Speculation: The Goalie Situation

[MarkT]

The one thing I haven't been consistently happy with about the Sakic time in charge of the Avs has been our goaltending depth. Once again, it looks like we're about to have a year where we have an unproven backup, since Francouz is injured for an unknown about of time,

So, I've gone through all the rosters and put together a list of goalies who should end up on waivers. I was not too picky, because I still remember the Avs trading for Jonas Johansson despite him being the worst goalie in the league.

NAME	TEAM	AGE	H	W	CAP	GP	Sv%	QS%	NOTES
Alex Stalock	ANA	36​	6'0"	200​	800k	CHI: 27	0.908​	58.3%​
Devin Cooley	BUF	26​	6'5"	190​	775k	AHL: 26	0.909​		AHL Playoffs: 4GP; Sv% 0.916
Dustin Tokarski	BUF	34​	6'0"	205​	775k	AHL: 36	0.910​		PIT: 4GP; Sv% 0.897
Alex Lyon	DET	30​	6'1"	201​	900k x 2	FLA: 15	0.914​	64.3%​	AHL: 23GP; Sv% 0.910
Calvin Pickard	EDM	31​	6'1"	210​	762k	AHL: 38	0.912​		Career NHL Sv% 0.903
Cayden Primeau	MTL	24​	6'3"	200​	890k x 2	AHL: 41	0.909​		2022 AHL playoffs: 14GP; Sv% 0.936
Troy Grosenick	NSH	34​	6'1"	190​	775k	AHL: 6	0.892​		Previous 3 full seasons Sv%: 0.933, 0.920, 0.919
Louis Domingue	NYR	31​	6'3"	208​	775k	AHL: 45	0.911​
Magnus Hellberg	PIT	32​	6'5"	190​	785k	DET: 17	0.885​		AHL: 4GP; Sv% 0.932
Matt Tomkins	TB	29​	6'3"	194​	775k x 2	SHL: 32	0.911​		22' Canadian Olympic Goalie (3GP; Sv% 0.963)
Spencer Martin	VAN	28​	6'3"	205​	762k	VAN: 29	0.871​	33.3%​	AHL: 16GP; Sv% 0.916
Hunter Shepard	WAS	27​	6'1"	209​	775k x 2	AHL: 33	0.916​		2022 AHL playoffs: 20GP; Sv% 0.914
*Jaroslav Halak	FA	38​	5'11"	185​		NYR: 25	0.903​	58.30%​

In my opinion, this is not a great list, but I personally think it would be smart to grab one of these guys, see if he can play well for us, and if not waive him again and go with Annunen/Holm until Francouz is back. If the waiver goalie plays well, maybe we trade Fancouz, or try to get one of them down to the Eagles.

Let me know what you think we should do in the poll, and also if we go the waivers route who you would want the Avs to claim from this list.

Update:
- Spencer Martin was claimed by Columbus
- All crossed off names have already gone through waivers

Click to read more...

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Halak would be great and has the best chance of not only meeting the expectations of Francouz's position but surpassing them as well. If he was going to be here though I'd feel like he would be here already. Maybe they feel like Halak can come in halfway through training camp but I just don't see it. Out of all the names there I think you can disregard anyone who has a contract that goes past this season. I think the Avs want contract flexibility and a waiver pick up on a 2-year deal isn't that.

Out of the goalies that might hit waivers and stand the best chance of looking good here are: Alex Stalock and Felix Sandstrom. Stalock had an average year on a really bad team last season which bodes well that putting him into the Avs system gives him a fair chance at being average again. He also plays in a way that would fit at least somewhat fit with how the Avs play defensively. With how the Avs breakdowns usually happen it would go into Stalock's strengths of high level agility and reflexes. The concern is obviously his age in that he's 36yo and what is he going to look as he's further along the not good part of the aging curve. There's also the fact that he finished the year on a skid though it's not like Chicago was going to finish strong anyways so might be a wash.

I have no idea what the Flyers are thinking in net but they have Samuel Ersson who needs NHL time and is ready for the NHL. They also have Cal Petersen who I have no idea what they're going to do with. Probably back to the AHL as no one is touching that contract. Question is will Briere pair him up with Ersson or try to sneak Sandstrom down too. Sandstrom had some of the worst stats last season which makes me hopeful Briere and co. will want to send him down. If they do so the Avs should be all over that. Sandstrom would absolutely thrive here. Has good mobility, reflexes, doesn't end up behind the play often, has good technical skills. He just played behind one of the worst teams in the NHL last year in one of the most stat deflating environments. It's like the JoJo situation in Buffalo only Sandstrom has actual NHL skills.

 

[MarkT]

Halak would be great and has the best chance of not only meeting the expectations of Francouz's position but surpassing them as well. If he was going to be here though I'd feel like he would be here already. Maybe they feel like Halak can come in halfway through training camp but I just don't see it. Out of all the names there I think you can disregard anyone who has a contract that goes past this season. I think the Avs want contract flexibility and a waiver pick up on a 2-year deal isn't that.

Out of the goalies that might hit waivers and stand the best chance of looking good here are: Alex Stalock and Felix Sandstrom. Stalock had an average year on a really bad team last season which bodes well that putting him into the Avs system gives him a fair chance at being average again. He also plays in a way that would fit at least somewhat fit with how the Avs play defensively. With how the Avs breakdowns usually happen it would go into Stalock's strengths of high level agility and reflexes. The concern is obviously his age in that he's 36yo and what is he going to look as he's further along the not good part of the aging curve. There's also the fact that he finished the year on a skid though it's not like Chicago was going to finish strong anyways so might be a wash.

I have no idea what the Flyers are thinking in net but they have Samuel Ersson who needs NHL time and is ready for the NHL. They also have Cal Petersen who I have no idea what they're going to do with. Probably back to the AHL as no one is touching that contract. Question is will Briere pair him up with Ersson or try to sneak Sandstrom down too. Sandstrom had some of the worst stats last season which makes me hopeful Briere and co. will want to send him down. If they do so the Avs should be all over that. Sandstrom would absolutely thrive here. Has good mobility, reflexes, doesn't end up behind the play often, has good technical skills. He just played behind one of the worst teams in the NHL last year in one of the most stat deflating environments. It's like the JoJo situation in Buffalo only Sandstrom has actual NHL skills.

I like the comment, but a few things
1. Stalock might not be put on waivers. It really depends on if the Ducks keep Dostal up or not. Dostal is waiver-free so it would make some sense to keep him in AHL as the starter rather than as a backup.
2. I don't think they'll send down Sandstrom. He was the Flyers player they send to the NHL media tour. I don't think you do that with someone you're putting on waivers. For comparison, the Avs sent Byram.
3. I agree, if Halak was coming he'd already be here. Also, I don't think it would be a good plan to sign him unless Francouz was not going to be healthy all season.
4. Generally, I agree about the 2 year thing, but if we pick up a goalie on waivers, I assume the plan would be to waive them again when Francouz was healthy. Then they can claimed and we don't have to worry about the second year, or we keep them with the Eagles, then they can compete for the backup job next season. So with that in mind, the guys with 2 years left may actually be more attractive to the Avs.

I love your goalie knowledge, so any thoughts on any of the others?

Edit: My favourite fact about Sandstrom is that Seattle could have chosen him in the expansion draft. Instead they went with forward Carsen Twarynski (1 point in 22 NHL games). I still laugh sometimes thinking about how poorly Seattle did the expansion draft, then laugh darkly when I remember that they still beat us in the 1st round despite the stupidity of their management.

 

[Anders Cain]

Can you imagine the ptsd panic bringing Calvin pickard back would cause? Lol

 

[Richard88]

The schedule is pretty light until the end of November so a waiver wire pickup should be ok to buy a couple of months to see if Francouz can return.

Wouldn't mind signing Halak alternatively but that seems unlikely as he probably won't want to sign somewhere where he's likely only getting a league minimum contact and going on wiavers in a few months.

 

[henchman21]

Lyon should be the guy. Cheap, provides security, and has played at a high level. He's chaotic in net and that drives teams a bit nuts with him... but really so is Frank.

 

[MarkT]

Lyon should be the guy. Cheap, provides security, and has played at a high level. He's chaotic in net and that drives teams a bit nuts with him... but really so is Frank.

They might not waive him. It looks like he's in competition with Reimer for the backup spot.

 

[MarkT]

The guys who interest me most are Primeau, Shepard, Cooley, and Tomkins. Anyone know much about any of them?
I know Primeau was the heir apparent for Price, but that hasn't worked out yet. Tomkins is a cool story, likely being signed based on his performance at the Olympics. Shepard and Cooley are just names to me though. I like that Shepard is coming off a career year in the AHL, and Cooley's combination of age, size, and decent stats.

 

[The Abusement Park]

The guys who interest me most are Primeau, Shepard, Cooley, and Tomkins. Anyone know much about any of them?
I know Primeau was the heir apparent for Price, but that hasn't worked out yet. Tomkins is a cool story, likely being signed based on his performance at the Olympics. Shepard and Cooley are just names to me though. I like that Shepard is coming off a career year in the AHL, and Cooley's combination of age, size, and decent stats.

I feel like spending the assets it would cost to get Cooley and turn him into a goalie is a risky strategy

 

[MarkT]

I feel like spending the assets it would cost to get Cooley and turn him into a goalie is a risky strategy

I just looked up if they're related and it doesn't look like it, but I also discovered that Devin Cooley played at the University of Denver so there's that.

 

[henchman21]

They might not waive him. It looks like he's in competition with Reimer for the backup spot.

I'll be surprised if he beats out Reimer... mainly because Reimer was brought in to handle a bigger workload since Husso didn't show signs of holding up to a normal starters workload. They can't carry 3 either... if Reimer is waived, then he should be the guy.

The guys who interest me most are Primeau, Shepard, Cooley, and Tomkins. Anyone know much about any of them?
I know Primeau was the heir apparent for Price, but that hasn't worked out yet. Tomkins is a cool story, likely being signed based on his performance at the Olympics. Shepard and Cooley are just names to me though. I like that Shepard is coming off a career year in the AHL, and Cooley's combination of age, size, and decent stats.

Primeau is the guy with the most upside. He's had some ups and downs, but talent is there. Shepard is another guy like Lyon... smaller and unconventional, but gets results. The knock is their styles are hard to play in front of and they are not the athletes normally expected out of guys that are on the small side. Shepard is the 2nd best NCAA goalie in the past 10-15 years though. I don't mean that in talent as there are obviously more talented guys, but in their results. Levi is the only one who had a better set of results.

 

[MarkT]

I'll be surprised if he beats out Reimer... mainly because Reimer was brought in to handle a bigger workload since Husso didn't show signs of holding up to a normal starters workload. They can't carry 3 either... if Reimer is waived, then he should be the guy.


Primeau is the guy with the most upside. He's had some ups and downs, but talent is there. Shepard is another guy like Lyon... smaller and unconventional, but gets results. The knock is their styles are hard to play in front of and they are not the athletes normally expected out of guys that are on the small side. Shepard is the 2nd best NCAA goalie in the past 10-15 years though. I don't mean that in talent as there are obviously more talented guys, but in their results. Levi is the only one who had a better set of results.

Thanks!

I would have included Reimer but he makes 1.5m. I think that's too rich for our blood. It's the same reason I didn't include Eric Comrie.

 

[henchman21]

Thanks!

I would have included Reimer but he makes 1.5m. I think that's too rich for our blood. It's the same reason I didn't include Eric Comrie.

Depends how they manage the cap. The numbers can be made to work. Odds are though, upon Franks’s return Reimer would get claimed again. Won’t really matter though as he isn’t getting waived to begin with.

 

[Richard88]

I like the comment, but a few things
1. Stalock might not be put on waivers. It really depends on if the Ducks keep Dostal up or not. Dostal is waiver-free so it would make some sense to keep him in AHL as the starter rather than as a backup.
2. I don't think they'll send down Sandstrom. He was the Flyers player they send to the NHL media tour. I don't think you do that with someone you're putting on waivers. For comparison, the Avs sent Byram.
3. I agree, if Halak was coming he'd already be here. Also, I don't think it would be a good plan to sign him unless Francouz was not going to be healthy all season.
4. Generally, I agree about the 2 year thing, but if we pick up a goalie on waivers, I assume the plan would be to waive them again when Francouz was healthy. Then they can claimed and we don't have to worry about the second year, or we keep them with the Eagles, then they can compete for the backup job next season. So with that in mind, the guys with 2 years left may actually be more attractive to the Avs.

I love your goalie knowledge, so any thoughts on any of the others?

Edit: My favourite fact about Sandstrom is that Seattle could have chosen him in the expansion draft. Instead they went with forward Carsen Twarynski (1 point in 22 NHL games). I still laugh sometimes thinking about how poorly Seattle did the expansion draft, then laugh darkly when I remember that they still beat us in the 1st round despite the stupidity of their management.

Did Seattle really do so poorly in the ExD in hindsight? They won a playoff round in their 2nd year and have a solid prospect pool and have Beniers and Wright down the middle for the foreseeable future which is a great foundation.

 

[MarkT]

Did Seattle really do so poorly in the ExD in hindsight? They won a playoff round in their 2nd year and have a solid prospect pool and have Beniers and Wright down the middle for the foreseeable future which is a great foundation.

I'll give you some examples:

• Making zero pre-draft trades or arrangements with teams. The media blamed teams getting smarter after the Vegas draft for this, but Seattle did not adjust their prices to the market, and thus got nothing. This was so unbelievable at the time that as some of the ridiculous picks came in (like CBJ and CHI) the media universally refused to offer criticism because they were all sure there must have been side deals.
• Dennis Cholowski instead of Vladislav Namestnikov/Troy Stecher
• Chris Driedger (UFA they could have just signed in free agency) instead of Radko Gudas/Frank Vatrano/Noel Acciari
• Yanni Gourde instead of Ondrej Palat (they could have traded him for a lot) or one of the young guys like Taylor Raddysh or Ross Colton
• Gavin Bayreuther (who they didn't even sign) instead of Max Domi/Dean Kukan
• Carsen Twarynski instead of Sandstrom
• Vitek Vanecek only to trade him back to Washington for a 2nd instead of Brenden Dillon (who got traded for two 2nds)/Justin Schultz
• John Quenneville (who they also didn't even sign) instead of Nikita Zadorov (whose rights were traded soon after for a 3rd)
• Jamie Oleksiak (UFA they could have signed in free agency) instead of Blake Comeau/Joel L'Esperance
• Adam Larsson (UFA they could have signed in free agency) instead of Jujhar Khaira or a good AHL player like Tyler Benson/Cooper Marody
• Mason Appleton instead of Dylan DeMelo
• Haydn Fleury instead of Adam Henrique/Danton Heinen/Anthony Stolarz
• Alex True instead of Jacob Middleton/Radim Simek
• Kole Lind instead of Zack MacEwen/Matthew Highmore

You might not consider all of these mistakes, and I would say some were small ones. But if they had drafted smarter, they'd be even further ahead than they are now, in my opinion.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

I like the comment, but a few things
1. Stalock might not be put on waivers. It really depends on if the Ducks keep Dostal up or not. Dostal is waiver-free so it would make some sense to keep him in AHL as the starter rather than as a backup.
2. I don't think they'll send down Sandstrom. He was the Flyers player they send to the NHL media tour. I don't think you do that with someone you're putting on waivers. For comparison, the Avs sent Byram.
3. I agree, if Halak was coming he'd already be here. Also, I don't think it would be a good plan to sign him unless Francouz was not going to be healthy all season.
4. Generally, I agree about the 2 year thing, but if we pick up a goalie on waivers, I assume the plan would be to waive them again when Francouz was healthy. Then they can claimed and we don't have to worry about the second year, or we keep them with the Eagles, then they can compete for the backup job next season. So with that in mind, the guys with 2 years left may actually be more attractive to the Avs.

I love your goalie knowledge, so any thoughts on any of the others?

Edit: My favourite fact about Sandstrom is that Seattle could have chosen him in the expansion draft. Instead they went with forward Carsen Twarynski (1 point in 22 NHL games). I still laugh sometimes thinking about how poorly Seattle did the expansion draft, then laugh darkly when I remember that they still beat us in the 1st round despite the stupidity of their management.

Dostal is ready for the NHL and the San Diego Gulls are not a good team. I hate, hate, hate these NHL teams just refusing to bring up their young, NHL ready goalies from the AHL. Every year it's like "wow where did this goalie come from" and simply that NHL GM's are so stuck in the ways of the past 50 years they think goalie prospects need 10 years of AHL development. It's ridiculous and the goalie evaluators on their staff are having issues convincing their GM's of literal facts

That's a shame about Felix Sandstrom would have really liked to see him out of there and Ersson given a chance. They're planning on moving on from Sandstrom anyways and fine don't want to lose him for free which is why I suggest MacDermid for Sandstrom. I'll even throw in Miner. What a guy to send to the media tour though, "here take the goalie we left out to dry". The Avs are pretty risk adverse when it comes to goalies and they don't want to risk taking a 2-year contract waiver claim that they put on waivers but doesn't get picked back up. Teams like flexibility when it comes to the no. 3 spot and lower on the depth chart. I believe most NHL teams are like this which is why if you want to keep a no. 3 or lower goalie on the depth chart give them 2-years, no one will touch them generally.

If they are going to venture into the 2-year deal realm the only one really worth it would be Primeau. Most upside is a relative term but yeah in comparison to the rest of the field he's pretty much the only one with consistent no. 2 upside. I get why Montreal hasn't gone to him as they're just so bad defensively Primeau really struggles in that type of environment. I think the upside with Primeau is an Eric Comrie type. Someone who can excel as a no. 2 in the right position but will be exposed if moved out of that role. I didn't consider Primeau an option because the Avs just don't go for 2-year waiver claim contracts however if they think they can pull off the LA Kings goalie model I wouldn't mind Primeau as an option, he's just going to be limited.

Lyon should be the guy. Cheap, provides security, and has played at a high level. He's chaotic in net and that drives teams a bit nuts with him... but really so is Frank.

I'd contend that Francouz is more controlled chaos than Lyon is. I'd be fine with Lyon as he's the type of goalie that can get very hot...just hope his floor isn't so low on a team like the Avs. Key with Lyon would be getting Parkkila to get him trust the defense in front of him. At the end of the day none of these are inspiring options and if they're on a 2-year deal I'd be shocked if the Avs are that interested in them. Lyon, Primeau, Stalock..pick one I guess depending on your personal preference.

 

[henchman21]

Dostal is ready for the NHL and the San Diego Gulls are not a good team. I hate, hate, hate these NHL teams just refusing to bring up their young, NHL ready goalies from the AHL. Every year it's like "wow where did this goalie come from" and simply that NHL GM's are so stuck in the ways of the past 50 years they think goalie prospects need 10 years of AHL development. It's ridiculous and the goalie evaluators on their staff are having issues convincing their GM's of literal facts

That's a shame about Felix Sandstrom would have really liked to see him out of there and Ersson given a chance. They're planning on moving on from Sandstrom anyways and fine don't want to lose him for free which is why I suggest MacDermid for Sandstrom. I'll even throw in Miner. What a guy to send to the media tour though, "here take the goalie we left out to dry". The Avs are pretty risk adverse when it comes to goalies and they don't want to risk taking a 2-year contract waiver claim that they put on waivers but doesn't get picked back up. Teams like flexibility when it comes to the no. 3 spot and lower on the depth chart. I believe most NHL teams are like this which is why if you want to keep a no. 3 or lower goalie on the depth chart give them 2-years, no one will touch them generally.

If they are going to venture into the 2-year deal realm the only one really worth it would be Primeau. Most upside is a relative term but yeah in comparison to the rest of the field he's pretty much the only one with consistent no. 2 upside. I get why Montreal hasn't gone to him as they're just so bad defensively Primeau really struggles in that type of environment. I think the upside with Primeau is an Eric Comrie type. Someone who can excel as a no. 2 in the right position but will be exposed if moved out of that role. I didn't consider Primeau an option because the Avs just don't go for 2-year waiver claim contracts however if they think they can pull off the LA Kings goalie model I wouldn't mind Primeau as an option, he's just going to be limited.



I'd contend that Francouz is more controlled chaos than Lyon is. I'd be fine with Lyon as he's the type of goalie that can get very hot...just hope his floor isn't so low on a team like the Avs. Key with Lyon would be getting Parkkila to get him trust the defense in front of him. At the end of the day none of these are inspiring options and if they're on a 2-year deal I'd be shocked if the Avs are that interested in them. Lyon, Primeau, Stalock..pick one I guess depending on your personal preference.

I'm going to be the guy screaming with you on goalies. This idea that a goalie needs to be 24-26 before being NHL ready is so F dumb. All the data points to it being wrong, but nobody really wants to take the chance at 21-22. IE I think Minny needs to rush Wallstedt. Mix him in the NHL this year when there are chances. Have him compete for the starting job in 24-25 with the goal of taking the job over in 25-26.

On the flip side of it.... if a goalie doesn't look like they can handle it at 23-24, move on. You may get the random guy who jumps late or you have Russians that wait until 25 to come over... but for the most part, if a goalie isn't showing something at the NHL at 22-23 or earlier, they are not worth your time.

 

[MarkT]

Dostal is ready for the NHL and the San Diego Gulls are not a good team. I hate, hate, hate these NHL teams just refusing to bring up their young, NHL ready goalies from the AHL. Every year it's like "wow where did this goalie come from" and simply that NHL GM's are so stuck in the ways of the past 50 years they think goalie prospects need 10 years of AHL development. It's ridiculous and the goalie evaluators on their staff are having issues convincing their GM's of literal facts

That's a shame about Felix Sandstrom would have really liked to see him out of there and Ersson given a chance. They're planning on moving on from Sandstrom anyways and fine don't want to lose him for free which is why I suggest MacDermid for Sandstrom. I'll even throw in Miner. What a guy to send to the media tour though, "here take the goalie we left out to dry". The Avs are pretty risk adverse when it comes to goalies and they don't want to risk taking a 2-year contract waiver claim that they put on waivers but doesn't get picked back up. Teams like flexibility when it comes to the no. 3 spot and lower on the depth chart. I believe most NHL teams are like this which is why if you want to keep a no. 3 or lower goalie on the depth chart give them 2-years, no one will touch them generally.

If they are going to venture into the 2-year deal realm the only one really worth it would be Primeau. Most upside is a relative term but yeah in comparison to the rest of the field he's pretty much the only one with consistent no. 2 upside. I get why Montreal hasn't gone to him as they're just so bad defensively Primeau really struggles in that type of environment. I think the upside with Primeau is an Eric Comrie type. Someone who can excel as a no. 2 in the right position but will be exposed if moved out of that role. I didn't consider Primeau an option because the Avs just don't go for 2-year waiver claim contracts however if they think they can pull off the LA Kings goalie model I wouldn't mind Primeau as an option, he's just going to be limited.



I'd contend that Francouz is more controlled chaos than Lyon is. I'd be fine with Lyon as he's the type of goalie that can get very hot...just hope his floor isn't so low on a team like the Avs. Key with Lyon would be getting Parkkila to get him trust the defense in front of him. At the end of the day none of these are inspiring options and if they're on a 2-year deal I'd be shocked if the Avs are that interested in them. Lyon, Primeau, Stalock..pick one I guess depending on your personal preference.

Thanks!

I too think it's odd that teams always seem to overcook their goalies. Meanwhile bottom-feeder teams that are pretty much forced to play their young guys sometimes discover they're NHL-ready after all!

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

I'm going to be the guy screaming with you on goalies. This idea that a goalie needs to be 24-26 before being NHL ready is so F dumb. All the data points to it being wrong, but nobody really wants to take the chance at 21-22. IE I think Minny needs to rush Wallstedt. Mix him in the NHL this year when there are chances. Have him compete for the starting job in 24-25 with the goal of taking the job over in 25-26.

On the flip side of it.... if a goalie doesn't look like they can handle it at 23-24, move on. You may get the random guy who jumps late or you have Russians that wait until 25 to come over... but for the most part, if a goalie isn't showing something at the NHL at 22-23 or earlier, they are not worth your time.

Yeah much to my dismay Minnesota needs to get Wallstedt into as many games as possible this year. He's done with the AHL. It's the same with Wolf. Calgary needs to make room for Wolf to get games. Otherwise you look like Vancouver who waited too long to get Schneider and Demko into the NHL screwing up everything. Most frustrating aspect is all these GM's love to say how they don't know anything about goaltending but have very staunch opinions on the matter.

 

[S E P H]

Yeah much to my dismay Minnesota needs to get Wallstedt into as many games as possible this year. He's done with the AHL. It's the same with Wolf. Calgary needs to make room for Wolf to get games. Otherwise you look like Vancouver who waited too long to get Schneider and Demko into the NHL screwing up everything. Most frustrating aspect is all these GM's love to say how they don't know anything about goaltending but have very staunch opinions on the matter.

Forgive me if I don't know who's waiver eligible and who isn't, but I am a big believer that top minutes in lower leagues are more beneficial than reduced minutes in a higher league. For example, I rather have Annunen in the AHL being able to start 40-50 games this season instead of being a bench warmer and playing once every 9-10 games. Wolf might be in a similar situation where a starter in the AHL is better than him playing second fiddle to Markstrom if they do decide to get rid of Vladar. Now, the question arises if these two are still not able to provide some consistent goaltending like last season, then Wolf can be called upon and given a legit chance in the pros. You want players to force you a spot and not be given it where I fully expect Wallstedt and Wolf ability to do just that.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Forgive me if I don't know who's waiver eligible and who isn't, but I am a big believer that top minutes in lower leagues are more beneficial than reduced minutes in a higher league. For example, I rather have Annunen in the AHL being able to start 40-50 games this season instead of being a bench warmer and playing once every 9-10 games. Wolf might be in a similar situation where a starter in the AHL is better than him playing second fiddle to Markstrom if they do decide to get rid of Vladar. Now, the question arises if these two are still not able to provide some consistent goaltending like last season, then Wolf can be called upon and given a legit chance in the pros. You want players to force you a spot and not be given it where I fully expect Wallstedt and Wolf ability to do just that.

Top minutes matter up to a point and that point is how much more ready can a prospect/goalie be? I'm not advocating for goalies to sit on the NHL bench like JF Berube and be wasted. I'm advocating for two things, the first being young goalies like Wallstedt and Wolf need NHL time this season. What that does is reward them for all the work they've put in and let them know what the NHL standard is in terms of what's required from a goalie. The second thing is the sooner you get them to the NHL the sooner they can start adjusting. Ideally you don't want their first NHL stint to be +50 games so ideally you get them in the 20-30 unless they show they deserve more ala Gustavsson/Schmid. NHL coaches and GM's need to realize there's a decent amount of goalie talent sitting in the AHL. I don't know what Wolf or Wallstedt need to do to force a spot to be open? Wolf just won AHL Goalie of the Year two years in a row...in his DY+3 and DY+4, that's unprecedented. Calgary should be trying very hard to move out Vladar and give Wolf that spot. You either trust a Wolf/Wallstedt can make the jump or they can't. You can't really half ass it like at forward or defence where there's more spots/opportunities for players to force a spot to be open to them.

 

[Bowe Byrum]

Halak would be great and has the best chance of not only meeting the expectations of Francouz's position but surpassing them as well. If he was going to be here though I'd feel like he would be here already. Maybe they feel like Halak can come in halfway through training camp but I just don't see it. Out of all the names there I think you can disregard anyone who has a contract that goes past this season. I think the Avs want contract flexibility and a waiver pick up on a 2-year deal isn't that.

Out of the goalies that might hit waivers and stand the best chance of looking good here are: Alex Stalock and Felix Sandstrom. Stalock had an average year on a really bad team last season which bodes well that putting him into the Avs system gives him a fair chance at being average again. He also plays in a way that would fit at least somewhat fit with how the Avs play defensively. With how the Avs breakdowns usually happen it would go into Stalock's strengths of high level agility and reflexes. The concern is obviously his age in that he's 36yo and what is he going to look as he's further along the not good part of the aging curve. There's also the fact that he finished the year on a skid though it's not like Chicago was going to finish strong anyways so might be a wash.

I have no idea what the Flyers are thinking in net but they have Samuel Ersson who needs NHL time and is ready for the NHL. They also have Cal Petersen who I have no idea what they're going to do with. Probably back to the AHL as no one is touching that contract. Question is will Briere pair him up with Ersson or try to sneak Sandstrom down too. Sandstrom had some of the worst stats last season which makes me hopeful Briere and co. will want to send him down. If they do so the Avs should be all over that. Sandstrom would absolutely thrive here. Has good mobility, reflexes, doesn't end up behind the play often, has good technical skills. He just played behind one of the worst teams in the NHL last year in one of the most stat deflating environments. It's like the JoJo situation in Buffalo only Sandstrom has actual NHL skills.

remember they need 2 as Hart will be suspended by the NHL

 

[Richard88]

Would ya'll be comfortable trading a pick to secure the right goalie before they go on waivers, or would you just roll the dice that one to you like reaches the Avs in the waiver order?

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[John Mandalorian]

Would ya'll be comfortable trading a pick to secure the right goalie before they go on waivers, or would you just roll the dice that one to you like reaches the Avs in the waiver order?

Probably role the dice. The berth being navigated is Georgiev and Annunen’s lack of skill experience. It seems likely there’s something suitable in the middle without giving up an asset.