Drivesaitl
Finding Hyman
Here's a good video if you're interested in an eye test for Koskinen.
Honestly, hilites aren't good to judge a goalie on because the saves that make a highlight reel means there was a breakdown of some sort and the goalie wasn't in prime position. With the exception of breakaways and two on ones obviously.
From this video I don't see too much to be concerned about. Definitely doesn't have the mobility issues that some have trumpeted. This isn't a Gustavsson situation where the guy literally moved like a giraffe on skates. He's got good quick movements, good ready stance for his frame that doesn't reveal holes through the body. Typical high glove position for Scandinavian goalies. Seems to be very active with it as well making a lot of baseball style catches.
Things that stood out to me where he will definitely need to improve is his post integration and his depth management. He rarely goes out much further than the very tip of his crease. Even with his size, I'd like to see him play a bit more aggressive. The post management will be huge as NHL players are very good at jamming the net and shooting from bad angles.
All in all, I'm interested to see what he has to offer. He already looks like an upgrade to Montoya and brossoit. I doubt he will take manynstarts away from Talbot though. And definitely don't see enough yet for him to supplant Talbot.
Then again, you don't really need to find the next Tim Thomas in order to win the cup. As this years playoffs have shown, your goalie just has to be mentally strong enough not to let in the squeakers. Every goalie in the playoffs right now has let in a touchdown in one game (maybe except for fleury, can't recall ATM). The position is much more dependant on systems and team play in front of it than in ages past. If Koskinen has that kind of mental fortitude then he can definitely make a career for himself in the NHL.
I appreciate the video. It is better, in that it is ISO, than the 7min clip I linked last week. Still though I see a lot of problems here that I'll breakdown;
1) Few times is he handling the puck clean with his glove. He's more swatting it, blocking it, or just not catching it. Really weird. He's creating rebounds out of nothing. That's bad news in the NHL.
2) 2 times in the clip does he go out of his net to handle the puck. The rest of the time its like he's trapped in the cage. Can he handle the puck much?
3) Cross ice mobility is still an issue as I see it in that video. That he's large disguises some of that but quick passes across can burn him. This was also uncharacteristic video as not one moment involved him making his desperation lunges where he's on the ice a lot. Seen that 50 times in other videos. He seemed intent on this game to play clean. Almost like a video of film of him is being shot for scouts. hmmmm.
4) So much of his play is simply deflecting the puck wide. He'll use his pads to make deflection stops on fairly easy shots and yet the puck is loose in the corner and still at large rather than a more efficient style of eating pucks and getting his team a draw. This is more important in the WC where teams will body pound you in own zone until they score. He has to learn to freeze the puck more rather than keep it in play.
5) Hardly any good shots he faced in that clip and yet he was beaten 5 hole on a shot that somebody commented was a center ice shot and gave another bad rebound and got out of position where the puck just slid outside the post. He's intense and seems to try to do a lot to prepare but I really don't think he has much other than size to work with. Certainly not seeing a talented goalie here. I'm seeing a guy that's learned to do enough to excel at a far lower rung of hockey.
6) Possibly the most important point is this film was against Moscow Dynamo. A team that didn't even make the playoffs and that isn't remotely a competitive side for SKA.
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