Swap Mason for best available?

[badger]

My goalies (Ward, Halak, S. Mason) have gotten off to a pretty bad start but I know it is early. I have noticed the strong feelings against Mason around here and wonder if a change would be good at this point. Montoya, Rask, and Neuvirth are the best still available in my league. We have a three start minimum each week.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Glenn99]

If I had Mason and Rask was available, I would take him in a heartbeat.

Rask will kill him in SPct and GAA and probably in shutouts as well. Even in limited starts (30 maybe) he won't hurt you terribly.

You could lose the two categories with Mason and possibly the wins as well from time to time but Rask will not likely lose either of those cats and if the B's get hot or Thomas is injured wins is an upside.

Mason is one of those goalies that could lose your season and you already have a dicey one (team situation) in Ward.

[Magicstew]

I would go with Rask, as he will help with peripheral stats GAA & SV%. You only need 3 starts each week and your other 2 goalies will help with that.

[keptquiet]

At this point of the season I'd go with Neuvirth. The B's at MOST will only play Rask every third game, and I don't think they are tight enough defensively to concern yourself with the Shutout stat more than W, GAA, and Sv%. Meanwhile the Caps' situation is unpredictable and Neuvirth might still emerge as the #1. Here's why I think that's a possibility:

Neuvirth is already the #1B in WAS, despite Boudreau's claims that Vokoun would clearly be the starter after he was signed. Neuvy earned it with his preseason and his solid play last year -- which contributed to Varlamov's departure and Neuvirth's "surprise" start on opening night. Boudreau has a reputation for keeping a short leash on goalies and playing the hot hand, which means he may sit Vokoun after bad showings like Monday night against TBL. For a rhythm goalie like Vokoun who was used to the lion's share of starts, regardless of the team's overall performance, in FLA... this could be disastrous for his momentum. I could easily see Neuvirth getting 3-4 starts in a row if Boudreau continues to ride the hot hand, as is his tendency.

One quick point though: if Rask and Neuvirth are still available in your league, does that mean that Dubnyk or Montoya are also available? Those guys are clear starters right now and less scary than Mason by far, especially for your third roster spot.