Following last night's loss (Februart 13th) against the Flyers, I think it's pretty clear that the problems in Montreal are not the goaltender, but the team in front of them as well as injuries.
Regarding the trade discussion that surrounds this debate, I think it's pretty evident that trading either goalie at this time would be a stupid move. Given Halak's descent back to earth in the past few games, it is safe to say that he is not yet ready to handle the starting job and it is for this reason why trading Price or either goalie for that matter would be stupid move given that both are clearly not ready to be a number one goalie. Yes this point is repetative, but it needs to be stressed.
This last point was made clear by Tsn analyst Bob Mackenzie as well as former GM Bobby Clarke. Niether goalie has proven anything in the league other than hot streaks and niether is worthy to be a. the number one goaltender or b. in a position to demand a trade. As Bobby Clarke said, both should stop acting as though they are entitlted to something and should keep their mouth shut and play.
Price is still young and rather inconsistent and Halak has many flaws in his game that make you wonder if he can be a steady number one(rebound control and lateral movement). Last night like the Buffalo game early in the season, Halak's rebound control got him into trouble. He's been rather lucky with his rebounds in the past two months, but after playing a team that crashes the net, such as the Flyers, it is quite clear that this is a problem. In fact this problem will be highlighted if the Habs make the playoffs given that this is the exact style of game teams play in the post season.
The point of this entry is clear: Give up the goalie debate because 1. It's really annoying 2. Both goalies have fundamental flaws that are preventing them from being number netminders in this league and 3. It's quite clear that neither is getting traded.
Goalies are not the problem of the team, this last point cannot be stressed enough. Lastly, I am going to put this out there because it needs to be said, especially to those fans who watch the team because it's "cool" and "hip" to do so....
...When you don't know hockey, the easiest thing to do is blame the goaltenders.
My advice: continue to play Halak, to actually see if he's the real deal. Stop the win and your in motto and play Halak as though he was your actual number one because it is the only way to determine whether or not Halak is ready. Price is still very young and can be dealt with later.
Regarding the trade discussion that surrounds this debate, I think it's pretty evident that trading either goalie at this time would be a stupid move. Given Halak's descent back to earth in the past few games, it is safe to say that he is not yet ready to handle the starting job and it is for this reason why trading Price or either goalie for that matter would be stupid move given that both are clearly not ready to be a number one goalie. Yes this point is repetative, but it needs to be stressed.
This last point was made clear by Tsn analyst Bob Mackenzie as well as former GM Bobby Clarke. Niether goalie has proven anything in the league other than hot streaks and niether is worthy to be a. the number one goaltender or b. in a position to demand a trade. As Bobby Clarke said, both should stop acting as though they are entitlted to something and should keep their mouth shut and play.
Price is still young and rather inconsistent and Halak has many flaws in his game that make you wonder if he can be a steady number one(rebound control and lateral movement). Last night like the Buffalo game early in the season, Halak's rebound control got him into trouble. He's been rather lucky with his rebounds in the past two months, but after playing a team that crashes the net, such as the Flyers, it is quite clear that this is a problem. In fact this problem will be highlighted if the Habs make the playoffs given that this is the exact style of game teams play in the post season.
The point of this entry is clear: Give up the goalie debate because 1. It's really annoying 2. Both goalies have fundamental flaws that are preventing them from being number netminders in this league and 3. It's quite clear that neither is getting traded.
Goalies are not the problem of the team, this last point cannot be stressed enough. Lastly, I am going to put this out there because it needs to be said, especially to those fans who watch the team because it's "cool" and "hip" to do so....
...When you don't know hockey, the easiest thing to do is blame the goaltenders.
My advice: continue to play Halak, to actually see if he's the real deal. Stop the win and your in motto and play Halak as though he was your actual number one because it is the only way to determine whether or not Halak is ready. Price is still very young and can be dealt with later.
Price sucks!! trade him!
ReplyDeletewould you like to elaborate on the point? Or do you not have anything to back it up with?
ReplyDeletelook at fleury wit the penguins when he started he wasnt all that great now look at him it took him 5 years to get to where hes at, give price some time. hes gunna get it.
ReplyDeleteThe man who posted the fleury comment brought up a good point. Goalies at Price's age rarely make the nhl and when they do they usually stuggle. Look at Steve Mason in Columbus, great rookie year and he's struggling.
ReplyDeleteWe need to be patient, luongo struggled as well. Plus Price isn't even struggling, he's doing quite well, he's top 5 for best goalie stats among Canadian goalies.
Alright. Obvious you know who I am and that I am a Bruins fan. You have made good points about Halak's flaws and touched upon the fan base. I also agree with you that it is always easier to blame the goalie then it is to blame the players infront of him. However, that is not the case this year in Boston when Thomas plays. But that is a story for another day.
ReplyDeleteCarey Price has been rushed into the team to be the savior, the next Patrick Roy, Marty Brodeur, you name it. It is unfair to Price - he is young, and this will easily get to the kids ego and whatnot. There is something both Price and Halak lack: leadership/veteran mentor. A while back on HNIC (not sure who said it), but it was made clear that Price lives alone in an apartment without a mentor (e.g. look at Crosby living with Mario, and other good young players in the league living with veterans.). This is what Halak and Price need. I am not saying that it will fix everything. Far from it, but it is a start.
What the Hab fans don't realize is that they have TWO good young goalies. Competition is very important in that position. They compete against each other to start the following game. Say, hypothetically, one of them is deal (it would be a big mistake) who will provide the competition? Sanford? Not at all.
Once again, look at Boston. They have two good, solid goalies. Tim Thomas, who has not been sharp this year, but does provide leadership & act as a veteran mentor (like Manny Fernandez did to Thomas last season); his "story" says it all. Then you got a young, talented and still regarded (arguably, of course) as "one of the best young goalies in the world" in Tuukka Rask. Damn, I love saying that name - Tuukka, Tuukka time! Competition, mentoring.
Sorry for the long response.
I agree with you claudio and though thomas is not as successful as last year, his experience(though short at the nhl level) is helping Rask succeed. A young goalie needs a mentor to let him know that bad games happen and that he's experienced many.
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on with your point about rushing without mentors. Thanks for keeping a good discussion with actual arguments rather than just blurting out random biased opinions with no substance.
I really enjoy reading this. Very interesting points...
ReplyDeleteIf I am not mistake, both Price and Halak are RFA's this summer. If so, then the habs will have a "good/bad" problem depending on how you look at it. For starters, I'm sure both goalies want to be reassured as the number 1 goaltender. I'm getting a feeling that both won't be signed if they cannot agree on who is number 1 and 2. Either way, Halak would be the odd man out. Hard to see Price being dealt because 1) Habs drafted him, 2) he is young, 3) has by far the greater potential of the two goalies, 4) less of a risk to keep. But I am not saying Halak should be traded. However, if the Habs were to make a decision now or months from now on who is (or will be) the number one goalie it is Carey Price. Plain and simple.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I do not think trading one of them would help the habs win games this season. The Habs defense is shaky and their offense - despite being able to score - seems to rely way too much on the same guys (Gionta, Cammalleri, Plekanec & Gomez). Not much scoring depth.
I don't know much about Jacques Martin other than he is defense-first. But I do know that it takes time to develop a system within a team. The Bruins took a while to learn Claude Julien's defensive system in his first year as coach. A lot of Bruins players (Savard, Wideman, Chara, Thomas, Ryder, Krejci, Wheeler and more) have improved defensively because of Julien's system. Now, I don't follow every single Hab games but I am sure within time some players will improve. Bottom line: goalies can steal games, but if the players infront aren't playing well then it is much harder for a goalie to play well.
Our team is suffering because of a lack of consistent work ethic; we give up on the puck chases, we don't follow through with our checks and, yes even our goalies, give up on the play ( that shorthanded goal was nothing short of disgusting). In essence, we play an uninspired hockey game. We don't need to single out any player on our shortcomings, rather, we blame every player.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Mortal Kombat, I completly agree. When you in sports, you lose as a team. Why we have such a fixation with blaming individual players in this city is beyong me, but it has to stop. Last night's loss was a team loss and not a goalie loss, I know my post may seem as though I am bashing Halak, but the point was to show that despite popular belief niether goalie is able to handle the #1 position so any bashing is pretty much unwarrented.
ReplyDelete