NHL Free Agent Frenzy 2010
by Robert L on Jul 1, 2010 12:19 PM EDT
44 comments
It's Canada Day folks, and whoever thought to combine NHL free agency with our country's celebrations either thought such was somehow appropriate or figured Canadians can do two things at once.
I found the most fitting video I could, Kathleen Edwards' "I make the dough, you get the glory", which rhymes the line, "I'm the great one, you're Marty McSorley." The clip begins with Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy picking players for a pickup game, of course, getting stuck selection Edwards last!
I'll be on here today, on and off, to update today's signings and mention the odd rumour from good sources.
The first deal of the day, from Bob McKenzie from TSN, is goalie Martin Biron, signing a two year deal with the New York Rangers.
The Minnesota Wild have signed Guillaume Latendresse for two years, $2.5M per.
Ottawa Senators reportedly have inked D Sergei Gonchar for 3 years, $5.5M per. Ouch!
Andrej Meszaros, again according to Bob, has been aquired by the Flyers for a second round pick in 2012.
Busy Bob reports that Braydon Coburn has resigned in Philly at S3.2M per. RDS is reporting that F Alex Tanguay has resigned in Calgary after a two year absense.
Some minor resignings, Daniel Paille with Boston and Erik Christensen with the Rangers.
Pittsburgh rebounds well from the loss of Gonchar by signing Zbynek Michalek from the Coyotes to a five year deal.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have gained some forward depth with yesterdays acquisition of Kris Versteeg and the signing of pesty Colby Armstrong to a three year deal.
The Tamba Bay Lightning smartly re-uped with F Martin St. Louis, on a four year deal that could see him finish his career in Tampa.
You gotta be kidding me! The Canadiens, out of the Dan Ellis running, have turned to suitcase goalie Alex Auld as a backup to Carey Price.
I don't like it - Auld's a sieve. Here's the basic stats from hockey DB.
Auld is known to the Canadiens brass through the Jacques Martin Pierre Groulx connection in Florida.
As it stands, the Canadiens are not improved from last season at this point.
Antero Niittymaki is the new Sharks goalie. On the job Bob reports that it's a two year contract.
More minor deals: Alexander Steen stays in St. Louis, Jesse Winchester remains in Ottawa and Anton Babchuk with Carolina.
Manny Malhotra hits paydirt, signing a three year deal with the Vancouver Canucks for $2.5M
Funny that Biron, Leighton, Auld and Niittymaki all find work before Marty Turco, Evgeny Nabokov, Dan Ellis, Chris Mason and Jose Theodore.
Ellis was in play with Detroit Red Wings it seems, but looks headed to the Lightning.
CKAC is reporting that Christopher Higgins is garnering interest from many teams, but the offers are said to be low.
Jody Shelley is heading to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Paul Martin has signed with Penguins, a very, very good move! Martin gets $5M a year for five with the Pens.
CKAC's latest chatter: Simon Gagne of the Flyers is being offered around to clear some cap room. Ilya Kovalchuk, as per agent Pat Brisson, is in discussion with the Kings for a mega long term deal. Marc-Andre Bergeron was received several offers. The Canadiens discussion with Dan Ellis may have been brief due to Montreal not wanting to consider more than a one year deal.
Dan Ellis has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning.$1.5M for two seasons.
Derek Boogaard signs with the Rangers. Boo gets $1.65M for four years.
The Flyers had offered Marty Turco a three-year, $2M per deal which he turned down.
One noticeable fact from this day, the most recent Stanley Cup final has lowered the worth and market for goalies.
TSN is reporting that Dan Ellis has stated that the breakdown with Montreal occurred over term, money and playing time. Bottom line, he was looking out for himself, with a job giving him a shot at being a number one.
The Anaheim Ducks have signed D Toni Lydman long term.
Sean O'Donnell is also headed to the Flyers.
MAB has three teams interested in him. Montreal is not one.
Ray Whitney has found a new home in Phoenix, inking a two year deal with the Coyotes for $3M per.
CKAC and The Hockey News are reporting that the team most susceptible to sign D Dan Hamhuis, with $5M available in cap space. Hamhuis is from Smithers, BC.
As per RDS, the Canadiens have resigned goalie Curtis Sanford on a two way deal. Sanford played last season with Hamilton and did very well. It's an insurance policy for sure. He'll make $250,000 in the AHL and $750,000 with the Habs. Apparently, there could be a battle with Auld possibly for the backup job.
Calgary Flames must be in a panic mode if they are considering Olli Jokinen a second time. CKAC is cracking up over this news, saying it's akin to a husband taking back a cheating wife.
The New Jersey Devils have signed Henrik Tallinder to a four year deal worth in excess of $13M.
Buffalo has to be hurting after losing Tallinder and Lydman.
Derek Morris stays in Phoenix, signing for four years.
Hamhuis is officially a Canuck. Smart move! He did well for himself on this day, getting himself $4.5M.
Kurtis Foster signs with the Edmonton Oilers for $3.6M over two seasons.
Anton Volchenkov looks to be heading to Jersey for six years at $5M per. Ouch! he's good, but all he does excellently is block shots. Was Mike Komisarek worth $4.5?
Jeff Tambellini signs with the Canucks.
Olli the joke is in with Calgary, signing for two years, $3M per.
Goalie Chris Mason has signed with Atlanta, two years ($1.6 and $2.1).
Chicago has traded F Andrew Ladd to Atlanta, more to come. Ivan Vishnevsky and a second rounder are heading to Chicago.
Volchenkov gets $4.25M for six years from New Jersey.
Jordan Leopold to the Buffalo Sabres, three years.
Saku Koivu resigns with the Ducks for two at $2.5M.
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AULD?!?!?
When Gauthier traded away Halak I was steamed… until he swung the deal with Nashville and got Ellis… now he doesn’t even sign him but gets Alex Auld for $1 million?!?!?! AULD?!?!? A mediocre backup for ONE MILLION?!?! Has he played more than 30 games in a season??!! PRICE AND AULD?!?!? Is this really the goalie tandem next year in Montreal??!!?!? I think I’m going to be sick to my stomach… the Habs won’t even make the playoffs next year. Great going Gauthier and Gainey… why don’t you just take that one million and flush it down the toilet!!!
by Montcalm's Revenge on Jul 1, 2010 2:02 PM EDT reply actions
i would like to be the first person to be happy about not signing ellis, more cap room for better depth players, also auld’s stats are a good indication of a decent back up, and will give carey some good experience, i think it’s a good move
You might be the only one happy! The dif between Ellis’ money in TB and what the Habs offered was half a mil, with one added year. When you compare how many games will be won won by spending an added $500,000 on a fourth liner versus what that would have brought in goal in terms of Ws, I think it’s shortsighted.
Has Auld ever been retained contractually by one team that ever owned his rights?
Well, at least management has ensured that Price won’t be threatened for the starting role.
It concerns me that management made a move like this, not knowing Ellis’ intent.
Should the organization want to sign a guy who is content to be little more than a cheerleader-buddy?
Is it more important to build a winning team or justify Price’s selection in the first round?
Well that’s the chance the Canadiens took in aquiring Ellis’ rights.
Had Ellis come to the Habs, mislead that he had a shot at the number one job (which would have been the sell needed to get him) he would quickly have become a very unhappy camper in the Habs’ room.
The only upside to Auld in that scenario is that he knows his role. It ain’t much!
There’s no way to know how much playing time Ellis wanted, but if he had accepted to split the duties 50/50 with Price, the habs would have had another quality goaltending duo for a reasonable price tag. As it stands, the team is much weaker in goals now. Of course there was no way it could be as good as last year now that Halak is gone, but Ellis would have been nice to fill the gap. Two quality guys starting 40 games is better than Price handling as much as he can (and maybe more) and some retread taking the rest.
I would think it is a GMs role to know or feel this things out prior to making moves like that. The Kostitsyn deal is a much poorer deal for us as a result.
This also means a quantum of added pressure on Price.
There’s no choice but for him to perform now. No more growing pains. No more “he’s just a kid and needs seasoning or maturity”.
It is ok, if management really knows he is up to the task. There’s no excuses here, if he isn’t.
The Gainey stuff, OK…that was rationalized and I was wrong. But Auld?!!?! I’ve seen him play…and can someone tell me, other than being cheap, what can he possibly offer Price and the organization?
You and me both Olivier….and when you consider that there were some really good (and cheap) goaltenders available, such as former-Hab Danis, Mason (St. Louis got a steal), or (as mentioned here) Hedberg. Hell, I’d be willing to bet that Desjardins would even be better (and progress faster) than Auld.
I don’t think Auld is an issue, he’s fine as a one-year backup. Yes, the Habs are highly goaltending-dependent, but you’re not going to get an ace goalie for one mil. The Habs need to get to the point where they can win soft games with Auld.
I don’t see this happening though. They’re still not going to play modern hockey, they have made zero improvement, they still have a gaping hole in their top-6, they have a dearth of actual hockey talent in the bottom six… This is, much like last year, an 88-point club.
This isn’t a playoff team, folks.
Ellis was interviewed here on TSN where he said that the numbers were not even close. Evidently, he wanted more money to sit back and watch Price lose a bunch of games. I believe that given a chance – Auld will be solid. He hasn’t really gotten a real chance as if you read his history, he’s been unlucky as hell. Anyway, its only for a season- the rest is up to him because he will play more than he thinks going into this. Time will tell.
Les Canadiens sont la!!
Hmmmmm…
I doubt it was a money thing with Ellis. He doesn’t want, or deserve, to play second fiddle. This is Price’s (last?) chance to prove himself in Montreal and it was a good decision to avoid a scenario where he will be second guessed. Ellis must have made it clear that he was not willing to play supportive mentor for a season. If Price blows it, the Habs are free to make goaltender moves next year (facilitated by Auld’s one year contract).
As for the doubters about this team’s talent and depth, I for one am growing fairly impatient with the naysaying. This chemistry experiment (including coach and lead forwards) team was half injured half the bloody season, played like crap for a stretch of games after some stellar post-Olympics hockey, and nonetheless made the playoffs, and nonetheless beat President’s Trophy Caps and the defending Stanley Cup Pens (without Markov!), and nonetheless won the bronze medal for going third deepest of all NHL teams in the playoffs!!! That was a full on team effort led by Jacques Martin, that Halak was but a part of (however clutch).
Ok, ok, there’s no bronze medal in the NHL. We want the cup. I believe we are much closer than we have been in a long time.
I admire and thank Gainey and Gauthier for their bold moves last summer and since – ESPECIALLY around goaltending. They rolled the dice on keeping two young guns last year and it paid off (as the Eller steal and low cost goal situation will prove, over time, I expect), and they are rolling the dice on Price as a number one this season. I believe this is another solid bet. You have to take these kind of risks to win. Our GMs have proved they have big balls. No doubt.
More importantly, a corner seems to have been turned since last summer – the consistent element in all player choices has been to keep and promote players with the right work ethic, heart, and team commitment. A bottom 6 with guys like Pyatt, Darche, Moen (and hopefully Moore!) is full of grinding, forechecking heart – enough to bring Lapierre around to his potential! This attitude shift strategy is the essence of a championship team, and the decision to demote and now move SK is part of it – thankfully we got something for him! What the heck did people expect other teams to give up for him and his temper tantrums?!
Sure, we need talent to win #25. In Gomez, Cam, Pleks, Gionta, and Markov we have an amazing collection of veteran talent that comes to play every night, and that is something we have not been able to say in 15 years.
In Price, Pouliot, AK (sans SK), Subban and Eller there is the (affordable) raw talent that could round out a Stanley Cup championship team. Only time will tell. (I do with we had one more proven top six forward to add depth, but that may not be in the budget – much depends on Price’s paycheque).
We have not had the luxury of top draft picks (thank goodness!) but nonetheless G&G have built us a contender. I am thankful – Happy Canada Day!
by patience is a virtue on Jul 2, 2010 1:55 AM EDT reply actions
contenders contend, winners win….do you think Price could’ve carried the team that deep into the playoffs? How was Price in the postseason, or, for that matter, the last 20 or so games? I’m not saying there’s no way he can do it, I’m just saying his past records show that he hasn’t been able to do it yet.
by Alex Blosser on Jul 2, 2010 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Neither did Halak at 23 years old. His history was that of a player who couldn’t stick in the NHL but had strong AHL statistics.
by Chris Boyle on Jul 5, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
My thoughts on the state of the lineup
I like: talent level, tremendous speed, hard working attitude, above average D, not easily intimidated, good rookie/veteran mix, clear roles and the cohesion in the room…
(plus, this team has a clear identity: Skilled, fast skating, hard working and small)
I don’t like: Undersized, no intimidation factor whatsoever, very little sand paper, no real top tier talent, too many similar players and the HUGE gamble on price…
IMO the habs have a successful season if:
- Price can deal with the pressure and keeps progressing
- The young players perform well and progress (Subban, Kostitsyn, Pouliot, Eller, Boyd).
- The veterans perform on the level we expect them to or better
- Injuries are not as frequent as last year (where have you gone mister Livingston?)
- We make a few key additions during the season (PWF, top 4D, GRN…) or at the deadline at least…
Not to beat a dead horse...
We traded Halak because Gauthier “knew” he would be too expensive and there were so many other high quality keepers that were gonna be free agents nobody would want him…but the most expensive UFA keeper signed so far was Nittamaki for 2 mil and the “big names” look to have missed the boat on the obvious teams looking for a keeper.
Maybe we should have waited and seen what the market dictated rather than say he was unaffordable. Just a thought.
The Price to Pay...
For those of who keep preaching “patience”(including Habs management) I have one question: How long do you keep wet-nursing Carey Price? He’s been given ample opportunities(plural) to prove himself and yet he keeps showing an inability to learn discipline, concentration, fundamentals of good goaltending… He consistently lets in weak goals in bunches. He hasn’t proven himself in the playoffs(his performance 2 years ago against the Bruins was ABYSSMAL!) And yet Habs managment is willing to hand him “the keys to the kingdom” yet again without properly EARNING THAT RIGHT. Why should Price make a serious effort to improve himself if he ends up being named the number one goalie anyway? Halak EARNED the right to be number one and gets traded. Price has a losing record and gets the top spot. Really logical?!?! I know Price won a junior Gold medal for Canada and that’s a big deal north of the border but it really doesn’t mean squat in the NHL. Canadiens management is dazzled by the visions of what Price COULD BE as opposed what he is(and has shown so far). They keep hoping for Patrick Roy but the have ended up with a bad penny(kind of like STEVE PENNEY)…
by Montcalm's Revenge on Jul 2, 2010 9:34 AM EDT reply actions
He is a 22 year old who has played very good hockey at the NHL for several seasons. That is not so mean a feat. No, he has not lived up to his full potential (who does in the eyes of the fans on beautiful Island City?), but he has earned a chance to do so – further earned by the maturity he showed while taking a back seat to Halak down the stretch last year.
This is his chance. If he proves himself, he proves G&G to be visionary – a cheap star goalie, instead of an expensive one who may or may not remain a star (i.e. Halak).
by patience is a virtue on Jul 2, 2010 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
There is a limit to patience...
13-20-5 is good hockey? How many games did he win AFTER the All-Star break this year(or last year for that matter)? How many times was he pulled from a game for letting in too many weak goals early(thus putting the team in a hole they’re not designed to get out of).
I know there are plenty of examples in NHL history of goalies who weren’t that good at the beginning of their careers, knocked around from team to team and then blossomed late(Bernie Parent, Ed Belfour even Dominic Hasek) but do you really want to wait that long for something that MIGHT happen?… I’m not saying Halak is a Patrick Roy or Ken Dryden but at least he proved to be a COMPETENT goalie like say Cristobal Huet(who was also jettisoned to make way for PRINCE CAREY).
I’m not trying to be argumentative with you. It’s just that 1993 is a long time ago already and the prospects for a serious cup run don’t look too promising right now. I hope for ALL our sakes(as Habs fans) that you, Mr. Gainey and Mr. Gauthier are right….
by Montcalm's Revenge on Jul 2, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Oops!
Sorry, meant to say: “Olympic Break this year…”
by Montcalm's Revenge on Jul 2, 2010 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
He’s only 22…….. tell me how many goalies in the NHL currently had a successful #1 job when they were 22… almost none, not saying price is successful but give the kid a break..at 25 + i believe you can criticize his future..even then, most goalies truly blossom at 27+, I’m not trying to be argumentative… ;)
My beef is with Gainey\Gauthier, not Price
I agree that he is young, inexperienced and probably needs time to develop. If you have a son(or daughter) who just got their driver’s license do you give them the keys to your expensive Mercedes or do you let them drive the old clunker until they prove their compentency? Gainey(now Gauthier) has given him the number one spot again without Price proving that he can handle it. Which makes the signing of Auld all the more incomprehensible. Is Auld a wise veteran who could mentor\tutor the young phenom? NO! Auld has never started more than 25 games in an NHL season. Price has MORE experience than him.
I hope and pray that Price can turn into the great goalie that everybody thinks he can be. I just think he’s been throw into the fire way too soon. He should probably split the starts in a season 30-50 with a more experienced goalie. The way it looks now he’s going to be getting the 50 starts as opposed to the 30. I just don’t think he can handle it. I’ve never said in my posts “get rid of Price”. I’m just saying he hasn’t earned the number one spot yet. Gainey has rushed him. My beef is with him….
by Montcalm's Revenge on Jul 4, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Question...
Why did we have to sign Auld yesterday? Were there lots of teams vying for his services? It’s not like there was a run on keepers. Shouldn’t signing Price have been a more pressing concern, especially when Sanford accepted a 2-way deal on the same day, we already had an emergency backup. Seems like an Auld decision to me…
AGITATED!
So on top of leaving a bloody 500,000 off the table and missing out on Ellis (who would by Christmas been the #1) we HOPE to LOrd Stanley that Price has his stuff together and that by some miracle Auld is able to teach him into a #1???
Auld has been a CAREER Back up… and can only Teach what it is to be that, and help Price deal with the feelings that go along with that. This pick up is mindless when we have Desjardins and Sanford if need be, and we could have signed some undrafted talent to fit with the other in Hamilton. Sanford is better than Auld, so to sign him for a mill and leave him in Hamilton is still bad money management.
Price isn’t signed yet, they have around 6 million to play with with some gaps they need to sure up, but they don’t have the money for a Top 6 forward.
This isn’t making sense. The better move would have been to sign Price at the end of the season to something palatable, then see if Halak would be ok with home town discount. We can go back and forth about who starts and the crappiness of not having decided on a TRUE #1 — which also comes as a benefit of 2 possible starting goaltenders. Instead we have Sanford and Auld for just under 2 mil – rightly so as Auld isn’t worth Sanford money not alone the mil he’s getting. And Price sitting on “Hey I’m #1 so PAY ME” (who knows if this is reality, but man if I was handed the #1 and see they signed some over used seive as a back-up, I’d definitely be pumping my wage up).
So now we have 3 tenders in the fold, with Desjardins (who is likely a better choice than both Auld and Sanford) in the Farm. So, we signed Auld for 1 mil, and still need to sign Carey. Are people thinking he won’t get the 3.5 mil that Halak was thought to have been asking for???? The money is there, they can’t use it to solidify ANY OTHER POSITION…. he’s getting the money, or he’s waiting on someone to tender and offer…..
What the hell would we do then?? Let Price walk because we won’t play ball? Or sink in and give him more than market price to keep him?
This Halak deal was the beginning of the biggest gaff in GM proceedures. I hope to Lord Stanley that a deal to rid ourselves from Hammer or Gomez money (although I like Gomez’s work ethic on the ice his money could have come in handy).
by Cruisin4aBruisin on Jul 2, 2010 1:18 PM EDT reply actions
How is Sanford better than Auld?
He is 2 years older than Auld and has never been a starter in the NHL. The greatest season of his career came as a 27 year old when he started 31 games. Desjardins is 25 years old and has never played an NHL game. His best season of his career he split the load with Sanford and mirrored a career NHL backup’s statistics.
Also, where is this $3.5M Halak was asking for coming from?
Auld sucks…. I would’ve just signed Sanford to be the backup. But whatever.
Hopefully Boyd works out.
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Just a thought
All this inductive reasoning used to justify the absolute joy some people get out of foreshadowing disaster for Price (and by extension the Habs) is lousy for one simple reason.
Nobody, and I mean nobody, looking at Halak’s stats going into last season would have induced their way to saying he would perform as well as he did.
Given that Halak’s play improved last year, what is it that separates him from Price. Why is one a surefire winner and the other a flawed piece of human garbage?
I’ll wait to next season before judging the player’s performance. Seriously, I came here for some rational talk (thanks Robert L.!) and escape the zoo over at HI/O; you want to watch how much of that Goalie crap you drink— it’s enough to induce vomiting.
Price was a lot closer to Halak last year than than people give him credit for, but the habs moved from a position where they had two cheap quality goalies (who did most of the work to get the team in the playoffs) to one where they have one starter and a known mediocrity. Price and Halak weren’t going to be cheap forever, but Alex Auld, really?
Price should be fine, that is if he isn’t run out of town for no good reason, but I don’t like the resources allocation here, Sanford isn’t that worse than Auld if that’s the way they wanted to go.
Since when did Dan Ellis become a great NHL goalie?
Everybody tends to look at overall stats and determine a goaltenders value. The whole point of the Price/Halak articles was to get you to look beyond the simplistic assertions and assess real value.
Look at their surroundings before judging their relative value. On playoff teams, Auld has the following statistics.
Alex Auld
Playoffs – 15-12-7 2.12 GAA .923 SV% 3 SO
No Playoffs – 61-56-16 2.84 GAA .902 SV% 2 SO
Ellis
Playoffs – 39-23-4 2.50 GAA .917 SV% 7 SO
No Playoffs – 11-19-4 2.93 GAA .900 SV% 3 SO
Ellis at 28 lost the starting job to Pekka Rinne, yet he is somehow viewed as a guy who could push Carey Price? Why is a goaltender who took until he was 27 years old to become an NHL regular considered a “starter” or “potential starter” when he has started ONE SEASON by the age of 30 and Auld at the age of 29 is considered a useless backup when he has TWO SEASONS of being an NHL starter (based on GP being more than 41 GP).
Stop buying name value. How Ellis has any name value is beyond me. Take a look at their last two full seasons knowing that Ellis played on a playoff team and Auld did not.
Auld – 25-25-10 2.64 GAA .906 SV% 1 SO
Ellis – 26-32-5 2.82 GAA .904 SV% 4 SO
Everybody needs to stop assessing Elllis’ value based on 2008. Auld has been superior on two inferior teams over the last 2 seasons.
Auld is a strong backup with the proper attitude. He is the backup and will mentor. He knows his role.
by Chris Boyle on Jul 5, 2010 10:11 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I can see your point about Ellis v. Auld….but, to use your heading, “since when did Carey Price become a great NHL goalie?” Tell me, considering Price’s previous level of consistency in the NHL (if he doesn’t bloom into the second coming of a Roy or Dryden this coming season), if you take Halak’s number from this previous season and replace them with either Ellis’ OR Auld’s numbers, do we still make the playoffs? NO.
I don’t care if the Habs would have made the playoffs with or without Halak last season because last season is OVER. Would the 2002 Canadiens have made the playoffs without Jose Theodore? Three seasons later would they have made the 2006 playoffs without Huet? Would the Canadiens have lead the Eastern Conference standings without Price’s 2008 stretch run? Would bearing does that have on 2010?
This is about projecting the future. Using your logic the Canadiens couldn’t have been successful without Theodore moving forward because Huet through 2004 was 14-20-11 and Theodore was a former MVP/Vezina trophy winner who had 104 wins.
Price is not a GREAT NHL goalie yet, but Price is 22, Ellis is 30 and he is what he is going to be. Take a look at the progression chart of NHL goaltenders.
http://www.behindthenethockey.com/2010/4/28/1448993/goaltender-save-percentage-by-age
Peak age 25. Halak’s age? 25.
Price’s place on the progression is at the base of the ascent curve. Looking at that curve, his junior accomplishments and his numbers against every goaltender through the age of 23 shows the Canadiens made a strong gamble. It may be wrong, but it is a strong play.
HALAK’s last 5 yrs…..
2006-07 Montreal Canadiens NHL 16 2.89 GAA 10 6 0 0.906 SV%- – -
2007-08 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 28 2.10 GAA 15 10 2 0.929 SV%- – -
2007-08 Montreal Canadiens NHL 6 2.11 GAA 2 1 1 0.934 SV%
2008-09 Montreal Canadiens NHL 34 2.86 GAA 18 14 1 .915 SV%
2009-10 Montreal Canadiens NHL 45 2.40 GAA 26 13 5 .924 SV %
Price last 5 yrs:
2006-07 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 2 1.53 GAA 1 1 0 0.949 SV%
2007-08 Montreal Canadiens NHL 41 2.56 GAA 24 12 3 0.920 SV%
2007-08 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 10 2.69 GAA 6 4 0 .896 SV% – - –
2008-09 Montreal Canadiens NHL 52 2.83 GAA 23 16 10 0.905 SV%
2009-10 Montreal Canadiens NHL 41 2.77 GAA 13 20 5 0.912 SV%
I don’t get how people don’t see Halak’s worth and progression?
Yes Price has a little less time in, but, looking at who Halak played behind…he’s progressed despite that fact. Price… waffled last year, and its ok for us to say the team in front of him didn’t play great … but isn’;t there something to Markov taking him aside and giving him the business about playing for the Habs?
Looking at AULD.. we have to go back to 2005 to see a starting season :
2005-06 Vancouver Canucks NHL 67 2.94 GAA 33 26 6 0.902 SV% – - –
2006-07 Florida Panthers NHL 27 3.35 GAA 7 13 5 0.888 SV% – - –
2007-08 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 9 3.54 GAA 3 6 0 .880 SV% – - –
2007-08 San Antonio Rampage AHL 2.53 GAA 1 1 0 0.906 SV % – - –
2007-08 Boston Bruins NHL 23 2.32 GAA 9 7 5 0.919 SV % – - –
2008-09 Ottawa Senators NHL 43 2.47 GAA 16 18 7 0.911 SV% – - –
2009-10 Dallas Stars NHL 21 3.00 GAA 9 6 3 0.894 SV% – - –
2009-10 New York Rangers NHL 3 2.53 GAA 0 1 0 0.904 SV% – -
A journey man. Clear cut. He’s played #1 and backup and has a losing record since 2006. We can harp about the teams he’s played on, but at some point a goaltender has to sit on his stats and take any criticism that comes along with it. Do we think that Auld can have his SV% hover below .900 with the Habs D in front of him and make it to the playoffs? I know we upped our offensive output, but can we become gunslingers in the East like Wash and Pit with subpar goaltending?
I donno, can’t see Auld/Price tandum being the “end result of free agency” …
by Cruisin4aBruisin on Jul 5, 2010 8:42 PM EDT reply actions
The Hamilton Bulldogs have nothing to do with this, but I do find it interesting that you totally ignored the rest of Price’s 2007 season. The list includes a WHL goaltender of the year, a CHL goaltender of the year, a World Junior championship MVP, Calder Cup champion and Calder Cup MVP. They CANNOT be ignored in this discussion.
You also listed Halak’s statistics from the age of 21-25 and Price’s from the age 19-23. You didn’t list Halak’s stint with the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the ECHL at an age when Price was winning everything a goaltender could outside of a Stanley Cup.
You can pick and choose all the stats you like, but Halak at Price’s age did not have the same resume so after watching Halak grow from 23-25 why is it so hard to believe Price can achieve the exact same thing?
Who cares if Auld can have a SV% around .900, would Biron be any better? Leighton? Ellis? The protection Canadiens fans want would make $3.5-5M a season, they are better referred to as a starter. Whether you like it or not the backup is an average NHL goalie who when placed on a good team is good and on a bad team is bad.
Auld did not replace Halak, Price did. Auld is replacing Price.
This is not the WHL, CHL, World Juniors, or the Calder Cup. In he big time NHL, where this all matters, the simple fact is that Price has not shown he can handle the pressure of playing consistently.
by Alex Blosser on Jul 6, 2010 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions
'which points to what Chris is saying
“the simple fact is that Price has not shown he can handle the pressure of playing consistently.”
At Price’s current age neither had Halak.
by hab a good time on Jul 9, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
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