Could Pekka Rinne be an option for next Devils Goaltender?

by Devilssection21fan on Mar 23, 2011 10:55 PM EDT

So its been a fine and respectable run for the Devils this year after the horrible start, and what is of course enjoyable is the promise for next year that the 2nd half surge has provided. However, there is now a big change on the way for us in just one season and 9 games, the likely end of the Marty Brodeur era. My wife swears I will be crying for days. Marty still seems to be in great shape, so who knows, maybe he signs a short deal and plays beyond his current contract. But some of his comments lead me to believe he will just play out the current one and hang them up before he starts to slip. The guy has been everything anyone can ask for, so I feel a bit weird in a way having the discussion, but I guess I just decided to see what everyone thought.

There have been a few discussions around goaltending future. I thought about this when I saw an article about Bryzgalov and Vokoun both being available after this year. So who is available after 2012, given that it does not look like we have the guy in our system - Frazee has had injury issues from what i have read and in general just seems to have not stepped up yet. So who will be available after the 11/12 season? Note - all contract terms per Capgeek.

First off there will be only 4 current goalies of significance who are free agents in 2012, when Marty's contract is up. They are Tukka Rask (RFA), Ondrej Pavlec (RFA), Carey Price (RFA) and Pekka Rinne. Pekka is the only UFA. So one might think that a pot of gold is waiting for Rinne, who currently has a cap hit of abou $3.4 million and that the Devils, if interested could face alot of competition. But when looking at it team by team, i'm not so sure the Devils might not be in a very good place should they decide to get in the bidding for Rinne

Regarding the 3 RFA, my guess would be all are likely to end up with their teams, certainly Price, unless he implodes next year.

Rinne could resign with Nashville - I have alot of respect for that team and Poile seems like an outstanding GM. But given their ownership flux, and the fact that they probably have a pretty tight budget, they probably cant afford to give Rinne much of a raise. So there has to be at least a pretty good likelihood he is moving.

So the next question is, who might the Devils be competing with. Things can of course change due to injury, or perhaps trades, but the below teams seem to be completely set at goalie till beyond 2012, because they have a solid goalie under contract through then at a relatively high price tag

- Penguins - Fleury through '15
- Rangers - Lundqvist throuth '14
- Sabres - Miller through '14
- Senators - Anderson through '15 (this one is a bit questionable since he is only $3.2 million) but given their immediate contract extension, seems like he is their guy
- Hurricanes - Ward through '16
- St. Louis - Halak through '14
- Canucks - Luongo through forever
- Flames - Kipper through '14
- Wild - Backstrom through '13
- Sharks - Niemi through '15
- Ducks - Hiller through '14

So that takes 11 teams out right off the bat. I suppose there are a few teams you could take issue with, but bottom line is that I don't think those 11 teams will be competition because they have a goalie they have committed to who appears to be solid

Next group of teams with special circumstances that I think will not put them in the market

Bruins - have the combination of already having Thomas under contract through '13, plus Rask as an RFA next year. Seems unlikely that they don't feel their goalie answer is on the team now
Islanders - DiPietro contract. Unless the guy retires (unlikely) they are stuck with him. I can't see them able to dump him in the minors in their financial situation. so they wont have the dough
Canadiens - Price is an RFA after '12, but he has certainly panned out this year and the team already showed its committment to him when they dumped Halak. Would have to melt down completely next year to be in the market
Redwings - Howard is signed through '13, but only at $2.3 million. Still, seems they are committed to him (though they went after Nabokov)
Oilers - have Habibulin through '13 on an over 35 contract. So that screws them.
Kings - probably wont have huge dollars to spend given the signings they have coming up and also they seem very committed to Bernier long term. Quick has been very solid. Can't see them in the market

Next group - teams that have to make a decision after this season. So unless they go for a one year stopgap, wont be in the market after the '12 season

Maple Leafs - Giguere and his huge salary are up this year, and Riemer, who has been impressive is an RFA. So since they have alot of dough, they are likely to either try to land Vokoun or Bryz, or tie up a pretty good deal of money and commitment in Riemer
Capitals - Varlamov is RFA this year. They also have some cap space coming off so seems like they might want to settle this position, but maybe not. If their goalie situation deteriorated alot next year, they could end up being a competitor
LIghtning - Nobody signed beyond this year. Team is built to win pretty soon. Would not expect them to go Stopgap next year
Black Hawks - Crawford has been stellar and is an RFA. I expect they will try to tie him up
Coyotes - either re-sign Bryz or find another guy to replace him. I would not expect them to go short term route. Also, obviously hugely in flux with ownership.

Final group, those who financially probably can't make a great offer

Dallas - expecially with Lehtonen signed through 13. They could trade him, but they are clearly in cost control mode and I could not see them spending much more than the $3.6 they spend now
Colorado - they also kind of have to make a decision this year, plus they seem to be in financial straights too
Nashville themselves - as noted above, seems like they lose alot of guys to bigger contracts. He could give them a hometown discount
Columbus - already tied down with Mason through '13, and even if they dealt him probably not enough in the budget
Florida - can't see them being a serious destination. Plus they will either already re-sign Vokoun (wouldn't they have traded him if they did not think a pretty good chance to re-sign?)
Atlanta - another team that seems to have to keep the spending tight given its lack of fan base. Plus, as noted, Pavelec will be an RFA in '12. If they let him go he would reduce the demand for other gusy

The above is probably a bit overly simplified - goalies move around alot, somebody could get hurt and create a need. But my overall point was simply that for 2012, even though there might not be alot of UFA on the market, the other side of that coin is that there are likely not alot of teams in the market. The only team that I see as an almost unquestioned bidder along with the Devils are the Flyers. Maybe Washington joins that mix too.

So that's my take. Would love to hear the flaws in the above

Go Devils.

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Comments

How about Viktor Fasth?

He’s kicking butts in the Elitserien right now. Ridiculous GAA. His 8th place AIK swept the first place HV71 in the first round of the Playoffs. And he won the goaltender of the year award this year for his regular season work.

Between Moose (Leksands) and Brodeur’s influence, Fasth could be a NJ Devil prospect without a problem.

BTW tomorrow I will read your post so I can be more responsive to it.

by Alan Wright on Mar 24, 2011 1:52 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

You’re working on the same wavelength as I am, because I was going to bring up Victor Fasth as well. His name was actually brought up in the Dreger Report (on TSN’s hockey page) about a week ago, and I think he’d make sense and would be a serious possibility. The relevant bullet points, according to Darren Dreger:

Fasth has an “out” in his SEL contract that will allow him to come to the NHL.

Fasth would prefer to come into a situation where he doesn’t have to be “the guy” right away but has a year or two to adapt to the NHL. He does not want to be the next Jonas Gustavsson where the pressure gets put on his back from the get-go.

As for the Devils, this is why I think it makes sense:

It’s cheaper and easier than trading for a goaltender or signing one as a UFA.

The Devils already have a significant Swedish contingent (Josefson, Tedenby, Tallinder, and maybe Urbom) to help him fit in.

Brodeur is still the #1 guy for another year or two, giving Fasth the opportunity to learn the ropes and then take over. At the same time, this would give guys like Wedgewood or Clermont the chance to play first at Albany and then compete to be Fasth’s backup.

….

Now, for my brief thoughts on Pekka Rinne.

Nashville has a tendency to jettison goalies every few years and replace him with a younger, cheaper option. The ex-Nashville goalies haven’t always had a ton of success outside of Music City, which makes me think some of the success has to be credited to the team and system and coaches more than the goalie. Is Rinnne the same?

Bringing in a UFA goalie as a bonafide #1 is going to be expensive, likely more expensive than Marty Brodeur’s cap hit if there’s any competition on the market. Can the Devils afford to spend that kind of money in the current situation?

Lou Lamorello also has a dismal track record when it comes to importing big-ticket items by way of free agency. I’d prefer not to go down that road again.

Bringing in Rinne by way of trade will be very expensive. Likely a #1 pick and some other stuff, be it prospects or established NHL players. Can the team afford that price, and does Lou have any interest in paying that?

….

In conclusion, I’m not sold on Pekka Rinne as “the answer”.

by acasser on Mar 24, 2011 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Nashville has a tendency to jettison goalies every few years and replace him with a younger, cheaper option. The ex-Nashville goalies haven’t always had a ton of success outside of Music City, which makes me think some of the success has to be credited to the team and system and coaches more than the goalie. Is Rinnne the same?

Perhaps, however NJ has a similar reputation in which some (most commonly Brodeur detractors) point to comparable numbers for guys like Clemmensen and Hedberg to Marty and argue that the defensive system makes any one in net look good.

I think of all the positions, any goalie would have NJ at or near the very top of their wish list of teams to play for, though some may find the successor to a legend role off putting.

by elesias on Mar 24, 2011 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Personally, I think Marty will play a couple more years after the end of this contract – particularly if the Devils look like contenders and he has a chance at another Cup. That possibility may turn Fasth off to the Devils, or it may be further enticing to him, depending on the time frame in which he envisions himself becoming an NHL starting goalie. At age 28, he probably thinks his window is closing fast, though.

As for Rinne, I think he’s an underappreciated goalie. The guy has strung together three stellar seasons as Nashville’s starter – making him much more like Tomas Vokoun than Chris Mason or Dan Ellis. Vokoun comes with a heavy cap hit but once you look past that, his save percentage has been higher in Florida and his GAA has held steady.

by dr(d)evil on Mar 24, 2011 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I think it is quite possible that Marty will do something similar to Nicklas Lidstrom in Detroit after his contract goes to end — that is, take it year-to-year on one-year contracts to give the Devils some flexibility in planning and not to tie them down if he “loses it” or decides he doesn’t want to play anymore.

As to Fasth, why can’t he have the best of both worlds? If the story in the Dreger Report was accurate (I won’t link to TSN, because the story is more than a week old and has “fallen off the bottom of the page”…. nor do I know if/where old stories are archived), he doesn’t want to be the alpha dog somewhere next year. So why not sign a two-year deal in NJ (or somewhere) and then test the market via free agency if he doesn’t like his landing spot? If he came to Newark and it looks like Marty is going to play another six years, he can find takers elsewhere in the NHL if he’s as good as advertised.

by acasser on Mar 24, 2011 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s a matter of being able to play enough games as well. If it looks like Marty will continue to play after his contract is up, the Devils don’t have much incentive to groom his successor and give Fasth 30 starts a season. As well as Hedberg has played, he still hasn’t been given a start in the past 10 games. Until Lou has the mindset that he needs to groom a successor, I don’t think any backup to Marty is getting in more than 15 games per season.

Ultimately, I think the Devils are fine with not having a successor waiting in the wings. I think there is an abundance of serviceable goaltending in this league available through trade or free agency and it’s just really hard to develop an all-star caliber goalie.

by dr(d)evil on Mar 24, 2011 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Fasth

I didn’t know about the Dreger report. I’ll look into it. Between that and Fasth’s winning the best goaltender trophy, I’m sure he’s quite well known at this point by NHL folks. Let’s hope the Deevils have him on their radar as well.

Good point about the Tallinder/ Josefson/ Tedenby connection. That would be a way to make him feel welcome.

Maybe there is no such thing as a hockey prospect for goaltending, but all the same Fasth merits a closer look.

by Alan Wright on Mar 25, 2011 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Love the analysis.

Having read through this a few times, I can’t see any significant flaws in it given the info that’s out there now. The one thing I might add to it is that there might be a certain degree of fear among the available goalies. Even among seasoned professionals, there might a few saying to themselves that they don’t want to be the guy that follows Marty.

by MyDogsNameIsKovy on Mar 24, 2011 9:57 AM EDT reply actions

Great Job

Philly has had goaltending problems forever, even look at one of the taglines of Broad Street Hockey (Looking for goaltending since 1987). I could see them being aggressive.

I have respect for most sports fans with 2 exceptions: NY Ranger fans who grew up in New Jersey, and Dallas Cowboy fans who can't name the capital of Texas.

by Cherno77 on Mar 24, 2011 10:33 AM EDT reply actions

sounds good

Pekka rinne in my own opinion is one of if not the most underrated goalies in the league. That may come from playing in nashville arguably the most underrated team in the nhl. With that said I think just from watching him in various games the past few years, I would be very confident in him as our new number one goalie just based on his skill, poise and maturity level. I’m still interested in seeing what wedgewood, frazee and cleremont can do however. There are other unforseen variables between now and then but I believe the organization would be a strong contender to sign him if he is available.

by irkenarmada on Mar 24, 2011 10:37 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Although I think Pekka Rinne is a great goaltender, I just don’t like the idea of signing an almost 30 year old goaltender as the “next” goalie of the Devil’s future.

If anything, signing Rinne would be a 3-4 year solution. I personally would like to see the Devils go after one of the younger prospects out there from teams that have depth at the position. Does it make sense for L.A. to keep Quick and Bernier long term? I don’t think so. Same situation for Washington. Neuvirth, Holtby and Varlamov seem like they can all be starting quality goaltenders in their career.

To me, those seem like better solution to the post-Marty era.

by dasru on Mar 24, 2011 10:40 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I’d trade one of the Caps’ goalie prospects for one of NJD’s young forwards.

Cory Schneider may be another option, though he won’t come cheap.

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by red army line on Mar 24, 2011 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t think the Devils would want to part with Josefson, Tedenby, or Henrique, nor do I think Washington is looking for high-end forwards. They already have a forward corps built around Ovechkin and Semin on the wings with Backstrom and Johansson down the middle. They’ve got a star prospect at forward in Evgeny Kuznetsov who absolutely tore up the World Juniors as an 18-year-old. If anything, I think they’ll be looking for defensive prospects to help them phase out guys like Poti and Wideman.

by dr(d)evil on Mar 24, 2011 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe. The Caps’ farm took a huge hit losing Varlavirth and Carlzner. Kuz and Orlov are the only high end prospects left (Hotlby too, maybe, but it’s so hard to project goalies). There are more that project to NHL contributors (throw in Eakin, Perreault, Galiev, Wey, couple others), but only those two at a high level.

I think the D are more set. Carlson and Alzner won’t be going anywhere, Schultz is signed for 3 (4?) more years, Poti is signed, Green is probably hanging around…the top four is covered. But up front, it’s 1LW, 1C, and a mediocre 2C/good 3C. Semin I can’t see in the team’s long term plans (that is, I’m certain he’s not going to be getting a mid or long term deal from GMGM; a series of 1 and 2 year deals I could see though). I really don’t see much depth up front, at least in terms of secondary scoring.

by red army line on Mar 25, 2011 8:52 AM EDT up reply actions

I imagine the Caps would, ideally, trade Semin for a nice package of futures and trade one of the young goalies for a forward who can step in immediately and offset some of the offense lost by dealing Semin, thereby keeping the team in contention while setting it up for the future. So I see what you’re saying about looking for secondary scoring depth, but in that case I think they will be looking for players with a longer track record of NHL scoring than Josefson and Tedenby.

by dr(d)evil on Mar 26, 2011 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

I like Rinne I just don’t see NSH letting him go. I like the idea of trading for a young goalie. Doing that this offseason would probably be ideal. I wouldn’t want to throw any young goalie into a starting role even though some teams have been succussful in doing that

by C.J. Richey on Mar 24, 2011 3:07 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Well, here was my first thought

When I saw this:

Final group, those who financially probably can’t make a great offer

I think the Devils should be added to that group. I know we can’t really see this far into the future, but considering the current situation, it’s doubtful that they’ll have the cap space to do it. I use the word “doubtful” because it’s weaker than “probable”; a lot of moves can be made before Marty’s contract is up. We’ll see what happens.

My second thought: the Devils are, as of now, completely screwed for the season after Marty leaves. We have absolutely nobody who is even close to being a good NHL-level goaltender. HOPEFULLY, the market for goalies will somehow be similar at that point to what it was this past offseason: goalies were cheap and plentiful. Unfortunately, it seems that there will not be quite as many available when we need one.

by Dr. Witticism on Mar 24, 2011 5:03 PM EDT reply actions

Oh and also

1. Great post and analysis.

2. Please Lou, PLEASE, don’t sign anyone — I don’t care if it’s a 25 year old version of Tim Thomas — to anything longer than four or five years, especially if you give them a damn NTC or NMC. If that happens, I will leave this site and not return until the name is changed to “In Lou We Are At Least Very Skeptical.”

by Dr. Witticism on Mar 24, 2011 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Sorry for not replying on this one sooner

Just to clarify a bit, my intention was teams that for budget reasons were not likely to be handing out big offers, not salary cap reasons. I did not address the Salary cap situation of any teams – not sure if the Flyers for example could have problems

Marty’s contract is $5.2 million I believe, so that will free up some pretty good cap space.

The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall. - Vince Lombardi

by Devilssection21fan on Mar 26, 2011 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions

I say go for one of the two:

Jonathan Quick

Semyon Varlamov

LA is most likely going to keep Bernier as their starter goalie, and even though LA might want to keep both for incredible goalie depth (i.e. Boston with Rask and Thomas), I feel Quick would want out for the chance of being a starter. Why Not NJ?

WAS also has huge depth as mentioned in Varly, Neuvirth, and Holtby. Holtby played outstanding recently on his time up so I think he’ll definitely get an opportunity. This leaves Varly in a situation with Neuvirth already gaining the main starting job. I remember reading somewhere that Varly was looking into many offers he got from KHL teams so he might run off to Russia, but why not us try and get him?

My pick: Jonathan Quick

by Devils1192 on Mar 25, 2011 10:02 AM EDT reply actions

I do think Valamov is also desirable

But problem is, as noted, he is already an RFA this year. So not sure the timing is right.

The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall. - Vince Lombardi

by Devilssection21fan on Mar 25, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

How much is it going to cost to pry loose Quick or Varlamov or (insert favorite goaltending prospect here) from their team? Can the Devils afford to give up the assets it would take to do so? Can the Devils afford to pay the guy the kind of money he’d be liable to get on the open market (even if it is just an RFA situation) with their cap issues? And would such a guy be happy coming here and sitting behind Martin Brodeur for an undetermined stretch of time waiting for his turn?

Also, don’t be so quick to judge which goalie(s) a team is going to keep. After last year’s playoffs, the “conventional wisdom” was that Montreal had to move Carey Price and re-sign Jaroslav Halak as their starter based on his April/May performances. Yet, they went the opposite direction and early returns seem to lead one to the conclusion that they made the right move. Don’t assume Washington won’t keep Varlamov, or that Los Angeles will choose Bernier over Quick. It could turn into a situation where the goalie(s) they move is tied to who they can get the best perceived returns on.

by acasser on Mar 25, 2011 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I was surprised by how little it cost St Louis to acquire Halak. Halak was a pending RFA due a big raise, but he was coming off an incredible near-Giguere-circa-2003 type of playoff performance and was basically traded for just one unproven forward prospect in Lars Eller who is probably comparable to Josefson and Tedenby. Eller was the Blues’ top prospect at forward, but I expected Montreal to get two unproven top prospects/first rounders in exchange for one proven young player.

I think Lombardi is too conservative to trade Quick or Bernier at this point unless he’s blown away by an absurd offer. The Caps would make a less annoying trading partner, but I’m not sure the Devils have an asset that the Caps want badly enough, nor do I think the Devils have any tradeable assets (either because they’re overpaid or because they’re indispensable to the team) other than some not-yet-ready defensive prospects like Burlon or Gelinas.

And as acasser points out, we don’t know how long that young guy will have to ride the pine. The Devils won’t look for a goalie until Marty says it’s his last season, and I guarantee he goes and pulls a Brett Favre anyway.

by dr(d)evil on Mar 26, 2011 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions

How high was Halak’s value in a legitimate sense? He hadn’t established himself as a bonafide #1, and he was already an RFA. What he had going for him was perception after that one magical run. Montreal sold very high, in my opinion, because the only way to have increased his value further would have been for him to repeat that level of play in the regular season and to do so after signing an RFA contract that wasn’t so outrageous as to kill any possibility of trading him. Also keep in mind the glut of goaltending available on the market last summer and how that depressed prices for a number of those guys. Sure, the perception of Jaroslav Halak was as good as any of the competition and better than most, but those other guys would only have cost money.

Lars Eller against Mattias Tedenby or Jacob Josefson is probably a reasonably good comparison. Like those two, he was a first-round pick (albeit 13th overall, a bit higher than our guys) and at the time he had played one year in North America. The jury is still out on Ian Schultz.

As to Brodeur, he’s the anti-Favre. I can’t think of a single player in the NHL who could pull the kinds of shenanigans Brett Favre does (well, if you except texting lewd photos of oneself to “hostesses”) and get away with it…. or one who the media might care enough about to enable him. If you put a gun to my head and said “name one”, I’d probably throw Alexander Ovechkin out there, since he strikes me as a guy who often can be just as interested in basking in some media attention, making commercials, going out to party, etc., as he is the game.

If one recalls Wayne Gretzky’s final days as a player, I believe the news came out a couple of days before the end of the regular season in his final year, leaving the League (and the Rangers) to scramble to prepare “appropriate” ceremonies for him before his last game. I happen to think Brodeur will follow a similar path, having only alerted Lou Lamorello in advance (because Lou can keep a secret) and hoping to escape all the ceremony and media crush if at all possible. Heck, I wouldn’t put it past him to retire by way of conference call in the middle of the summer, similar to how Scott Stevens went out, and try to fade quietly into the background thereafter.

In any event, I don’t see Martin Brodeur as the “will I or won’t I” type on the question of playing another year. He’ll make the decision early, he’ll let Lou know, and they’ll work out a one-year contract every time he decides to come back. There won’t be any media attention, and ESPN will ignore the story outside a one-paragraph article mentioning he’ll play another year and the inevitable commentary piece about the Devils trying to re-capture lost glory, vague insinuations of “incestuous behavior”, and all that other Burnside goodness.

by acasser on Mar 26, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, Halak’s trade value was based solely on one season sharing the goaltending duties and one great playoff season where he was undisputably the starter. That’s a lot more than can be said about Quick, Bernier, Neuvirth, Varlamov, or Holtby. The point I’m making is that you don’t have to give up a lot to acquire a good young goalie – which isn’t to say I think the Devils should go out and get one this summer, because I think they should wait until Marty’s future is clearer.

As for Brodeur, I certainly didn’t mean to compare him to Brett Favre in terms of the controversies that surround Favre. I just think that Brodeur, next summer, will probably be similar to Favre in the sense that he is an aging superstar who has a deep passion for the game and a tremendous tolerance for the physical punishment one takes over the course of a long season, who feels he is still playing at a high level, who hasn’t won a championship in a while after a lot of success in the first half of his career, who will likely find retirement a difficult and bitter pill to swallow. And when I say I think he’ll pull a Brett Favre, I just mean that I fully expect there will be an instance where he’ll call it quits at the end of a season only to change his mind by the end of the summer. I guess there’s too much drama attached to Favre to make it an apt comparison, but he is the poster boy for the “will I or won’t I” flip-flop.

I think it’s natural, in this day and age of tremendous conditioning and fitness even for athletes in their 40s, for aging stars to feel this way. I don’t blame them at all. The vast majority of players retire in their 30s because they simply cannot play – either their bodies won’t allow it or no one wants to give them the big role they’re accustomed to. It’s a select few who are able to truly dictate the terms of their retirement. Marty is one of them. Lidstrom is one, and Selanne is another. Scott Stevens was not one of them – post-concussion syndrome made it impossible for him to play. Even Ken Daneyko, who retired “on top” with a Cup to cap his career, saw the writing on the wall when he was a healthy scratch for much of the Cup Finals.

I think Brodeur will take it year to year, and will re-assess each summer whether he wants to continue playing. I don’t expect him to make that decision before July 1st each year – maybe it’s not completely fair for the team, but it’s a right that he’s earned, as Selanne has. Sure, it’s different for a goalie since he is one of two on the team, whereas a forward is one of twelve on the team. But decent goaltending seems to be readily available in the league, and it appears that supply will continue as few goalies are signed to mid-term or long-term deals, but rather to a lot of 1-2 year deals.

by dr(d)evil on Mar 26, 2011 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s a lot more than can be said about Quick, Bernier, Neuvirth, Varlamov, or Holtby

I wonder though…Quick started 78 games last season, 72 in the regular season, which is much more than Halak has ever started in a regular season. Bernier was far and away the best goalie in the AHL last season. Neuvirth, while he hasn’t played in the Stanley Cup playoffs, has a not-insignificant OHL and AHL playoff record. And based on pure ability (i.e. sv%), at this point, Varlamov looks like the best (not counting Holtby, whose sample is absurdly small compared to the others’). And all are younger than Halak was.

The asking price for any of them will surely be lower than for Halak, but I don’t think it’ll be all that much, at least in Quick’s case.

by red army line on Mar 27, 2011 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions

Brodeur can continue...

Short and to the point…I do not see any reason for Brodeur to retire just yet. If this guy can do it…I think Marty can as well. Granted maybe not till the age of of 46…but I think early 40’s would be quite attainable for him given the right set of circumstances.

I hope to join Claude Lemieux in Hell one day for a beer....

by HELLAWAITS on Mar 25, 2011 2:56 PM EDT reply actions

I could list 10+ guys who could be the next Devils goalie, but I’ll stick to Pekka Rinne.

I think he’s great. He’s athletic for his size and he’s quite a presence in net. He’s also a Jay Grossman client. Take that for what it’s worth, but Moose, Salmela, Volchenkov and Kovy are also Grossman clients, so you know Lou and Jay do plenty of business together. I wouldn’t mind Rinne, a Vezina candidiate this year (granted he has excellent D-men), in Devils’ red in the future.

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by DownGoesAvery on Mar 31, 2011 5:55 PM EDT reply actions