuire said it is?
Another thing people seem to be ignoring is Price's development. He is still only 17 years old, but he has 100 WHL games under his belt, with an impressive GAA and SP. He participated in two under 18 championships last year and has a gold and silver medal from it. He'll be ready for NHL action sooner than later, I wouldn't be surprised to see him playing in the league at 21 years of age, just like Lehtonen and Dipietro. Blackburn was an NHL regular at 18-19, and save for injuries he'd already have about 200 NHL games under his belt at a young age, more than most power forwards at the same age.
Defencemen and power forwards can take as long or longer to crack the NHL than premiere young goalies, so I don't buy the argument that you don't take a goalie under the new CBA because they take longer to develop. Price is a long way along in his devlopment, much further along than Fleury was at 17, with the resume (including more games played) to back it up. Three years of junior (he played Junior B at 15), starting playoff goalie for his team in his rookie year at the tender age of 16, third in minutes played among WHL goalies as a 17-year-old.
I wouldn't be suprised to see Price signed and playing in the AHL next season, and after two years of apprenticing in the AHL, graduate to the Habs after just turning 21. Will Kopitar be playing in the NHL sooner? Perhaps. Will Jack Johnsoin or Pouliot be playing in the NHL before Price? Maybe.
How long would it have taken Brule to crack the Hab's deep center group? Brule's at least three years of development away from taking a center spot in Montreall IMO, Chippy will be a solid center in two-three year's time, don't forget Plekanec, Higgins is a natural center as well, then there's another small talented center in Locke. Throw in Bonk, Koivu, Begin and Ribeiro and I really don't see a Brule being a Hab regular for three or four seasons, no sooner than Price will crack the lineup.
Montreal's goalie depth was indeed lacking after the trade of Garon and uinfortunate knee injury to Huet. There's no guarantee that Huet will bounce back. Torn up knees are not good for 30-something goalies' careers as a rule.
Danis isn't a lock to be a starting goalie (I don't see him as a top-notch starter), and Theo, who has shown a preference in the past for money over the team concept, will be a UFA starting next season. He may be around for a year, two years, four years. Without Price, Montreal's hands are pretty much tied if Theo bombs in a couple of years after signing a new three-year deal. The Habs would have to keep Theo with no up and coming goalie in the system, or trade him for another goalie instead of the team's biggest need - quality defencemen. We all know what happened the last time Montreal made a panic trade involving goalie for goalie. Price's presence gives Gainey much more leverage not only in negotiations with Theo, but leverage in negotiations with other teams involving possible deals for Theo. Other teams will know that Gainey doesn't have to panic.
Let's say Nashville becomes a strong playoff contender in two year's time, but Vokoun is gone in free agency in two years. The Habs deal Theo for Suter or Weber. A steep price for Nashville, but a hot Theo could take them far in the playoffs. Nashville has so many good young d-men (Klein, Parent, Hamhuis, Suter Weber), that they could afford to part with one if a player like Theo is the missing piece of the puzzle. If Price is ready to step in Montreal can make this sort of deal. Meanwhile, the Habs get an NHL ready defenceman that will play big minuites on their blueline for the next half dozen years at the minimum.
Suter
Komisarek
Souray
Markov
Rivet
Hainsey
O'Byrne
Price
Danis
Halak
That blueline looks a lot weaker without Suter or Weber.
Things could always work the other way as well. Let's say Theo plays great, the city and team loves him, he loves back and signs a long-term deal. Price develops as expected, and three years down the road he's backing up Theo and playing well.
Do you not think he'll be a valuable asset? I'm pretty sure Atlanta could get quite a bit for Lehtonen....what if Price develops as well as Lehtonen has.......he'd be worth a ton.
Worst case scenario is that he flops. It's happened before could happen again. That's a risk you take with every pick. For every Storr and Finley, there's a Chyzowski, Shannon, McBean, Warriner, Bonsignore, Kelly, Zyuzin, Volchkov, etc. In fact there's more first round forward flops than goalie flops through history, let alone defencemen.
