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travel_dude

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Everything posted by travel_dude

  1. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    I think it's a pretty low-risk move, even if they re-signed him before he played a single game. He's elite. Had Tarasenko actually been able to score against SJS, they might have made some noise.
  2. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    There are no guarantees for anything. Johnson has never been a starter. He took on that role in Buffalo (actually a 1a) due to injury issues to their real #1. He's 30 this year, so he's not going to get a lot of other offers unless he goes UFA. The Flames will most likely have to sign him to be able to expose him to the draft. He won't likely get claimed; there are too many other goalies out there. The Flames could trade for a goalie with another year remaining to satisfy the requirement, I suppose. Elliott is looking for a team that believes in him. He will sign an extension if he is able to have a decent season. If both goalies play well, the Flames will re-sign both. Elliott will want more, but isn't going to get over $6m. Johnson will be similar to what he got before. That is reasonable expense for a tandem. You can't really say that Ortio was burning up the AHL, so he wasn't a NHL goalie being developed. We chose MacDonald over Demko - no proof either will be a NHL goalie. Did I miss a bunch of NHL-capable goalies on the market? Murray and Vasilevskiy weren't available to us. Murray won Pitts the cup, but MAF got them to the playoffs. Bishop got TBL to the playoffs and the start of playoffs. Had Bishop been healthy, we may not be talking about Pitts being the powerhouse with elite goaltending. Who was the best goalie in regular season and playoffs combined? Wasn't Murray, unless you talk about wins in the playoffs. So, a competant goalie with above average regular season stats can be the guy that brings the cup to a city.
  3. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    The giving up on developing NHL goalies is just opinion. They gave up on a goalie. Wasted effort up to this point on him, but they must have some solid evidence that he was never going to be the one. They hit reset on that, and are starting in the AHL and other. Murray is Gillies in a year or two, and have a few more horses waiting the corral.
  4. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    If you are not being sarcastic, then I agree. Enroth was a value pickup, but I think we have the better player. If you can put up a winning record and good stats on a team like Buffalo, then you are doing something right.
  5. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    Johnson has shown that he can take on the reins of a #1. Elliott has shown that as well, even if he hasn't gottent the workload to 100% convince people. Given the compressed season, there is a high likelyhood that the split is 52/30 for Elliott and Johnson. Looking forward to seeing what capable goalies can do for this team.
  6. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    That is right. He was tired of being 1b everytime they had another goalie in the system. Halak, Allen, even Miller. Tampa and Pitts were both looking to move a vet goalie because of the expansion. Their asking price was too rich or the re-signing discussions were over budget for CGY.
  7. travel_dude
    I view Pribyl and Rittich in the same light, less a prospect, more of a NHL capable player. Here's what his ex-coach had to say: His strengths: strong on the puck, skilled hands, plays along the boards, quick orientation and reaction in front of the net, screening the goalie, and is able to pick up the pace with a good pass. He is a good team player; with him in our lineup we were always stronger, always creating chances and opportunities.His weaknesses: the defensive zone, blocking shots, average back-checker, one timers, average skater, and his acceleration (first three steps). His game is stronger in the offensive zone; frequent injuries held back his progression and development. He needs to feel the trust and support of his coach, and he repays that back on the ice. EDIT - ignore the grey background, was just a copy/paste issue.
  8. travel_dude
    Different. Mangiapane is a 1st year pro. Janko had a good college career, but only played once a week. The Czech league may not be the KHL, but Pribyl is not really a prospect. Getting him used to NA hockey really is the key here. They seem to believe he is close to NHL ready, but If he sucks, he sucks.
  9. travel_dude
    Players like Pribyl, Jankowsky, Poirier, Mangiapane are all different. Pribyl was already playing at a pro level, so the only reason he should start anywhere near the AHL is due to lack of NA experience or rehab. It's not a big deal to fill up Stockton's forward ranks; guys can be signed to AHL deals pretty easily. It's a much bigger deal to have players ready for the NHL not being blocked.
  10. travel_dude
    The timeline is early October, so he will miss pre-season games and part of main camp, assuming he shows up in week 1 of October. I think at the very least he has to play a few AHL games. The Flames have a couple of pre-season games he MIGHT make it back in time for. The Heat have games on Oct.7th and 8th, but nothing again until the 15th. I hope he makes it sooner than later, as the tendency is to be stuck on the farm while guys like Bollig are kept on the roster. Yes, I know he doesn't replace Bollig, but having a guy available to the team without being called up gives you opportunity to play a guy in a few situations and see what he can do. Pribyl is supposedly known for playing really hard when he gets rewarded with ice time.
  11. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    Much like doping, there will always be a certain element of the sporting world that looks to breakthroughs. A baseball player and a hockey player are two different types of athletes; one is one isn't. A pitcher uses one part of their body. So, I don't see surgery as any future unless you are talking about Robo-goalie.
  12. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    I could be wrong, but I have always seen Elliott as being an athletic goalie that is also big. He played less like Hiller (blocking) and more like Ramo (never give up). BT was also linked to MAF and Bishop, so I don't know how much future pad sizes had a bearing on his decision making. Do we actually see the changes to pads this season? If not, then the one year deal he was on doesn't really have any bearing. After the trade, BT discussed the possibility of an extension with Elliott's agent, so you know they have some idea of the cost and interest.
  13. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    Gillies will fill out to match his height a bit more. The taller goalies will have longer pads than a shorter goalie. You probably saw the graphic they did with MAF, where it subtracted the sizes of the pads. He would cover less of the upper part of the net. He would have less bulk in the middle. Gillies isn't just a big guy, he is athletic as well. Having longer legs will enable him to cover the low part of the net without exposing a lot of 5-hole. BTW, BT didn't sign Elliott at all. He came with the one-year deal. They probably want to see how he plays on the team before signing him longer term, but I believe he is their long-term goalie. The only question I have is his longevity. Would prefer that his next deal be 3 years, but he hasn't been overplayed so he may have a lot longer that that.
  14. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    Gillies said that he was looking forward to playing a game and being able to walk afterwards. That's a pretty strong reason to have the surgery. He would have done it in his final year if he was ok with not playing his final year (junior year) at all. But he wasn't. An injury is just that. Either you need to have surgery or not. Two guys having the same type of surgery isn't a trend. Having a tall goalie may be an advantage when the equipment size is reduced.
  15. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    Think we have to sign both to be able to protect one and expose the other. I don't worry about Gillies taking time to develop. With any luck, Elliott is our starter for 3 or more years.
  16. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    What frustrated me about recent Flames goalies was the "soft one". It didn't seem to matter how they played in a game, but there was always a softie that put a dagger in the heart. Kipper and Ramo were both the types of goalies that were entertaining to watch, with "The Scorpion", the backhanded slapper, whatever. Hiller was positional and didn't make many diving saves. Ortio was all over the map. What I have seen in Elliott is the guy that gives a team confidence. He makes a lot of saves look routine. He battles to the last second on tough ones and never seems to get fooled on breakaways. He seems to be a hybrid of a lot of different Flames goalies. And, from what I gather, he will let his teammates know what he is expecting from them.
  17. travel_dude

    Goaltending

    travel_dude replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    You will soon enough hear the yells from fans of "Mooooose!!" after a nice save or Hrudey talkin about our goalie "John-stoning" a forward. Okay, I am reaching with Johnson.
  18. travel_dude
    Timing is bad, but the level of competition will be better for them as players. Let's face it, these guys will benefit from playing high level games. The only problem I have with the tourney is potential injury worry.
  19. travel_dude
    In 5 years time, they may be players or not at all. n the meantime, we have Elliott, Johnson and Gillies, with a side of Rittich.
  20. travel_dude
    WHo has played in the NHL? Demko vs. McDonald is still just opinion. Demko played for BC, while Mac played for the Islanders in the Q. Hard to compare their numbers. One catches right, the other left. Hockey futures feels Demko is a way better prospect. Time will tell who is better as neither have played pro yet. Parsons was not the top rated goalie in the draft. In some lists he was 4th. The top guy was Gustavsson, with Hart being #2 IIRC. We picked Parson before Gustavsson was picked, but after hart was picked. I think his rating dipped a bit from playing on a stacked team. He is a winner, and that counts for something.
  21. travel_dude
    If you want a lesson on how not to draft future NHL goalies, look nowhere further than 3 hours north. between Fuhr and today, Dubie is their only notable pick. http://thehockeywriters.com/history-shows-oilers-just-cant-draft-goaltenders/ While I am not a big fan of 2nd round picks used to pick them, it's a reasonable risk/return if one of the recent guys makes it. Gillies (3rd), MacDonald, Parsons are all really good prospects.
  22. travel_dude
    Just so there isn't any confusion, I think Parsons is a top goalie from the draft. Maybe not the top, but one of the best.
  23. travel_dude
    I am describing Parsons. In the Memorial Cup, there were stretches where he didn't face any shots, but still had to stop pucks.
  24. travel_dude
    Sometimes the guy on a stacked team that does nothing for long periods of time is overlooked. When he is needed, he has to make the saves. Very much like having a backup that is cold for 58 minutes of a game, then replaces the starter. He has to make those saves. Or he sits on the bench for 10 games in a row. When he starts, he has to perform. One of the advantages of a guy like Elliott or Bishop is their overall size. Without pads, MAF is small. Without pads, Elliott is big. We seem to have mostly picked big guys (Gillies, MacDonald, Rittich, Parsons). So, I think we are better off than some teams that have Ortio sized guys or smaller.
  25. travel_dude
    Agree about Johnny and BSM (Boring Sean M). Bennett is hard to put a finger on. He was sent out with a bunch of middling talent for part of the year and a shutdown line for the rest. Played very little of center position. I would suspect that they will not bury him at all and that he will have at least a Brouwer or a Frolik to help drive the play. Bennett is pest-like, similar to Perry, so I think a lot of his goals will be from the slot and closer. I would like to see him develop his speed game, so that he can finish the way Monahan and Johnny do, but that is just a personal preference.
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