travel_dude
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Everything posted by travel_dude
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Interesting that Wideman was practicing in place of Engelland. That and the fact that Wotherspoon is still here. Should here this week about the suspension decision, but if Nakladal is ready to go, Spoon has to go down or get converted. The latter doesn't make sense from an asset evaluation point of view. We kinda know what we have in him, so I would rather make use of the final 2 recalls for forwards. We have 7D once Wideman's suspension is lifted.
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He's gonna have to earn a contract before he shows anybody wrong. Baby steps. He's still making the same mistakes, but the team knows what to expect now. Heard it said that his style takes a long time to develop. Think he needs a new goalie coach to get him to the next level, if ever.
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This should make JJ feel good. BH said that Ortio will get the bulk of the starts from now on.
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All I know is that going with the same as we had this past season is a recipe for disaster. Hiller is done. Ramo might never return to being a viable goalie. Ortio is a shot in the dark. He should get the majority of starts the rest of the season to see what he can do. He's going to lose at least half of them, since that is how we are right now. That does not mean he won't get offered a deal. He may or may not sign. Ok, so we have a potential NHL backup. That is all. We would like him to succeed, so the best way is to bring him along slowly. Put him in a position to succeed. Pair him with a goalie with a winning record and some years experience. Ortio is not likely to steal the job next season. He could the following year, if he is really that good. Or he could be replaced by Gillies. We are probably looking at three years before we have a replacement to our starter. That means we have to have one that can get this team a winning record for three years. So, we either pay now for somebody good, or we pay now for someone that may be good or have to be replaced sooner than three years. Hiller brought some stability in his first year, but was not a long term solution. Not even a two year solution. I don't mind the team committing $6m to a goalie that can and will win.
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Varly + ? would give us the next 3 years to develop a replacement. Bishop + ? would be more expensive to acquire and is only signed for next season. Elliott is one year remaining and due a raise. Andersen is a pending RFA and due a raise.
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That was a shopping list, not a realistic trade. Elliott has had better stats, but Allen is promising and younger. I could see them keeping both. I would actually be happy with Elliott.
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I'm not super impressed with Hammond. Jake Allen is a young enough guy with some good experience. Other young guys are going to be as risky as picking up a career backup (but young) guy and promoting him to #1. The #2 option is a bit more safe. You aren't getting an Over-the-Hiller goalie at age 28-30, which gives you more time to find the next one. At worst, you have one guy capable for 5 years. At best, you have two capable goalies that you can trade one of.
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Kehatch - give me an idea of the goalies that qualify for Optio 1 and 2 for the starter position. I'm not sure who qualifies for that 1st option. Maybe Jake Allen, but he's 25+. Andersen? Again 25+.
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Not a bad alternative. I was suggesting that we traded for him awhile ago. As long as it didn't cost that much. We could still use Ortio or Backup goalie X to round out the year. If Ortio isn't the guy, waive him and bring in someone else.
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I think the roster limits are done as of TDL. No point in sending him down now. He wouldn't be able to play in the AHL playoffs in the unlikely event that Stockton makes them. If anything, I think you will see him play and somebody else sit some games.
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Is Ortio that guy? You keep talking about him as a backup next season until he takes the next step to being a starter. But I don't see the starter you have in mind. Rather, you would prefer to make this Ortio against the world. Or your idea is the right one, even though I fail to find your solution in any posts. To be blunt - what is your solution to the starter next season and perhaps longer?
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Is it better to make a starter out of a goalie that was average this season? Good recent stretch after a horrid earlier stretch? We haven't had league average goaltending in years, so ya, that is at least the goal moving forward. League average this year would have meant playoffs. Better than league average last year could have meant Conference Finals. Bishop is better than league average, so that's not selling short.
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It's funny how this thread has turned into a pro-Ortio / anti-Ortio thread. He's an option for staring games the rest of a lost season. He could play enough for the Flames to offer him a qualifying offer if they want to. He has played well enough recently to justify starting games now. That's all there really is. We need a starter to come in and provide league average or better numbers next season. The backup will be needed for at least 20 games to do the same. There are only so many that will be available, either by trade, by OS, or by FA. Trying to turn a career backup goalie into a starter is risky. I doubt BT will take that risk. If anything, he will likely want to get a guy like Bishop or Andersen. Bishop has years ahead of him and could be great here. Andersen is young enough to have long-term potential. Having that starter, we have the luxury of using Ortio as a backup and taking our time with Gillies. Should one of them become redundant, then we have a decent trade piece.
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Overall, I think it's a team issue. Someone on the line is missing the assignment. Sometimes you see Engelland standing in front of the net, guarding nobody and a guy is all alone in the slot. That could have been a C's man or the communication was mixed up or there was a switch. I think some of it can be blamed on the forwards getting into transition before the Flames have the space to make a smart exit. That is one area that Johnny needs to improve; his defensive zone play. He can strip the puck but doesn't prevent much from happening. I don't expect him to block shots, but he has to be better on the backcheck.
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If only we could score 3+ goals in every game he started or continues to start. It seems like the usual number scored against him, unlike Hiller who like to let in 4 or more.
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Gotta feel for Brossoit. Faced 27 shots, let in 6. Second night of a B2B for the team, but they looked terrible in front of him. At least he faced an easier team than the Flyers.
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You do know that Hiller and Ramo (and Ortio) do not have contracts next year, right? Sign a #1 goalie and they will play here. Sign Ortio as a backup, and he will see 20 games at least, if the schedule has his name written down on it.
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We have no extras right now, so Ortio + Wideman is still fine. Actually have one more free spot. 12F 6D 3G Wideman (once he comes back) Total = 22 roster spots. Only have 2 more callups available. I think Spoon was the emergency D callup, but may just have been Russell.
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He has to be converted to a regular callup once Backstrom gets the all-healthy vote. I suspect it may have already happened. Ortio had nothing to do with Wideman.
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Link to story about three options in net: http://www.thescore.com/news/974351
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Are you calling Hiller a great reactionary goalie? That is not what he is. He relies on being in the right spot and blocks the puck. He plays deep and on his knees, so he takes out the lower portion of the net. He doesn't stop anything high, unless it's on the trapper side or hits him in the shoulders or chest. He's best close in when guys are trying to jam the puck or mid level and below from the slot and out. Maybe Roger Millions should ask who's on the list for the next 5 games. He should already know. Or is it different now? Or was it always that way? Or was it whoever looked good in practice? Or was it a team goalie x has beaten? END of RANT - I am fed up with this topic.
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I get the opinion of him, and he hasn't done enough to really change that to a "must start". Who cares though that he passed through waivers. Many do. Ramo came back and played ok to start and lights out for awhile. Pretty much a season wasted on him playing 3 games in the NHL and then playing 20 total games in the AHL, followed by 4 games in the NHL. That is Kipper McBackup NHL games. It's hard to tell what he can do when he keeps being used as a 3rd goalie or the backup after a Hiller loss. He's 24. He's not a bad age for a backup that could become a starter. I have my doubts, but I would rather give his enough games the rest of the season and if he's capable enough, re-sign him to a 1-2 year deal, as the backup. Giving up on him after this year doesn't make any more sense than splitting up Johnny and Bennett after 1/2 a game. He's a cheap asset to keep and a possibly expensive one to replace, backup or not. Considering the last 3 starts, I don't see the need to play Hiller. The season is done. The losing has to be controlled, and the team has to regain faith in the goaltending. Hiller isn't going to do that.
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What was that last one? 4-3 for Flames? Ristolainen with a hatty? Hiller a 0.900 SV%. I find it difficult to get pumped for a Hiller game this season. It's like watching a car wreck in slow motion. You know what's coming, but you hope that nobody gets hurt.
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The 3rd point is debatable. Bob wouldn't be the one making that decision. BT would be, and it seems like BT's decisions aren't reflected in the lineups. BT gave Hartley 3 goalies to start with, but he only went with 2. BT called up Nakladal only to have him sit the entire time. It could be the 1st one, but that only applies if there is some doubt about the starter. Usually the win/good effort and you are in is the choice.
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What I mean is that he seems to take responsibility for the losses. He may have had a bad goal, but he was not the reason. He should feel bad about the loss to Ottawa, but not the others.
