Next Year's Breakout Goalies

[forsbergfan]

who are gonna be next year's breakout goalies? i'm not as much interested in discussing which current starters will take the next step towards elite status like say, holtby did this year . i'm more interested in which goalies who aren't starters will become starters next year. it feels like just last year, the talk was about how many quality goalies there were out there, especially in the free agent market. now it seems like just about every team's goalies are set in stone for next year, except for maybe edmonton and buffalo. i'm finding a hard time pinpointing goalies who r currently not starters, but could very easily become starters, and try to trade for them while they're still cheap.
i assume everyone's gonna say alex stalock, but i'm not convinced. maybe robyn lehner? anderson's due for his off-year, and i think the hammond thing is over. but lehner couldn't handle the job this year when he had it...
if there are prospects who could get a starter's job, that's also good for this thread. don't wanna discuss here what prospects are gonna be great, just what prospects could be starters next year (hellebucyk, brossoit?).

[pmorrow]

I keep hearing Cam Talbot's name out there as a goalie other teams want. NYR probably wants to keep him but I've heard numerous reports that they wouldnt be against a trade if the return was right.

Martin Jones is another backup that LOTS of teams covet. Again the asking price will be very high I think.

For an off the wall suggestion, Jon Gillies in CGY. He's seen to be well along is his development and could be NHL ready soon. I dont know if CGY would rush him or make room for him, but if he was in the NHL he's got the talent to win the job.

[forsbergfan]

gillies hasn't even started in the ahl yet. you can't say a goalie is nhl ready straight out of college. plus, the flames already got hiller and ramo, plus joni ortio is the next guy waiting in the wings. i agree that long term gillies is the future, but i can't see him getting even one start in the nhl next season (unless the flames are terrible and he gets a few starts at the end of the year).
i don't think too many nhl teams see talbot as a bonafide number 1 goalie. and why would the kings trade martin jones? and the bigger question, which is kinda my point - where would they go? what teams need a starting goalie besides for edmonton and buffalo? what teams have starters that are gonna fumble the job and someone else will take the number 1 position? just because the backup's great doesn't mean he's gonna get a shot (and there's no way to speculate on injuries) and just because the starter sucks doesn't mean he'll lose the job (ex:lehtonen).

[forsbergfan]

Im just speculating man. If youre looking for guarantees, you wont find any.

not looking for guarantees, i just disagree with you on those guys. especially gillies. don't see him making the nhl at all this year, and i don't know how you can say he's nhl ready.
but keep sending your ideas. now is the time to go after backups, cuz if they become starters, their price skyrockets.

[mojavedesert]

gillies hasn't even started in the ahl yet. you can't say a goalie is nhl ready straight out of college. plus, the flames already got hiller and ramo, plus joni ortio is the next guy waiting in the wings. i agree that long term gillies is the future, but i can't see him getting even one start in the nhl next season (unless the flames are terrible and he gets a few starts at the end of the year).
i don't think too many nhl teams see talbot as a bonafide number 1 goalie. and why would the kings trade martin jones? and the bigger question, which is kinda my point - where would they go? what teams need a starting goalie besides for edmonton and buffalo? what teams have starters that are gonna fumble the job and someone else will take the number 1 position? just because the backup's great doesn't mean he's gonna get a shot (and there's no way to speculate on injuries) and just because the starter sucks doesn't mean he'll lose the job (ex:lehtonen).

If you're going to diss on the first suggestions, you're setting yourself up for no other replies, making this a wasted thread.

[The Bottlenecker]

If you're going to diss on the first suggestions, you're setting yourself up for no other replies, making this a wasted thread.

Yeah, agreed. I will offer a suggestion nonetheless. I think the Oilers will give Brossoit a real good look if they don't sign a veteran to replace Fasth (who I don't see them resigning).

[Rylant]

Because of goalie's development time, and the fact that there is only 1 goalie per game per team usually, they tend to not have the same kind of opportunity that other positions have. A lot of times in the NHL, goalies are ready to be a starter well before they get the opportunity to be a starter. Usually that opportunity arrives because of a starter's injury or trade. That makes it extremely difficult to predict. Cory Schneider was ready to be a starter for years; he was like 27 before he got that chance.

Nobody would have predicted Dubnyk to have the season that he did. Nobody....

There are several goalies who might be ready to be a starter, but may not have the opportunity for a while. Stalock may have that opportunity when Niemi signs elsewhere. Allen will certainly get the chance if Elliott is traded. Mrazek and Lehner will certainly see more action next year than they did this year. I also agree that Brossoit will get a strong look unless the Oilers sign or trade for a goalie. Vasilevskiy may be a year or two out.

Rylant

[Shake]

This is a loaded question and very hard to really give back the best advice without knowing if maybe you whittle it down a bit. Are you trying to decide between a couple prospects you own or are targeting?

As we know the goalie position can be volitale and at a moment's notice a new prospect can get a call up and steal the gig for a while, etc.

Free agency and off season trades will also impact this question.

So really it's just more guess work at this juncture.

So, if you have a couple goalies you are looking at maybe the gang here can give a better response vs a blanket guess response.

who are gonna be next year's breakout goalies? i'm not as much interested in discussing which current starters will take the next step towards elite status like say, holtby did this year . i'm more interested in which goalies who aren't starters will become starters next year. it feels like just last year, the talk was about how many quality goalies there were out there, especially in the free agent market. now it seems like just about every team's goalies are set in stone for next year, except for maybe edmonton and buffalo. i'm finding a hard time pinpointing goalies who r currently not starters, but could very easily become starters, and try to trade for them while they're still cheap.
i assume everyone's gonna say alex stalock, but i'm not convinced. maybe robyn lehner? anderson's due for his off-year, and i think the hammond thing is over. but lehner couldn't handle the job this year when he had it...
if there are prospects who could get a starter's job, that's also good for this thread. don't wanna discuss here what prospects are gonna be great, just what prospects could be starters next year (hellebucyk, brossoit?).

[Lemmy]

not looking for guarantees, i just disagree with you on those guys. especially gillies. don't see him making the nhl at all this year, and i don't know how you can say he's nhl ready.
but keep sending your ideas. now is the time to go after backups, cuz if they become starters, their price skyrockets.

If you know all the answers, why ask questions.

You think guys put in their 2 cents to have their advice slammed.

They are trying to help. And if your attitude is good, then enough advice can give guys a few things to work with.

No answer is right on this question, unless you hold the crystal ball.

[forsbergfan]

If you know all the answers, why ask questions.

You think guys put in their 2 cents to have their advice slammed.

They are trying to help. And if your attitude is good, then enough advice can give guys a few things to work with.

No answer is right on this question, unless you hold the crystal ball.

seriously guys, calm down. not slamming anyone's advice. i'm allowed to agree or disagree - it doesn't mean i don't appreciate the advice, but that i want to have a discussion about it. not dissing on any suggestions. just disageeing with them. i don't want this to be a thread just for me - i want anyone to be able to read it and go after the goalies we discuss, so if i disagree, all i'm doing is sharing my opinion.

and regarding other suggestions, i'm glad to see brossoit out here. lehner and mrazek too. i think lehner is someone who's a real buy low right now, and he's imo it's him and brossoit who have real shots of being number 1 goalies some time next year.
my main point was that last summer, there were so many questions in net - so many open spots and time shares (edmonton, minnesota, san jose, ottawa, philadelphia, carolina, anaheim, vancouver, winnipeg, st. louis) and now there are almost none. and if there are time shares, at this point the owners consider both goalies as bonafide number 1s in trade offers (like howard/mrazek and allen/elliott - you won't get any of those guys for the price of a mackup anymore).

what about john gibson. guy has all the talent in the world but is stuck behind anderssen. do you think now is the time to get him, or is he another bernier or schneider and will take 5-6 more years till he becomes a starter?

[Fast Tony DeNiro]

Mrazek and Vasilevskiy might be the highest profile "out of nowhere" types. Lehner will get a chance but everyone knows about him by now. Ramo or Ortio could take over in Calgary. Darling although I highly doubt he takes the starting job, just maybe a bigger backup role. I'm not sure of Neuvirth's contract, but he was good in Buffalo and Halak isn't the most durable. Khudobin will still be in the mix with Carolina.

[Axeman33]

Matt O'Conner maybe? I know he's looking for some sort of NHL guarantee from who ever he signs with.

There isn't a whole lot of opportunities out there for teams looking for starters other than the Oilers, Sabres and Sharks. Maybe Minnesota too but I doubt they let Doobie go anywhere.

[YzermansLegacy]

I'm keeping an eye on Josh Harding. Lots of risk surrounding him obviously, but I wonder if he could become this year's Dubnyk should a starter go down somewhere else.

Agree with most others' backup options - Lehner, Vas, etc. - but for a less conventional option I might look at a guy like A.Raanta who's now 3rd fiddle in CHI. A trade out of town and he might have a shot at starting somewhere.

Both Harding and Raanta have the goods to start in the show if they get a shot.

[forsbergfan]

Mrazek and Vasilevskiy might be the highest profile "out of nowhere" types. Lehner will get a chance but everyone knows about him by now. Ramo or Ortio could take over in Calgary. Darling although I highly doubt he takes the starting job, just maybe a bigger backup role. I'm not sure of Neuvirth's contract, but he was good in Buffalo and Halak isn't the most durable. Khudobin will still be in the mix with Carolina.

now we're starting to get some very good ideas. forgot about o'connor, but in my league he'll have to pass through waivers, and i think i'm pretty low down on the waiver list, so i'd be surprised if i could get him. and then his value will be very high.

this reply brought up some interesting names. what do the rest of you guys think about these goalies chances? what will happen in calgary? neuvirth? the ward/khudobin situation?
and someone else mentioned raanta.

[Axeman33]

I think Chicago moves a goalie in the off-season, and more than likely it's Raanta. Hard to say on his starting ability just yet.

I think Hiller will stick around in Calgary. Ramo is a UFA so hard to say what his situation looks like next year. He could be a surprise himself.

Mrazek and Vasilevskiy are still behind Howard and Bishop for now. Howard, unless he gets traded, just re-signed for big bucks so you have to think he gets every opportunity to win back the starting role in Detroit next year. Bishop just re-signed for two more years as well so I don't think Vasilevskiy takes over anytime soon. More of a sharetime situation. Honestly I think both Detroit and Tampa are sharetime situations next year.

I wouldn't rely much on Neuvirth.