With Roy gone does Pickard get a chance to be #1

[Section13]

With Roy gone does Pickard have a legit shot at becoming the Avs #1 this year?...Varly struggled pretty bad last year. Just wondering if he has a good chance to take over there...would using a last round pick be worth it on him or draft someone else and try and grab him in FA when he gets a chance possibly?...Thanks

[PenguinHunter]

Depends who else is available in your draft and what you have for goalies. In my re-draft leagues I always draft a guy that might break out in the year... So Pickard is a good option for that.

chances are your last round pick is going to have to break out or you are going to drop him for someone who is breaking out that is in free agency.

So I would definitely consider him as I feel he could be at least a 50-50 split by December.

[Eskimo Brother]

For Pickard to be #1, he will have to play his way into it, regardless of who the coach is. That being said, I know it's more than just me around here that thinks he is a good guy to be targeting late as one of your later goalies. He has the ceiling to be a huge steal.

[newfcollins]

With Roy gone does Pickard have a legit shot at becoming the Avs #1 this year?...Varly struggled pretty bad last year. Just wondering if he has a good chance to take over there...would using a last round pick be worth it on him or draft someone else and try and grab him in FA when he gets a chance possibly?...Thanks

Tough to say without knowing who the coach is. Plus, a new coach could tighten up the defence and make Varly look awesome again.

[Shake]

Depends on the system that gets put in place. I can see it becoming more of a 1a/1b thing than a clear-cut #1 for Pickard.

Meaning I think Pickard will earn more and more starts but share the load.

[Axeman33]

I believe Varlamov will still be the incumbent #1 no matter who the coach is. It's his to lose just as much as it's Pickards to win.

[FinnishFlash]

It really could go either way. The new coach is unlikely to play favorites and (at least should) play the guy that gives the team the best chance to win. Varly looked awful at times last year, and looked great occasionally. Pickard played well in limited action, but was far more consistent. I think Pickard is a great gamble late in drafts, as I do believe if Varly stinks it up to begin the year, Pickard will be given a shot to run with it.

At worst, I think you see Pickard in 25-30 games. With the looming expansion draft, they are going to want to see him in more games to evaluate what they have in him (or at least if I was management, that's what I would want to see).

[northernnuck]

... It's his to lose just as much as it's Pickards to win.

Wish it was not as close, but Varly needs to get on a roll that makes the point.

[Sulla]

I believe Varlamov will still be the incumbent #1 no matter who the coach is. It's his to lose just as much as it's Pickards to win.

This - Varly will get the first chance and he will get a few shots even when he fumbles so I don't think he is as certain as he was with Roy in charge but he's worth a flyer as your last pick unless there is someone else worth adding?

[Ingolo]

Varlamov's contract pretty much guarantees a decently long leash. Add to that past performance, and I'd say it's his crease up until he fails pretty hard or gets hurt. Even if Pickard outperforms him, I could still see Varly getting two out of three starts, unless the performance gap is undeniably large. It's more than just the coach's decision, there will be a lot of pressure from upper management to avoid sitting the $5.9million goalie with three years left on his contract. I mean, just look at how many chances Howard gets despite the fact that Mrazek is clearly the better goalie.

[stevegamer]

I think he's a great gamble with one of your last couple picks, because there you are looking for a guy who has a lot of upside. He's also fairly certain to be a useful 3rd goalie, if you need a 3rd guy for your bench or to make sure you get all the starts you can.

[donpaulo]

As they say in trading (read that as commodity trading) "The Trend is your Friend".

And looking at Varlamov, the trend looks quite worrisome.

His save percentage is down 3 straight seasons, his quality starts are trending down for those same 3 seasons. Further his minutes played have also gone down, so its not seemingly connected to "exhaustion". Obviously puck possession and the less than stellar quality of the Avs blueline have tweaked things against him. It would be an interesting situation if a defense first coach is hired and attempts to tamper down the young forwards willingness to "jump" out of the zone looking for a stretch pass.

I have Pickard in a league as an expansion team, along with Ullmark and Reimer. I was hoping at least one of them would get at least a sniff at being a starting netminder over the next season or three. So this fan is pulling for Pickard to seize the opportunity and never look back

[pmorrow]

I doubt it. Varlamov is the guy with the contract and the longer track record. Pickard obviously will start a bit more than a run of the mill backup though.

[hockeymanG23]

Contract is still the trump card and Varlamov holds it.. Pickard will get plenty of starts though when Varly gets injured... again... and again.

[Sulla]

Gotta think a new coach won't want to deliberately rock the boat, and benching a 6 million dollar goalie will do that, initially...