Sparks needs to be better...

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
This is not a knee-jerk reaction to tonight and definitely not a shot at him because he has a few wins.

I will also give him some slack for being 25 years old still, but not a lot of slack.

This is something that has been bugging me for awhile and ive mentioned it briefly before, but Sparks is not performing the way this team needs him to.

.905 is not great at all.


Hutchinson will supplant him.

You heard it here first.
 

nuck

Schrodingers Cat
Aug 18, 2005
11,339
2,422
He can be a little better but I am not sure he has another gear. Tonight was benchmark opportunity to show he could step up, and he stepped down instead. They aren't going to win any games scoring zero goals of course but he really deflated the team with his failure to make any big stops while the game was still in reach. Another game like this and I would be seriously looking at a change. Their system is so far away from an internal solution they have little choice but to consider a trade for a real #2.

I doubt Hutchinson is a solution, although the Hutch from a few years ago was. They need to get another legit no-scrub goalie in the system asap.
 
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Stephen

Moderator
Feb 28, 2002
77,840
51,506
He's got a big lanky frame to play a modern goalie game but he's also got questionable technique and instincts like he wants to play a reflex goalie game.
 
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GodEmperor

Registered User
Oct 12, 2017
2,919
3,168
He's not an NHL goalie, anybody that watches his movement knows this and if he hasn't fixed this by his mid 20s, he never will be.

He's so fortunate to play on the Leafs and be 6'5, put him on any bottom 10 team and I have no doubt his gaa would be near 4 with a sub 880 save percentage, guy is literally worse than Raycroft.
 

Mikeyg

Registered User
Dec 26, 2011
8,884
2,579
Dubby learning some key lessons here. A) loyalty means absolutely f***ing 0 in pro sports, just because we raised this cow doesn't save him from the butcher. The best guy needed to get the job, and he f***ed this situation up badly. B) Analytics aint everything. This guy might be the AHL hasek, but hes the NHL shart.

Get this f***er out!
 
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sittler rules!!!

Registered User
Feb 9, 2004
1,196
643
This is not a knee-jerk reaction to tonight and definitely not a shot at him because he has a few wins.

I will also give him some slack for being 25 years old still, but not a lot of slack.

This is something that has been bugging me for awhile and ive mentioned it briefly before, but Sparks is not performing the way this team needs him to.

.905 is not great at all.


Hutchinson will supplant him.

You heard it here first.
Ya think!!!. My beer league goalie is better than that. And he is blind playing on one leg.
 

DarkKnight

Professional Amateur
Jan 17, 2017
31,304
47,699
Sparks has a core flaw that isn't easily fixable. He will not, and seemingly can not, stop moving in the net. It is for this reason he has no rebound control, he flings himself at the puck and it just goes wherever it wants, rather than calmly directing it. The second and third goals last night are interesting because you can make an excuse that the pucks were tipped. You'll notice though, than rather than square up and eliminate space, he's moving and creating holes everywhere, so tips go right through him.

The kid has heart, many are pulling for him. He's also a Dubas concept, so there are many who defend Sparks because god forbid Kyle is human, that angle is a completely irrelevant sideshow. But, if you really just watch him play, it is readily apparent that this is probably not a long term situation. He can GROW into the job, but that is a theoretical hope, the fact of the matter is the reality of today, Sparks isn't good enough.

Dubas made a good move finally shoring up the goalie depth. Hutch is clearly an AHL move, but our brass is smart enough to have also added a decent backup plan, at least another short term option should this project go completely sideways.
 

Cor

I am a bot
Jun 24, 2012
69,648
35,246
AEF
The most glaring stat to be is the Quality Start %. 44%.

We need to trust he’ll have a quality game, far more than 44% of the time.


He’s 6 for 9, so we’re winning with him in the net, but if we start to not (like last night) it puts us in a situation where we’ll need to give Hutch a chance, or possibly even need to spend more assets to get a new backup.

(This is why, with backup goalies, better to stick with the proven, experienced backup goalie, Sparks may be younger, but that doesn’t mean much if his ceiling is an average backup goalie)
 

Atomos2

Registered User
Jun 28, 2012
16,488
2,727
Toronto, Ontario
Sparks takes me back to the days when the leafs had so many goalie problems. Gustavsson, Raycroft, Toskala. Aubin. Pogge. Sparks would fit right in their as a god awful tender who you are afraid every shot against would go in.

f*** I thought with getting Andersen we’d be over this feeling.
 

Terrible GM

Registered User
Jul 10, 2013
862
315
Maritimes
.905 isn’t great but isn’t horrible by backup standards.

That being said I’m not entirely confident in his game

The numbers don't concern me at all. It's all about how we approaches shots, moves in the net, rebound control.

He can make some amazing saves, and he did in the AHL, but he can't handle multiple shots and the constant east/west moving in the NHL. He is what..25ish and world junior goalies have better crease movement fundamentals. I mean the pace of thoae WJr games is on level with or above NHL games, and MANY goales in this tournament have these fundamentals down. Sparks really should have this worked out by now.

I was one for giving him a shot this year, and I really hoped he succeeded, but his play has been exposed in multiple games. I'm not to optimistic it gets much better.
 

hullsy47

Registered User
Dec 7, 2005
6,338
1,042
This is not a knee-jerk reaction to tonight and definitely not a shot at him because he has a few wins.

I will also give him some slack for being 25 years old still, but not a lot of slack.

This is something that has been bugging me for awhile and ive mentioned it briefly before, but Sparks is not performing the way this team needs him to.

.905 is not great at all.


Hutchinson will supplant him.

You heard it here first.
hutch was the second best AHL GOALIE last year he might lol
 

MJ65

Registered User
Jul 12, 2009
16,376
2,233
Toronto
I agree with OP 100% - he is not even an average backup, he is a below average playing for a very good team

He has to be better then what he has shown so far, it was a judgement error by management to protect him and exposing McBackup
 
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Gallagbi

Formerly Eazy_B97
Jul 5, 2005
48,490
11,107
Dubby learning some key lessons here. A) loyalty means absolutely ****ing 0 in pro sports, just because we raised this cow doesn't save him from the butcher. The best guy needed to get the job, and he ****ed this situation up badly. B) Analytics aint everything. This guy might be the AHL hasek, but hes the NHL shart.

Get this ****er out!
What does Analytics have to do with Sparks?
 

luvdahattymatty

Registered User
Apr 8, 2018
511
405
Gramps here. My suggestion dont rag on a NHL rookie goalie. He was not reason we lost. Even with freddy in net we lose that one. We could not adjust to what Isle's did to us. I figured it out about 5 minutes in. But no adjustment by Babs until 3rd period. That was not good NHL coaching. Babs and DJ its on you. Go Leafs Go!
 

Bluelines

Python FTW!
Nov 17, 2013
12,349
4,559
The book on Sparks is out now.

Shoot the puck right at him.

If you know going into the game you are going to play vs Sparks, and you've watched the previous 5 game tapes, are you not begging the Coach to give you more ice time? Three goals in the last 2 games through the five hole, if his stick was where it was suppose to be, it would be zero five holes in the last two games. The good thing is Sparks problem is easy to fix, the bad thing is, it is Sparks and I don't think he has the ability to play different. I see ZERO difference between his first game 3 years ago and last nights game. Usually out of position after the 1st shot, gives up bad rebounds, can't make the routine plays look routine, is WAY too active. In all honesty I really do see what Dubas sees in him, unfortunately the kid is not ready for prime time, stupid waiver rules has forced Sparks into a horrible position. He has great size and great athletic ability, he just lacks skill and confidence.
 

WilliamNylander

Papi's home
Jul 26, 2012
12,896
2,607
If you know going into the game you are going to play vs Sparks, and you've watched the previous 5 game tapes, are you not begging the Coach to give you more ice time? Three goals in the last 2 games through the five hole, if his stick was where it was suppose to be, it would be zero five holes in the last two games. The good thing is Sparks problem is easy to fix, the bad thing is, it is Sparks and I don't think he has the ability to play different. I see ZERO difference between his first game 3 years ago and last nights game. Usually out of position after the 1st shot, gives up bad rebounds, can't make the routine plays look routine, is WAY too active. In all honesty I really do see what Dubas sees in him, unfortunately the kid is not ready for prime time, stupid waiver rules has forced Sparks into a horrible position. He has great size and great athletic ability, he just lacks skill and confidence.

All solid analysis. I think one thing he can improve is using his size better. Sometimes he makes himself look small in the net and shots just go through him. Maybe once he gets some games under his belt he will clean up the ugly ones and we will all be happier.
 

JEI

Jericho
Jun 7, 2004
11,561
494
Are you and the guy who started the "Matthews needs to be better" the same person? Your OP is almost identical.
 

Bluelines

Python FTW!
Nov 17, 2013
12,349
4,559
All solid analysis. I think one thing he can improve is using his size better. Sometimes he makes himself look small in the net and shots just go through him. Maybe once he gets some games under his belt he will clean up the ugly ones and we will all be happier.

That is a good point its hard to improve on your game when you only play once every 2 or 3 weeks.
 
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