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(ARTICLE) Beware of the Unproven Goalie


shawn antoski

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http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/48072-Beware-the-unproven-goalie-Mike-Green-risk-and-the-Winnipeg-Jets.html

This is most apparent at the goaltending position. It’s the hardest to predict and the one most affected by injuries. That’s why, if you have a legitimate No. 1 goalie who has been that way for a number of years, you’ve struck gold and should treat that asset as such.

Perhaps that’s why the Vancouver Canucks’ asking price for Roberto Luongo is supposedly so high. Whoever ends up with him knows exactly what they are getting and that bump would be enough to get most non-playoff teams into the top eight. And, while I don’t want to knock Cory Schneider, the Canucks shouldn’t be as easily favored with him as the undisputed No. 1.

This is not to say the Canucks will miss the playoffs or even finish worse than No. 1 in the Northwest, but if you’re banking on a goalie with a short track record to carry you, you’re playing a bit of a risk. No matter how high a goalie was picked in the draft, how well he played in a development league or how sturdy he was in a backup role or even in his first season (see Mason, Steve), until he is tagged with that No. 1 job and strings a few good years together, you just never know.

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dont even have to look around the league for examples, the canucks in 1994 with whitmore and mclean whole city was calling for quinn's head when he put mclean in game1 of the playoffs because whitmore(the young goalie) had better stats.

we then proceeded to run mclean through the coals in 1995 (sound familiar?)

how quickly we forget!

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We already know it's a big risk. But Schneider has been tested over, and over, and over again and he has come through each time. If Schneider plays like he has been, he will be one of the best goalies in the league. Even if his numbers drop off a bit he will still be one of the best in the NHL. He's been developed properly and he has a good head on him. All the signs point to him being the real deal. It's a risk the Canucks have to take.

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Cory will excell as our starter,. Do not worry.. Lou isn't exactly proven either in the NHL. At least when it comes to the playoffs. And really that's all that matters. I'm confident in cory when it comes to high pressure games,, not so much Lou.

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We already know it's a big risk. But Schneider has been tested over, and over, and over again and he has come through each time. If Schneider plays like he has been, he will be one of the best goalies in the league. He's been developed properly and he has a good head on him. All the signs point to him being the real deal. It's a risk the Canucks have to take.

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I am not worried about it. Cory has proven himself and is consistant between the pipes. I agree that Luongo's asking price is not too high as he is also a proven starter. I just want this deal to get done so we can move on. If Hasek is getting attention at this point, then Luongo should be packing his bags.

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at the latest I hope Lu stays for half the season as a safety net for Cory, but if he's able to handle the load then Lu should be traded at the proper time to a team needing stronger goaltending (or bring in Theodore before the season starts-- I'd be happy with a Cory - Jose duo for the whole season).

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why do the canucks have to trade one of the best goalies in the NHL????

oh yea thats right are dumb fans listen too the even dumber media

Luongo will be the best goalie the canucks ever had

:picard: i hope we dont go back to the goalie graveyard days

I'm not hating on schneider, he has potential but Luuu is proven... He is the reason why we are an elite team

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He's right about Luongo's value being high - he is a rare, consistent, franchise goaltender.

I agree however with the Canucks decision to take the 'risk' on Schneider - there are a few young guys that pan out, and he will be one of them.

The Canucks are in a position where they have to take a 'risk' one way or another - a much better position than virtually every other team in the NHL - either way they are left with a franchise goaltender.

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You know what, I have pretty much got to the point of not really caring which one gets traded...Schneider or Luongo.....as long as the right package of young forwards and picks (or Shea Weber) comes to the Canucks.

The point of this whole exercise is that when everything is said and done....the Canucks end up being a much better hockey team than they are right now. You don't trade either of these goalies for 3rd or 4th liners because those are easier to get for trades of prospects or picks. MG has demonstrated that he has no problem accumulating 3rd and 4th liners but blue chippers are almost impossible to get.

So that is where we sit right now....we have a blue chipper in Luo and what looks to be another in Schneider which gives us the luxury of swapping one of them for a big time scorer for the 1st or 2nd lines. As far as Luongo's contract....I don't think that it is that onerous a contract because it has out clauses for both sides so if Luongo is the guy that stays....so be it. Am I worried about our goaltending in the playoffs with either of them....absolutely.....but....I would feel a whole lot better about either of them if MG can get some offensive players that can bury the puck when we are in tight checking regular season or playoff games. If you play most of the game in the other end of the ice....goaltending becomes less of a challenge.

If we have to go into the next season with both goalies....so what. We are better off with a tandem of goalies that makes us a better team out there than a team with one good goalie and a bunch of 3rd and 4th liners spending most of the game trying to stop the opposition from scoring and creating very little offense.

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why do the canucks have to trade one of the best goalies in the NHL????

oh yea thats right are dumb fans listen too the even dumber media

Luongo will be the best goalie the canucks ever had

:picard: i hope we dont go back to the goalie graveyard days

I'm not hating on schneider, he has potential but Luuu is proven... He is the reason why we are an elite team

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To be honest, the reason fans are so stoked and so optimistic about Schneider is not because of his skills or potential, but rather his professionalism and work ethic. I don't want to say he's different from Mason or Raycroft, but yeah he's much different.

Also, every NHL goaltender is unproven at some time in their career, but somewhere down the line they solidified their status as a starter. Schneider will have to do the same, so we must let him either by dealing Luongo, or by dealing him.

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why do the canucks have to trade one of the best goalies in the NHL????

oh yea thats right are dumb fans listen too the even dumber media

Luongo will be the best goalie the canucks ever had

:picard: i hope we dont go back to the goalie graveyard days

I'm not hating on schneider, he has potential but Luuu is proven... He is the reason why we are an elite team

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The ongoing 'goalie controversy' in Vancouver is rather interesting. In my opinion, the difficulty in this position is quite high. I respect Gillis's prudence and patients; while the fundamental choice between what goalie to start in Vancouver is difficult enough, but to then try and trade the other tender for a fair value/return is difficult under the current NHL salary cap. Do I think Schneider is the right choice over Luongo? I personally do. However, there is risk in both choices. First, we could trade Luongo and Schneider could become a bust; or worse, seriously injured. Yet, if we keep Luongo and then trade Schneider, we risk Luongo continuing his decline in skill, the nightmare of Schneider succeeding on another team, and finally when Luongo retires--say four or five years, we maybe without that goalie. As a result, I think keeping Schneider is a better option than Luongo. Thus, Gillis made a reasonable choice, in my opinion.

Now, trying to get good value out of Luongo! This is another difficult task as not many teams are in the market for a goaltender. The odds of Luongo heading to Florida, in my mind, is quite high. Gillis should be trying to score a NHL ready player--i.e., Versteeg, in addition to a high-end prospect: Grubanson for example. Finally, a draft pick, would be nice as well--first rounder in the 2013/14 draft. Now, can we get these three commodities just for Luongo? Ideally, yes! Realistically, probably not. That is not to say we cannot add in another piece to get this deal done, and I would be happy with that trade. The Canucks are on the cusp of the Championship. Adding prospects will always help the future of the team, and also give trading commodities for the trade-deadline this year in case Gillis adds a rental player for their cup run.

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