travel_dude
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Posts posted by travel_dude
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Wow, those are some awesome stats that Joey has compared to Berra and Ramo. Any stats other than this year's mean nothing. Apples and oranges.Name literally any stat, and he's done better this year than Ramo or Bera. Wins, winning percentage, GAA, Save percentage...
Look at their track records, same thing.
JMac's not an NHL starter. That doesn't mean he's the obvious choice to go, imho. Maybe the popular choice, whatever that's worth.
IMHO, they sent him down because they Know what they have in him, and they want to learn what they have in Ramo and Berra. That does not mean they are better than him. It means we have more to learn about them. Right now.
Unfortunate about the comments. He was right, but he shouldn't have said them. You could be right that the comments will bury him. But I hope not.
See my comments above about stats.
By obvious choice, I mean obvious who we had targeted to play this year. Joey started on the Flames because he was waiver eligible, not because he was the better goalie in TC. Waiving an NHL goalie is akin to the end of the road. Like the guy, but time to move on from a 33yr old sub-standard goalie; he won't get any better than he is.
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Exactly. I'm not so much wondering in terms of the Flames organization, as much as I'm wondering on this Goaltender thread, why we (the fans here) have give up on JMac. I also believe he is better than both.
The more games we give RetRamo, the more it looks that way.
From the Flame's perspective, they Must know that they've acquired too many goaltenders and at least one has to be cut soon.
IMHO, they would Like it if it was JMac making their RetRamo acquisitions look better.
But I am quite sure they're aware that they may need JMac to stay respectable in the league, and that one of Reto or Ramo needs to go.
To save the suspense: I think it's Reto who has to go. Even though he's better than Ramo. Just a contract thing. Unless he starts playing like a starting goaltender. I believe he has, in 2 of the games he's played in. He needs to play like that in Most of his games, though. Highly unlikely.
It should have been obvious that JoeyMac was the one to go. You don't waive him hoping he makes it through waivers to play as a backup to Ortio. He is gone pending an injury to one of Berra or Ramo. Even then, we may just see Ortio come up. Joey PO'd a lot of people on his way out of town. He is one level below B.Jones at this point.
His success rate and/or stats are nothing we couldn't get on the waiver wire anyway, so I think he is toast. Nothing to do with proving value to the Ramo/Berra signings; he was a signing that was at best a stopgap measure. If he had come in and provided over .900 and GA of 2.5 he would still be here. He didn't so we get to see what we have in Berra and Ramo.
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I don't really know what we have as far as goaltending goes. Berra has played 5 games? Ramo 7?BTW, imho, at some point we are going to have to realize what we have in Reto Berra.
Which isn't an NHL goalie. Very, very close, but not an NHL goalie. I can only imagine how popular this statement will be. Let me just say that I do think Berra is better than Ramo. I just don't think that says much, unfortunately.
Maybe if we were able to keep the number of shots below 30, we could get an accurate picture. Maybe if you did video review with the whole team, they might see why goals are coming fast and furious.
BTW, the Avs lost by the exact same score tonight. JS Giggy with 5 GA. Point is it happens.
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Agreed. I am not high on any of our goalies other then GIlles. And he is a long shot still. But I am encouraged by Ortio, Berra, and Brossoit and what they are doing in their respective leagues.
Berra has looked fine. He has made some saves where the puck should have went in and he has let in very few softies. He looks technically good. And as you say the team plays in front of him.
Given the types of teams he has had to play, the quality of the Flames, and our state of injury he is doing VERY well.
Based on look and feel, Berra is #1, followed by Ortio (great stats in AHL, but it is the AHL), and Brossoit.
I'm not writing off Ramo yet. He has shown some good skills, some ok stuff, and some really bad stuff. Depending on how the coach draws up starts, he could fare a lot better. I'm not a big fan of the "play the hot hand", because here is how it is being used:
- Play a guy, if he wins he starts next game, if he loses but doesn't totally suck or you can blame the team, he starts next game
- Above doesn't hold true if a back-to-back game
What you end up with is a guy plays 2-3 games (more for Joey) and in the meantime, the other goalie cools off.
I would prefer that goalies are matched to the team they play against. It will take a bit of effort to figue this out. Take the win/loss/good try out of it.
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Hopefully Ortio's strong play has earned the trust of Troy Ward because he is the one who makes the call over who gets the starts. There was pressure from the management to develope Leland Irving and we all know what happened there. Troy Ward's job is to win and he will play whoever he feels gives the team the best chance.
I'm pulling for Ortio to be honest. Jmac would be great in a backup role for the heat if he brings the right attitude. And it would serve Brossoit well to have a year in the ECHL. Run with Berra/Ramo for 2 seasons and see where our 3 prospects are after that.
JMac hasn't exactly endeared himself to the Flames. Being sent down doesn't mean you get the call to start either. Joey will need to earn the trust from Ward.
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I will say this now, we will not see Ortio called up unless major injuries are had to our goaltenders and its a must need.
It is possible that they want to see a few games to see how his game is progressing. More likely in the near future. Less likely if we are fighting for a playoff spot. They can call him up (assuming he is waiver exempt) and carry 3 goalies by dropping a D down to the AHL again (Smith/Butler/Billings).
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ST. PAUL, MN -- Calgary Flames prospect Laurent Brossoit has played in three games for the Alaska Aces (ECHL) and he has yet to allow a single goal.
The netminder posted two shutouts for the Aces this weekend, making 32 saves in a pair of games against the Bakersfield Condors. The back-to-back shutouts were the first by the Aces since Oct. 29-30, 2010 (Gerald Coleman and Adam Courchaine at Las Vegas and Bakersfield).
He also played in a portion of the Aces clash with the Condors on Nov. 1, stopping 8 shots.
The Aces sit first in the ECHL Western Conference with 14 points and a 7-1-0 record. They have allowed just 9 goals this year, the least in the league.
Brossoit, who was the Flames sixth round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, has also spent time with the Abbotsford Heat this year. He is in his first professional season after spending three years with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL.
One step at a time for LB. He needs to gain confidence before coming back to the AHL. His last two games were forgetable. There is no rush with him, as we have 3 better goalies ahead of him on the depth chart, and another playing his butt off in the NCAA.
In fact, it is actually better for him to stay in the ECHL for now, as JoeyMac can play a limited backup role on the Heat.
For now, until proven otherwise by a significant number of starts, we have 2 quality goalies in the NHL. Ramo will get better, and Berra could stay the same, and we have 1a/1b goalies. Many probably feel Ramo has been crap, but he is still adjusting to the style of game and the lack of defensive help. He's has two very good games (LA & WASH) and a couple where he let in some softies. His first game should have been a win, but OV and the team woke up.
Ortio will eventually get a call up, assuming we can send someone down without waiving them or someone is injured. That will come in time. Brossoit will get back to the AHL once they decide he is ready. Joey will probably get traded to a team in need of a backup later in the year, probably for future considerations. No real value there.
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Sums it up nicely. I am still a little shocked at how well he played last night.
That being said, this is the same guy that was legitimately beat by Ramo in the preseason, one of the few things on here we all agreed with at that time.
He is also the same guy that, in the AHL....never mind, Dirty Deeds will kill me.
You can bet the Minnesota is reviewing Berra video as we speak.
If he can maintain this level of play, then the conversation gets much more interesting.
In the meantime.....can we loan JMac to another AHL team or something? I Like the guy, but....
Don't worry man, Ortio is playing hot, so he will get the starts. Ward wants to win as well, and there is no pressure from management to develop JoeyMac. He is only there as a backup, and will (might) only get a call up if one of the Flames tenders is injured or falls on him face. His parting comments probably soured the coach a bit. You might be more likely to see Ortio as a call up.
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In 03/04 the Flames were a young team with a great work ethic that nobody expected to make the playoffs. They had been out of the playoffs for a long time and on paper they didn't look all that good. But they had a better then expected start mostly due to effort. By Nov 20 they were hovering around the 0.500 mark and were outside the playoff picture. The Flames were generally able to out shoot their opponents but goal was a major issue.
The Flames went through a revolving number of goalies. Long time back-up McLennan had trouble carrying the load. Sabourin wasn't ready. Turek wasn't ever able to establish himself as a legitimate starter. So then GM Sutter traded a conditional 2-round pick to San Jose for their third string goalie. Fans were mixed on the acquisition. Many saw it as a stop gap and a failure by the Flames to address the real issue.
On Nov 20, 2003 Kipper started his first game as a Flame. He won the game posting a 0.957 SV%. He then carries the team to game 7 of the cup finals.
Fast forward to this season. The Flames are not expected to make the playoffs. They are off to a better start then expected. Mostly based on effort. We are hovering around 0.500. Goal is holding us back. Berra gets recalled to mixed and relatively low expectations. He posts a 0.955 SV% and wins his first game.
For clarity I think it is way to premature to say Berra is the next Kipper. But the similarities between the 03 and 13 Flames is uncanny. A rebuild is all about hope. Might as well cash some of it in right now. Hope he pulls another great start his next time up.
Spooky.
Another thing that sounded similar was Harley talking about 5 game sets. Dutter did a similar thing as they got closer to the playoffs, so that they wouldn't look at the standings so much. The fireman's helmet is a throwback to the green hardhat as well. The one thing missing is Marty Gelinas as the FO specialist.
We have two Finnish goalies in the system; Ramo and Ortio (from the same place as Kipper).
I will hold off a wee bit on the predictions, as we haven't been too successful in Cali yet. When we can beat the Ducks in Anaheim, then we may have something.
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Was finally able to see highlights of last night's game and I must say I'm impressed with Berra. Very compact and fluid in the net. For a stand up style which he plays he has very good leg speed when he goes down in the butterfly. He's down and up really quick. His glove hand is always facing the shooters which helps take away the top half of the net. He really gives shooters little to look at. Let's hope he can keep the ball rolling in Minny.
I like that we have two goalies with different styles. Coaching just needs to figure out which styles play the best against which teams.
Berra was solid, and what worked against a team like the Hawks was freezing the play a lot. Lots of face-offs hurts a team like them, because they are great on the rush. Beyond that, team defense kept a lot of shots to the perimeter.
I haven't totally figured out Ramo's game yet; he does seem good on defending against break-aways. Think he may be more of a butterfly goalie, but a bit scrambly at times. Not enough games yet to get a read on him, though.
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I was thinking today about how many goalies we've had the past few years. Off the top of my head...
Kipper, Karlsson, Irving, Taylor, Macdonald, Ramo, Berra
Is that well above average? It seems high but I don't follow other teams' goaltending as much beyond their starter and backup. It seems like we've just had a revolving door looking for someone consistent, first to backup Kipper and now to take the reins. Maybe other teams have gone through just as many and I just can't remember most of them.
To be fair, we only have had one starter in that bunch. He has had the reins since 2004, and started the vast majority of games. This is really the first year that we are searching for a new starter. Our backups have not fared well over the years, but none of them really had "starter" potential (IMHO). Sure we messed up with Irving, but he showed he couldn't even beat Taylor or Brust for the Heat job.
This year was supposed to be Ramo and Berra competing for #1 or #1a/1b, but we were stuck with McBackup to start the year. That was just because coaching was not ready to commit to the rebuilding at the net 100%. The Ramo/Berra tandem will at least show us how much we are in need, or at least provide us with some league (or below) average goaltending we lacked last year. Combine that with the strong early showing by this team (no surrender) and we are not a bottom 5 team this year. We have been somewhat lucky with shots against not killing us, but then again we have been better lately at the PK.
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Exactly. 3 long seasons, most likely. Although I do hope that season 3 is filled with hope and huge strides forward. We are not getting better right now. People don't want to hear it...but we're getting worse. Yes we are. We probably won't bottom out until next season, and then start to come back up. Sorry. Those who stay along for the ride will be rewarded. Eventually.
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It would be our defence. From a prospect perspective, I am on the verge of panic. In terms of the Flames lineup, it doesn't matter that much right now.
I was a little shocked and horrified that we didn't draft a single defenceman until the third round this year. Not that we should have targeted them, but...common.....three first-rounders and not one defenceman?
We desperately need a Minimum of two possible first-line defensive prospects, and at Least one on the right-hand side.
In a proper rebuild, this would be the second thing we went for (after goaltenders), due to the time it takes to develop them.
If we trade Cammy or Hudler this year, I think this is what we have to get. A young, promising defensive prospect. Or two.
One has to think that the defensemen on the Flames' "list" were picked prior to where we wanted to pick them. I would not have given up Mony or Poirier for the defense that were still available at those picks. Klimchuk is a great pick and may just be the steal of the draft.
I was never that big on Nurse, and none of the guys I was big on made it even as far as the Poirier pick.
I'm not losing sleep over this as there are several guys in the pipeline that may (could possibly) end up as a #1/2. As you said, we have some vets that could fetch some pieces we could use. This year's cap constricts some of the contenders from making moves to help their teams, so they might have to give up something good to make room for the Iggys and Jagrs at TDL time. There may be players available this summer that we can easily afford that match our long term need. Either through trade or FA.
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Ramo has allowed at least 1 if not 2 soft goals per game that an NHL starter wouldn't allow. Guess what, that's 6GA. If he stops 6 GA more, his stats look like... guess what... an NHL starter. The stats here do paint the picture. He's one soft goal per game away from being a decent goalie. Unfortunately he shows no evidence of being able to stop that problem.
No argument about him letting in soft goals. Dubie let in a ton so far. He was an NHL goalie last year and is having a rough start.
Both will improve with average defense.
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This is nonsense. We are top half in SA/G in the league and second last in GAA. This is a goaltending problem first. Yes, we can improve our SA, but when your goalie is sub .900, it's not going to help much.
He faced half as many shots as Bernier last night. There is no excuse.
SA/G and GPG are only half the story. If we are 18th in shots per game (30.0), that usually means we allow too many chances per game as well. The way TO defenders cleared out the front of the net was a big difference between the two teams. Yes, the goaltender was responsible for making those 2nd and 3rd saves due to mishandling the puck, but scrambling in front of his is all on the defense.
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I probably shouldn't be saying this, but after last night:
I would rather have a goalie that is occasionally off-position than one who is turned 180 degrees and facing the inside of the net.
I feel bad saying it, but we all saw that...
Ask Nucks fans about games where Luongo let in softies or looked stupid with the puck by his feet.
Does Ramo need to play more like the Washington game every night? Yes.
Is he ready for the scrap heap after 6 games? No.
Like it or not, Ramo is our goalie for Y1 of the rebuild. We better learn how to reduce his workload in-game, start clearing the crease, and give him the tools to win. Teach him better positioning for play behind the net. Get him working with the D in practice on communication and D-man tendencies.
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JMac also has some really bad habits when it comes to positioning and awareness...
Here are two examples that resulted in goals from the recent game against the Yotes... This is not the same play if you look at the numbers of the Yote with the puck, just the same mistake by JMac on two different plays...
Sure he has made some good saves, but he also gives up far too many rebounds and it is just not that hard to find examples of poor positioning like this...
That said, I also appreciate his positive contributions, and like having him as a backup right now... But at 33 years old, the bad habits can be hard to break, and either way I just don't see that he has all that much time left on the clock...
One of the things that Calgary has lacked (no Vancouver pun intended) over the years was a go-to backup. One that you could trust to bring in when your #1 needed a break or had a history of playing a team badly. Joey does give us a bit of confidence, in that he is used to the role and doesn't need constant tuning to keep sharp. He was signed as insurance, in case we didn't get Ramo signed.
Given his age, the potential for one of our goalie prospects to make the jump, and the availability of adequate backup goalies, so this is probably his only NHL contract with the Flames. I feel it serves the Flames better to have Ortio, Berra or Brossoit take over his role and develop along the way. If Gillies develops the way he has been so far, in 2 years time we will have him and Ramo/Ortio/Berra/Brossoit being the tandem. Anybody else is trade or release.
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Well.....we're 1/8th through the season:
So far, I don't see an NHL goalie in Berra's record, at least not yet. Currently ranked 26th in the league...he needs to get more consistent.
Maybe if he was doing this at a younger age:
http://theahl.com/stats/gamebygame.php?id=4979
Very hot and cold....kind of like what we've seen from Ramo so far, but at the AHL level. Good game, then gets pulled. Has another good game, then not so much.
Ortio, meanwhile, is wasting away in the ECHL but at least has two shutouts to show for it so far:
http://echl.com/stats/gamebygame.php?id=3703
Brossoit was blown out in the AHL and really struggled in the ECHL....currently backing up Berra, doesn't look good for him this year.
JMac has been Jmac....and got us some wins.
Ramo: Hot and cold. Has played better than I thought he was capable of. Has also played as bad as I'd feared. We'll be 20 games into the season before we know what we have, imho.
I will only comment on Ramo, as we tend to go round and round on the others.
Ramo is getting better with each game played. I don't feel many of the goals he let in were that bad. What he is showing is a bit of rust, and adjusting to the move to NA ice. His first two starts were separated by two weeks. In both he was hung out to dry. Two strong teams with elite scoring. He then played in LA, where he earned the win with a decent defensive game being played in front of him. Then, even though he is hot, sits until the Dallas game. The Flames were tired and showed it in how they played in front of him.
He followed that up with another solid effort against Washington.
The Flames defense needs to stop the breakaways from happening (though he has played those excellent), clear out the players in the crease, and eliminate the scrambling D-zone play in the slot area.
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#AHLHeat G Laurent Brossoit has been assigned to the @AlaskaAces and G Joni Ortio has been recalled. Read More ~ http://ow.ly/qg9ij
Yes, I saw that. There are a number of games coming up (B2B) and you will see the games being split between goaltenders. Ortio gives the Heat a better chance for the win and has gotten some playing time in Alaska. Brossoit has been just OK, and needs to get some work in.
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Well I have pretty much been on the fence towards the goaltenders. I have made up my mind it is pretty senseless to throw anyone under the bus this early in the season **. Our goalies haven't been lights out and they haven't really been terrible yet either.
Ramo played well tonight however. Well enough to deserve another start. Maybe if he can string a few good games together we can do what Hartley has envisioned for this team this season. Compete for a playoff spot for those that missed that message.
** Well maybe the Oiler fans can continue to throw both their goaltenders under their Oiler Bus but that is a different story & thread*
The weird thing is that the Flames current sit 17th in the League, tied with Montreal. In the West, we sit 2 points back of 8th.
Hartley is winning in spite of some of his decisions. The things he is to be applauded for are the following:
- Giving Ramo a shot
- Going back with the Sven-Mony-Huds line
- Recognizing the skill of Colborne and rewarding him with decent line mates (Cammi and Gali)
- Using McGrats and Jackman sparingly of late
- Sensing the skill and compete level that Russell has
I hope that Hartley does understand that we need to see what the prospects have at the NHL level. Butler and SOB are adequate (at times), but we have more in the pipe. I can accept a trade for a top 2 potential defenseman, but only if that also is a long term solution.
Even if we are still in the playoff hunt by TDL, I really hope we don't trade for any short-term rental types.
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Are we allowed to send a player down to have 3 goalies up?
Team has already said they won't go with 3 on the roster at the same time. Otherwise Berra would have stayed up initially.
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We're talking about different games. You're talking about last week's back to back games. I'm talking about this week:
Say what?
If I'm not mistaken, the Heat played OKC Oct.18 and 19th. That was this week. Berra did get a 2-1 SO win, right? The game before Berra let in 4 goals and was replaced by Brossoit.
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It's Reto.
And, if you look, you'll see that everybody on here is complaining. We may not agree on the solution but everyone agrees that what the Flames are doing isn't working.
And why, on earth, would you think that Ortio starting for the Heat is an impossibility?
I still see it as the clear, and most likely outcome of this year. I only get annoyed at how long the process is taking.
Where on earth did you get that from, honestly? I've received a Lot of criticism on here, mostly for making unpopular predictions which have come true or are coming true right now.
But it never even occurred to me that anyone would see Ortio starting for the Heat as an impossibility.
If that is your feelling, then I guess I'll just add it to my list of things about Flames goaltenders that people have told me are impossible. But I didn't see that one coming, let me tell you.
Let me tell you what I think is nearly impossible from what you wrote:
-Ramo becoming the automatic starter for the Heat
(you really think he would even report? Or that Feaster would ever embarrass himself like that? )
-JMac being sent down
(you stopped yourself short there....good. Highly unlikely the Flames subject him to waivers. He has value)
-Berra being called up
(the Flames might do it, but understand that Berra is getting pulled, in the AHL. It would be very short-lived.)
Here's what's simple, DD: The Flames have:
1. A seasoned NHL backup
2. A mediocre KHL goalie that previously fled the AHL and NHL after getting blown out, and is doing it now too
3. A Swiss goalie with no NHL experience, more holes than the cheese they're known for, and a nack for getting pulled in AHL games.
4. A talented, and young Ortio, playing shutout hockey right now, who they never took seriously after putting him in the AHL too early and watching him get 9 goals scored on him in one game.
5. A talented, and even younger Brossoit, who they just put in the AHL too early, and watched him get 9 goals scored on him in one game.
Drawn expectations:
Expect the goalie playing shutout hockey to get the promotion. How long it takes, is just a question of the competency of the organization.
Expect the goalie getting pulled, to not get a promotion. A demotion, or a trade, are both possible.
Expect the goalie getting blasted by 9 goals to: Have their confidence shattered and their development significantly set back.
Expect the goalie with the $2.5M contract to NOT get a demotion. Not unless Feaster does first. With the way he's playing, don't expect him to be our starter. And Definitely don't expect him to get traded. Nobody would take him.
Expect the proven NHL backup, to start for the Flames, or get traded. Because he has value.
Likely conclusions:
We're stuck with Ramo. Nobody will take him, and there is too much pride involved (on his part, and Feaster's) to send him down. He's likely not good enough to be our starter (I'll give him some more games), which makes him our backup.
Berra is on his way out. He might have some trade value, with a reasonable contract and some potential upside. But he's awefully old to be getting pulled in the AHL. That won't last long, and he's a lot easier to move than Ramo. It is possible the Flames give him an NHL game or two before making a decision. But don't expect them to go well.
Ortio's getting a promotion. He's had two great seasons in SM Liiga, he had a great camp, and most importantly, he's playing shutout hockey.
JMac's our starter by process of elimination. Nobody else has stepped up.
Did you miss the score from the next game, where Berra took OKC to a shootout, and won 2-1?
Ramo held his own against the best team in the NHL at the moment. Getting lit up with 3 PP goals is not the end of the world, and even Hartley said Ramo played extremely well. He is getting the start against LA.
As far as I can tell. Hartley is making roster decisions. I don't always like them, but he makes them, not Jay.
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I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but I think you have that logic backwards.
True, we don't have any proven NHL starters this year, and the only NHL proven goaltender we have is JMac.
It appears that you are using this to to assume that we must have 2 or 3 starting NHL goalies, and nobody can prove you wrong because we haven't seen them play enough NHL games.
But that's not how it works, unfortunately.
Berra was just pulled last night after some brutal play in the AHL.
http://theahl.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1011157
While you are correct that we haven't seen him in the NHL, I think we can all put two and two together and assume that his struggles in the AHL aren't likely going to translate well up here, or that we should get excited about a "Ramo Berra" combo.
If Berra can prove that he is worthy of being in the AHL, then we can Ask the Question as to whether we should ignore training camp, where he was beaten by Ramo, who is also unproven, and give him another Chance in the NHL.
I haven't played an NHL game either...maybe I'm a starter?
Now, I'm wishing Ramo the best tonight, so no comments there.
But so far, the only goaltenders in our system that hasn't blown it so far, are Ortio and Gillies. And they're nowhere near ready to help the Flames this year or next. Coincidentally, neither of them have been given any opportunities with the Heat either (Ortio doing well in the ECHL, Gillies in College). Unfortunately, our best shot at developing our future goaltending saviours, is to keep them far, far away from our goaltending glut.
"face palm"
I am saying nothing other than you relegate all Flames goalies to being sub-par. If I'm not mistaken, the only goalie you have given the benefit of the doubt was Taylor. If it wasn't you, then sorry. Point is that you can't make blanket statements without proof. Well you can, but it is just your opinion, not fact. Wait till Ramo plays 10 games before you say he sucks.
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But the Flames hair-brained strategy of just acquiring lots and lots and lots of sub-par goaltenders and hoping to come up with a Tim Thomas, does not stand good odds. It's a great strategy for developing effective 3rd and 4th lines. It's a horrible strategy for your top line, or goaltending. We have not actively developed a goalie in their early 20's in many years. Gillies may be the first that's being developed properly, and that's because US College is keeping him completely separated from our disfunctional goalie development system. That, more than talent, is what makes Gillies our brightest hope.
In the meantime, I don't think we should get too excited, or upset.
I won't focus on your "facts" except the one stating the draft will be the most exciting part of the season. That is just wrong.
Already we are seeing some exciting games, with sub-par goaltending. We are missing 3 vets and still managing to win some games.
As far as acquiring lots of sub-par goaltending, I think you make statements without the benefit of hard evidence. We have seen exactly one game of Ramo's and none of Berra or Ortio (or Brossoit).
Goaltending
in Flames Talk
Posted
We are truly exposed with Gio out; Butler just doesn't have it to be a top line guy. Brodie is doing well, but still makes rookie mistakes. Wideman has good night offensively and bad night defensively. Russell is amazing for his size; he play like a giant.
Smith is not a bad 5/6 guy, and Smid will become a 3/4 th guy soon enough.
The goalie situation is distressing. Even when Berra has an awesome game, he still lets in some squeakers. Ramo has looked good and bad in the same game, but is not getting any opportunity to show that he can improve. If we are trying to find that elusive #1 goalie, then we need to play them equally and play the best lines available. That does not include Jackman as a 4th liner or Gratts playing every game. Nobody will fight him (other than a Gazdic or Parros type), so what is he taking up space every game for? I would rather see a Knight or B.Jones playing opposite Bouma and Colborne/Backlund and have them play 10 minutes.
As far as Ortio goes, he is the mid-range guy, in case Berra or Ramo can't hold the job. Don't want to see him till later in the year, though.
Gillies is currently playing elite-level goaltending, the same way Johnny Hockey is playing elite-level LW. Gillies has gotten They will both have an adjustment to pro hockey. I expect Gillies to continue to excell this year, as he has already posted 8 shutouts in the early part of his second season. That is other-worldly, not the second coming. His size and technique give him an early advantage over Kipper. He may never surpass Kipper, but I think he will surprise a lot of people.