Hedberg vs. Nabokov

[jsuites]

Looking to fill my 3rd goalie slot....need 20-30 starts, we count W GAA and SV%.

Hedberg or Nabby, who would you rather?

[ericdaoust]

Nabokov by default because he's a #1 goalie. Hedberg is a backup.

[bondon]

Though I could potentially see the merit for gambling on Hedberg given Brodeur's age and the fact that the lockout can't be helping his game which looked rusty as hell at the beginning of last season, I'd definitely go with Nabokov. As Eric mentioned, Nabokov is the starter...you say you need 20-30 starts which doesn't seem like much but last year Hedberg only actually started 23 games. It felt like a lot more, but it was only 23. Given scheduling conflicts the odds of you getting the 20-30 starts out of Hedberg is hazy unless Brodeur suffers a long-term injury.

Nabokov for me.

[jsuites]

Though I could potentially see the merit for gambling on Hedberg given Brodeur's age and the fact that the lockout can't be helping his game which looked rusty as hell at the beginning of last season, I'd definitely go with Nabokov. As Eric mentioned, Nabokov is the starter...you say you need 20-30 starts which doesn't seem like much but last year Hedberg only actually started 23 games. It felt like a lot more, but it was only 23. Given scheduling conflicts the odds of you getting the 20-30 starts out of Hedberg is hazy unless Brodeur suffers a long-term injury.

Nabokov for me.

Thanks - fortunately we can start up to 3 goalies (daily starts) so I can really pick and choose who I start and when.

We have 164 max starts (based on an 82 game season of course) for goalies, so my plan is along the lines of

Rask/Khudobin = 82 games
Lundqvist = 60 games

Which would leave me with 22 games to fill. So yeah, it makes more sense to cherry-pick all of Nabby's home games than it does to dress Hedberg when (if) I get the chance.

I have also considered starting only Rask and Lundqvist, which would quite probably win me the GAA and SV% cats, but I'd take a hit on wins so I'm looking to fill that gap.

[Pengwin7]

Nabokov for me.
I'm not sold on that Devils team... I could foresee the Isles passing them this year.

[Axeman33]

Nabokov by default because he's a #1 goalie. Hedberg is a backup.

Pretty much my train of thought. Nabby for me.

[jsuites]

Nabokov by default because he's a #1 goalie. Hedberg is a backup.

I appreciate all the advice and I did go with Nabby. I like the idea of only needing his home starts, where he was 2.38 / .915 last year.

However, I wouldn't discount Hedberg simply because of the backup factor. If only 20 - 30 starts are needed, Hedberg could be a great choice based on his two years with Jersey:

2010-11 34 GP, 15 W, 2.38 GAA, .912 SV%
2011-12 27 GP, 17 W, 2.22 GAA, .918 SV%

My point being, it's not quite as black-and-white as "starter vs. backup"...last year I used Biron in this spot and it worked out quite nicely....

[arctic_rogue]

[QUOTE=jsuites;1045877]Looking to fill my 3rd goalie slot....need 20-30 starts, we count W GAA and SV%.

Hedberg or Nabby, who would you rather?[/QUOTE

I would take Nabakov. At least you could have more choice over when you'd get those 20-30 starts.

[ericdaoust]

I appreciate all the advice and I did go with Nabby. I like the idea of only needing his home starts, where he was 2.38 / .915 last year.

However, I wouldn't discount Hedberg simply because of the backup factor. If only 20 - 30 starts are needed, Hedberg could be a great choice based on his two years with Jersey:

2010-11 34 GP, 15 W, 2.38 GAA, .912 SV%
2011-12 27 GP, 17 W, 2.22 GAA, .918 SV%

My point being, it's not quite as black-and-white as "starter vs. backup"...last year I used Biron in this spot and it worked out quite nicely....

What if your GP plan with Lundqvist, Rask and Khudobin doesn't work out? I would think Nabby is a better insurance policy plus he is at worst a lateral move vs Hedberg in GAA and save %.