Wooing Matt O'Connor to Ottawa

[aragorn]

I don't think it matters how good or how bad the AHl team is to a prospect when he decides whether to sign with an organization or not. I think they look at where they have the best chance to succeed & where the most opportunity will be. Depending on what happens with the NYR backup whether he re-signs or not, he had a pretty good run when Lunquist was hurt & does he want to be a #1 with another team or maybe have a shot at a cup with a good team in NY? Who knows?

I think O'Connor would do well to sign with Ottawa, our goalies seem to get hurt every yr & Hammond showed that it's possible to get a shot & make the most of your opportunity. Looking at Ottawa's goalie situation, BM has to make a decision on which two goalies he keeps before July 1. If O'Connor goes to the AHL for a yr he will have to fight Dreidger for the #1 job there & if he is able to win it, he would be one phone call away from being called up to the NHL. Unfortunately for Bingo though, they would have two inexperienced goalies down there. If he doesn't sign though, I would think they would most likely sign an experienced goalie to play with Dreidger in Bingo.

 

[God Flower]

We have to sell him the hope that Bingo won't suck next year because
-The headcoach will hopefully be staying
-The players that are incoming will be good

While Hartford can sell the cold hard facts that their team was solid this year and have won a round

Those are all good selling points, but I don't think we're scratching him where he itches. From what I understand, he wants to go to an organization with a good goaltending coach, where he can develop his skills moving forward. He's willing to sacrifice an immediate start in the NHL for an opportunity to hone his skills in the AHL with the support from his parent club. If that's the case, then I refer to some comments made by Hammond while he was in the midst of his historic run. He said that Rick Wamsley had a huge impact with his turn around this season. He said that Wamsley made random appearances to Bingo throughout the year to work on some things, but for the most part he had to coach himself in practice. Wamsley focused most of his attention on Anderson and Lehner, so Hammond was flying solo most of the time. But when he got the call to the big club, Hammond had Wamsley at his disposal 24/7 and his game really benefited as a result. This begs two questions. How the hell do we not have a full time goalie coach in Bingo? And do we really offer O'Connor the best opportunity to develop into an NHL goalie if we don't provide the proper support in the AHL? No offense to Richardson, but there should be a qualified full time coach down there helping these kids and I find it shocking that there isn't. Rant over.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Those are all good selling points, but I don't think we're scratching him where he itches. From what I understand, he wants to go to an organization with a good goaltending coach, where he can develop his skills moving forward. He's willing to sacrifice an immediate start in the NHL for an opportunity to hone his skills in the AHL with the support from his parent club. If that's the case, then I refer to some comments made by Hammond while he was in the midst of his historic run. He said that Rick Wamsley had a huge impact with his turn around this season. He said that Wamsley made random appearances to Bingo throughout the year to work on some things, but for the most part he had to coach himself in practice. Wamsley focused most of his attention on Anderson and Lehner, so Hammond was flying solo most of the time. But when he got the call to the big club, Hammond had Wamsley at his disposal 24/7 and his game really benefited as a result. This begs two questions. How the hell do we not have a full time goalie coach in Bingo? And do we really offer O'Connor the best opportunity to develop into an NHL goalie if we don't provide the proper support in the AHL? No offense to Richardson, but there should be a qualified full time coach down there helping these kids and I find it shocking that there isn't. Rant over.

Rarely do teams have full time goalie coaches in the AHL. Most teams do what ottawa did and send their NHL goalie coach for visits.

I believe Leigh Valley has a goalie coach. Its not rare to have two man staffs in the AHL. Bingo having a video coach probably separates them from many AHL teams

Edit on hockey db teams with Goalie Coaches in the AHL. Leigh Valley, Grand Rapids, chicago, Erie, Adrionodak, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Bridge Port

More common then i thought actually.

 

[God Flower]

Rarely do teams have full time goalie coaches in the AHL. Most teams do what ottawa did and send their NHL goalie coach for visits.

I believe Leigh Valley has a goalie coach. Its not rare to have two man staffs in the AHL. Bingo having a video coach probably separates them from many AHL teams

Edit on hockey db teams with Goalie Coaches in the AHL. Leigh Valley, Grand Rapids, chicago, Erie, Adrionodak, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Bridge Port

More common then i thought actually.

That's still 1/3 of the league, surprised there's not more. Either way, glad to see NYR, Van, and. Edm are not on that list like Ottawa. Should be a non factor then.

 

[HispanicAtTheDisco]

If it is all about goalie coaches, stats are kinda hard to come by. The Canucks, the Rangers, and our goalie coaches all have pretty much the same number of years experience, while Edmonton's is much lower, but that doesn't really speak for their skills.

 

[Ouroboros]

That's still 1/3 of the league, surprised there's not more. Either way, glad to see NYR, Van, and. Edm are not on that list like Ottawa. Should be a non factor then.

HockeyDb often doesn't list the entire coaching staff for teams. For example, Toronto, St. John's, Hershey, Hamilton and Iowa all have goaltending coaches. If you really looked into it, I would imagine that Binghamton are actually one of the few teams without one.

 

[Benjamin]

I dont understand the reasoning to sign with the Rangers.

 

[Icelevel]

I dont understand the reasoning to sign with the Rangers.

young guy, new york city

good team, lundqvist getting older, doesn't want to jump in to an nhl job.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I dont understand the reasoning to sign with the Rangers.

Get to work with Lundqvist's goalie coach (who also had a hand in getting Talbot to where he is which is a excellent goalie) and play for a solid AHL team (since they aren't likely to graduate a bunch of them right away)

They are far more attractive than us as far as development goes

We have more opportunity to offer in terms of making the NHL which is not insignificant

I guess it comes down to how much of a hurry he's in. If he is he goes with us, if he isn't he ought to go to the Rangers

Of course saying that, he'll likely end up in Vancouver

 

[Benjamin]

Get to work with Lundqvist's goalie coach (who also had a hand in getting Talbot to where he is which is a excellent goalie) and play for a solid AHL team (since they aren't likely to graduate a bunch of them right away)

They are far more attractive than us as far as development goes

We have more opportunity to offer in terms of making the NHL which is not insignificant

I guess it comes down to how much of a hurry he's in. If he is he goes with us, if he isn't he ought to go to the Rangers

Of course saying that, he'll likely end up in Vancouver

But he's stuck behind behind a goalie that plays 60+ games a year for the next 5 year, atleast.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

But he's stuck behind behind a goalie that plays 60+ games a year for the next 5 year, atleast.

Not necessarily

Hank is 34 now? He'll start declining soon enough

I'm just rational enough to acknowledge that our goalie coach isn't likely to have the same kind of recognition as the one who works with one of the best goalies in the NHL

 

[guyzeur]

Not necessarily

Hank is 34 now? He'll start declining soon enough

I'm just rational enough to acknowledge that our goalie coach isn't likely to have the same kind of recognition as the one who works with one of the best goalies in the NHL

How much is it on Lundqvist? Coach might be good but you can't transform any goalie in a Lundqvist.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

How much is it on Lundqvist? Coach might be good but you can't transform any goalie in a Lundqvist.

Plenty of it is on Lundqvist but that Talbot is also excellent might indicate that the goalie coach is quite good

On the other hand Lehner still blows and while I'm sure most of that is on him that doesn't look good on Whamsley

I'm not saying we're not attractive, clearly we are and our goalie coach deserves credit for Anderson's success but that, on paper, I think the Rangers are more attractive as far as goalie coach goes

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

How much is it on Lundqvist? Coach might be good but you can't transform any goalie in a Lundqvist.

In his specific case, I do think there must be something there with their goalie coach. After all, Lundqvist is a twin. How one twin made it to the NHL and becomes a star and the other doesn't even get a sniff of a high end pro league......

....something beyond the Lundqvist genes must be at play there.

 

[Micklebot]

In his specific case, I do think there must be something there with their goalie coach. After all, Lundqvist is a twin. How one twin made it to the NHL and becomes a star and the other doesn't even get a sniff of a high end pro league......

....something beyond the Lundqvist genes must be at play there.

A 3rd round draft pick and 134 NHL games isn't even getting a sniff of a high end pro league? Jeez, I'd hate to see the expectations you set for your kids. He's also the captain of his SHL team, seems pretty successful to me.

 

[Boud]

I dont understand the reasoning to sign with the Rangers.

I always thought the Rangers was the most logical choice to be honest. Talbot is nearing the end of his contract and I'm positive that he won't be resigned since Lundquvist is their guy and still under contract for 6 seasons. Talbot has good numbers so he'll likely ask for too much and the Rangers won't be able to afford that. That gives O'Connor the time to play a year in the AHL like he said he likely wants to do and it also gives him the opportunity to play a backup role behind Henrik Lundqvist the following season if he does good. That's a perfect scenario for a young goalie, he goes one step at a time and then gets an opportunity without pressure in playing behind one of the best goalies in the league. I think NY is a good opportunity for him to learn from the best and without any pressure.


Of course, the city of NY may also be a plus factor for O'Connor and taxes in Canada and weather are not as attracting. I think Vancouver, Ottawa, and NY are all good options for O'Connor since all three teams have two solid goaltenders and that gives O'Connor more time to develop and learn, which is all you can ask for a young goaltender but I'd rather play behind Lundqvist than Anderson or Miller personally.

 

[Micklebot]

I always thought the Rangers was the most logical choice to be honest. Talbot is nearing the end of his contract and I'm positive that he won't be resigned since Lundquvist is their guy and still under contract for 6 seasons. Talbot has good numbers so he'll likely ask for too much and the Rangers won't be able to afford that. That gives O'Connor the time to play a year in the AHL like he said he likely wants to do and it also gives him the opportunity to play a backup role behind Henrik Lundqvist the following season if he does good. That's a perfect scenario for a young goalie, he goes one step at a time and then gets an opportunity without pressure in playing behind one of the best goalies in the league. I think NY is a good opportunity for him to learn from the best and without any pressure.


Of course, the city of NY may also be a plus factor for O'Connor and taxes in Canada and weather are not as attracting. I think Vancouver, Ottawa, and NY are all good options for O'Connor since all three teams have two solid goaltenders and that gives O'Connor more time to develop and learn, which is all you can ask for a young goaltender but I'd rather play behind Lundqvist than Anderson or Miller personally.

Weather in NYC isn't that much different than Ottawa, nor are the effective taxes,

This is a bit old (2013), but http://business.financialpost.com/p...ad-have-millionaires-knocking-on-canadas-door

Take the income taxes for affluent Ontarians and New Yorkers. With Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s 2% surtax for those earning more than $500,000, at the highest income bracket, Ontarians currently pay about 49.5% in provincial and federal taxes combined. New Yorkers, meanwhile, pay about 48% after taking into account a federal and state tax. (Those who live in New York City are subject to an additional city tax which would bring taxes closer to about 51%

 

[Boud]

Weather in NYC isn't that much different than Ottawa, nor are the effective taxes,

This is a bit old (2013), but http://business.financialpost.com/p...ad-have-millionaires-knocking-on-canadas-door

I know it's not much different than Ottawa for the weather but it is different than Edmonton (another place he's speculated to be interested in going). For the taxes, I thought they we're lower in the states, but I guess it depends on which state, my bad. I still stand by my opinion though, I feel like NYR would be the best fit.

 

[Micklebot]

I know it's not much different than Ottawa for the weather but it is different than Edmonton (another place he's speculated to be interested in going). For the taxes, I thought they we're lower in the states, but I guess it depends on which state, my bad. I still stand by my opinion though, I feel like NYR would be the best fit.

Yeah, Edmonton is not an attractive place to go other than due to McDavid, and the lack of current goaltending (opportunity).

Vancouver has beautiful weather, and as I pointed out, taxes shouldn't be an issue rel to NYC. Ottawa has a good mix of opportunity and future.

I don't really see a bad choice, but I do expect Lundvist to finish his contract as a Ranger, which imo is a significant road block. I also think Talbot could re-sign, but who knows really.

In the end, no matter where he goes, a lot can change once he's ready to take over a starter role, so to me, it's all about the ability to develop his game. When he's ready to be a starter, the team he signs with will either play him as such, or trade him (or he'll be a free agent by then anyways and chose his destination).

 

[Proust*]

Are we really debating why a 20something who is about to make millions would prefer NYC over Ottawa?

 

[BigBush*]

Are we really debating why a 20something who is about to make millions would prefer NYC over Ottawa?

That's the thing though, he will not be making millions.

He has to chose which team will give him the best opportunity to one day make millions

 

[Benjamin]

Are we really debating why a 20something who is about to make millions would prefer NYC over Ottawa?

Its very debatable. Im a 20something and I wouldn't want to live in NYC if i made millions.

 

[HSF]

Nyr are also a better team which would be intriguing

 

[Micklebot]

That's the thing though, he will not be making millions.

He has to chose which team will give him the best opportunity to one day make millions

Yep. He'll sign a 2 year contract for 925 k plus performance bonus and an AHL salary of around 70k.

He'll be making around the same as some posters here unless he gets called up to the big team.

 

[Maciver63]

I think for this guy a big part of his decision is going to be on the aspect of working with the Goaltending Coach.

Can't say I know much about the other teams but it seems that Rick Wamsley is quite good at this position for the Senators and that really seemed to come across when O'Connor was in town for his visit. I think this is going to be a big plus for Ottawa.

On another note, I have to take issue with Vancouver having beautiful weather.
I lived in Vancouver for 3 years and they have beautiful Summers but I would actually take an Ottawa Winter over a Vancouver Winter. One January that I was out there, it rained every single day. It can be tough when you don't see the sun for weeks at a time!