No surprise. A goalie is needed.

[MMM]

No more soft goals!

I'd trade our 2017 no. 1 pick (unprotected) and a top prospect if need be to TB for Bishop.
Sign him long term.

With all the great young stars, I see them growing into a top contender. Sooner than later. ... but stop the puck !!!

Click to read more...

 

[kihekah19*]

No more soft goals!

I'd trade our 2017 no. 1 pick (unprotected) and a top prospect if need be to TB for Bishop.
Sign him long term.

With all the great young stars, I see them growing into a top contender. Sooner than later. ... but stop the puck !!!

Wouldn't that put us over the cap?

 

[ck26]

No more soft goals!

I'd trade our 2017 no. 1 pick (unprotected) and a top prospect if need be to TB for Bishop.
Sign him long term.

With all the great young stars, I see them growing into a top contender. Sooner than later. ... but stop the puck !!!

... so Smith becomes the backup?

Bad teams don't pay two premium assets to rent a goalie who is in the last year of his deal. Really a stupid idea. Kessel-for-Seguin-and-Hamilton stupid.

Just bid on Bishop next summer if you want. But Smith will be healthy by then. Smith and Domingue aren't the problem. Team defense is the problem.

Trading MacInnis and our Nolan Patrick lotto ticket to get Ben Bishop 7 months early is so, so, so stupid.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Smith and Domingue aren't the problem. Team defense is the problem.

I can't address Smith as he got injured too fast for me to appraise him, but Domingue has definitely been a problem.

 

[Bullseye]

Freddy Andersen for Chychrun straight up.

 

[_Del_]

I'm more worried about the constant breakdowns in all three zones than I am about the goaltending. If we look good consistently and manage to lose because of goaltending, then we can look to fix it. Smith and that contract isn't disappearing until this summer at the earliest. No point in spending more money in net if the team is still a hot mess. It'd be like polishing the floors before fixing the leaky roof and the crumbling foundation.

 

[Howler Scores]

Domingue: 85.1 Save% (55th in the league)
Smith: 90% (33rd)
Peters: 95.8% (7th)

With partial games, the team is 24th in the league at 87.8 sav%.
AZ scores 2.8 goals a game.
AZ gives up 4.2 goals a game (29th in the league).

AZ allows 34.4 shots a game (29th in the league).

Team D is more to blame by allowing so many shots but poor goal tending isnt helping. In all, both are bad. Allow fewer shots, maybe there is another win in the books.

 

[ck26]

It's 5 games into the season.

Freddy Andersen for Chychrun straight up.

 

[airbus220]

No more soft goals!

I'd trade our 2017 no. 1 pick (unprotected) and a top prospect if need be to TB for Bishop.
Sign him long term.

With all the great young stars, I see them growing into a top contender. Sooner than later. ... but stop the puck !!!

Another mistake, same like signing Smith long term was, why. Should have learnt from the past.

I'm sure Chayka is much smarter. No need to spend over 12M on goalies. Spending much money doesn't equal success.

Goalies are the easiest to get, there are always opportunities, no need to lose high draft picks and top prospects, especially for a rebuilding team.

It should be opposite. Developing Domingue and when he gets too expensive trade him for picks and prospects.

For now we are stucked with Smith's contract, but he's not bad, only overpaid. Once his contract is gone we are much more flexible to take advantages of the market.

 

[SniperHF]

It's 5 games into the season.

Cosigned. And specifically on goalies the sample is even smaller.

 

[airbus220]

I can't address Smith as he got injured too fast for me to appraise him, but Domingue has definitely been a problem.

Domingue is 24, need to be patient, but overusing him 4 games in 6 nights especially at the start of the season is just bad. That's why there is Peters.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Domingue is 24, need to be patient, but overusing him 4 games in 6 nights especially at the start of the season is just bad. That's why there is Peters.

I don't buy that. Domingue had a heavier workload last year and acquitted himself fine. That Domingue has not been on the ice for us thus far; what we have is the Domingue that Patrick Roy haughtily dismissed in interviews last year.

It could be that Domingue pulls out of this spiral and plays competently again, but we can't delude ourselves into thinking he's been anything but abjectly miserable so far.

 

[airbus220]

I don't buy that. Domingue had a heavier workload last year and acquitted himself fine.

Later in the season a heavy workload is much easier to swallow for the body. At the start of the season the body isn't used to much pressure. Chayka talked about alternating starts, if Smith can't play Domingue should alternate with Peters. I would start Peters tomorrow. No need to run Domingue down.

 

[XX]

I can't address Smith as he got injured too fast for me to appraise him, but Domingue has definitely been a problem.

You're the guy that blames goalies for not stopping breakaways.

Not surprised in the slightest people are fixated on the goalie when there's massive, gaping holes in the defense.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

You're the guy that blames goalies for not stopping breakaways.

I am? Huh.

 

[BUX7PHX]

You're the guy that blames goalies for not stopping breakaways.

Not surprised in the slightest people are fixated on the goalie when there's massive, gaping holes in the defense.

Which have existed for more than just this season. That is why I have been more willing to give the goalies a bit of a pass. A lot of people complained about Smith last year and the year before, and having a core injury may have hurt his chances to be as effective as possible. But our defensive shortcomings have allowed more quality chances, which is hard enough for even the best goalies to stop over the long run.

 

[XX]

Which have existed for more than just this season. That is why I have been more willing to give the goalies a bit of a pass. A lot of people complained about Smith last year and the year before, and having a core injury may have hurt his chances to be as effective as possible. But our defensive shortcomings have allowed more quality chances, which is hard enough for even the best goalies to stop over the long run.

Against the Rangers:

• 1st goal - Goligoski makes a super lazy clearing attempt which doesn't get out, somehow Jooris is left alone in front of the net.
• 2nd goal - Goligoski doesn't honor his man, slap pass to JT Miller and it's in.
• 3rd goal - Girardi shot from the point goes in, Louie probably should stop it.

Against the Islanders:

• 1st goal - Blown coverage lets Seidenberg walk in all alone
• 2nd goal - Johnny Effing Boychuk somehow walks through the D, THREE Coyotes (OEL Murph Strome) all watch the guy that no longer has the puck as R.Strome effortlessly puts in the rebound
• 3rd goal - Boychuk shot knuckles through traffic and goes in. Not much chance on this one.

So in the last two games, you've had basically awful D coverage and support. In the Rangers game, the D **** the bed twice (and Louie was peppered point blank all night but held on) before Louie had a chance to "blow" the game on the Girardi shot.

Domingue has been fine and has kept the team in games. The D and overall structure has not been fine.

I am? Huh.

Yeah, you are. It was a thing all last year. You constantly blame goalies in situations that heavily favor shooters, and I wasn't the only person to point it out to you. You're not likely to give a fair assessment of goaltending.

 

[Fyreman]

Not surprised in the slightest people are fixated on the goalie when there's massive, gaping holes in the defense.

Yes, agree totally! Our defense is at best a sieve. Who the heck is in charge of our defensive scheme?? Jim Playfair, sorry- that answers the question. Geez...

 

[jacobhockey13]

I'd politely say, "No, we do not need a goalie."

 

[MMM]

Bishop can be had.
He's a top tier goalie.
Put smith as back up if we can fit him under salary cap.
If he is unhappy then send him to Tucson.
Bishop can cover for defensive miscues.
We'd have a contender.
IMHO

 

[Mosby]

We like big goalies who can play the puck. In that sense, Bishop is a better fit than Fleury. If Smith plays poorly or is constantly hurt, maybe buy him out in the summer and take a run at signing Bishop.

 

[moosemeister]

We have issues. Goal tending may be one, but it's not our biggest glaring need. We need to fix our defense. Getting stone back helped a bit. Maybe chemistry just needs to build now since we have looked better defensively the past two games.

The issue starts with Playfair. I was happy we released Playfair in camp, only to find out it was the player Playfair and not the coach.

He inherited an Ulf defense and it has gone south every year since he has had the job.

 

[jmichael7753*]

Louis is the least of our problems. The defense needs to tighten up and stop turning the damn puck over. The Powerplay has to get its act together and stop allowing shorties. Max, and Duke have to get going, we need McGinn in the line up, and then Louis needs to stop one or two pucks he should have had. But again its five ****ing games into the season. Calm the **** down. Go leverage the future by trading for a goalie you have no idea if we can re-sign. Just stupid. You give up on Louis now He will go on a flourish elsewhere and the team will just look like idiots for letting him go.

 

[Guest]

Goaltending has let in soft goals, no doubt about it, but I agree that the defense has been a bigger issue. Goose has been really shaky and there has been a lot of flat-footedness which is likely just a lack of preparation and being early in the season. You can win a series in 4 games, but you cannot win the Cup in 4 games (it takes at least 16). The best gauge of where the team is will be at the quarter season mark.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

I still have great confidence in Louis - long term. He needs to improve on the last few games no doubt, but I really like his rebound control and his general calm.

The staff needs to work with him so that he continues to develop. Worst thing would be to throw him under the bus when the team is so collectively out of sync.