Reply With QuoteYes, you are correct as far as I see it.
Caps Goalies
Was wondering who the #1 goalie is going into camp for the Capitals? Does Varlamov have the edge going in? I had to take a Caps G for a keeper league i'm in, and i figured Varlamov has to be #1 going into camp. His job to lose?
Yes, you are correct as far as I see it.
This discussion has come up a lot here over the summer. Some guys are in Varlamov camp, some in Neuvirth. Not most, but quite a few prominent posters (and columnists) believe that Michal Neuvirth is the better goalie.
Below is a discussion from a few weeks ago. Use the search function to find a whole lot more.
http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.ph...d.php&t=73630&
I see the starts as being 60/40 for Varly compared to Neuvirth.
Talents are equal, I'd say - but Varlamov's body is breaking down. Didn't he get reinjured on a rehab stint in the A?
That tells me something there.....
Next year though, I think it's Neuvirth.
G,A,+/-,PPP,SHP,GWG,H,BS,W,SV%,SA,SO
12 Man H2H Salary Keeper League
C - S.Crosby/S.Monahan/G.Landeskog(lw)/W.Karlsson
LW- T.Hall/B.Rust(lw)/N.Hoglander
RW - J.Guentzel(lw)/ T.Tatar(lw)/J.Pulujaarvi/K.Kapanen(lw)
D - B.Burns/E.Karlsson/M.Heiskanen/J.Carlson
G - I.Sorokin/I.Shesterkin/T.Demko/C.Peterson/C.Talbot
Farm - C.Primeau/P.Kochetov/C.Caufield/E.Svechnikov
Neuvirth also has an injury history.
Hype is a fascinating thing. Someone writes something and then that little tidbit snowballs into something huge. In this case, it's the very common opinion that Neuvirth is a no-brainer to steal the starter spot. I just don't get it. And yes, I've posted in several Varly/Neuvy threads already and I'd wager that there is not a lot of info out there about both of them that I haven't already digested.
I have both goalies on my team, but so far nothing has told me that Varly isn't the entrenched starter as of right now. Neuvy has a shot to steal the spot, but it is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from the foregone conclusion that some people here seem to hold it as.
GO WINGS!
Yeah Sentium, its the same thing with the whole Bernier vs Quick debate. These are all goalies who are in the same talent range so i find it baffling that everyone is always chasing the 'next best thing' over the incumbent. If the starter was Manny Fernandez and it was Hasek as backup then yes the.hype would be expected and warranted but i don't think that's the case here. Varly is the starter until proven otherwise IMO
Thank you, McGoo and Sentium. I've been floating that same thing.
Neuvirth is a really nice young goalie..but so is Varlamov. He's entering the season as the starter, he's been very good in stretches for the team, so I don't understand why there's been such a rush to grab Neuvirth and proclaim him as the Caps next starter.
Injuries ARE a concern with Varlamov, but that's not enough to say he'll lose his job.
65% chance Varlamov is the big starter
35% chance Neuvirth is the big starter
Neuvirth enhances, based upon Varly's injury risk. Should Varly go down, Neuvirth stands to get a whole bunch of games, and have an outstanding opportunity to establish himself.
From the gate, Varly appears to have the ball in his court.
In the end, I suspect we're looking at something resembling a split, but that each young tender will have had an opportunity to be the go-to-guy.
I agree with most that Varly has the starter's job out of the gate and it is his to lose.
However if you take a peek at the Caps roster both goalies are RFA's next summer and both are making the exact same amount of money this year (827k). Thats no coincidence, they will both get games and an opportunity to prove they should be signed to the "#1 type deal". I dont see either goalie getting more than 60 starts unless one gets injured for a long stretch. Bottom line is it would be foolish to think that the Caps are not going to give both of them a good long look this year before deciding who to go with in the long-term.
Also if they spread it around and it comes down to arbitration next summer the organization can argue that niether is a clear cut starter and therefore shouldnt be paid as one.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of either of them, but it's Varlamov's job to lose.
Again, Neuvy is just as big of an injury risk based on history, so don't use that as an argument.Originally Posted by JHM
GO WINGS!
Can you post some info on Neuvirth's injury history? I haven't found much looking around.
Also, Braden Holtby is supposed to be a very solid goalie prospect as well, so it'll eventually likely be a 3 goalie situation, or whomever is left/Holtby situation just like now.
Holtby will need to ripen at least two more years in the AHL before he's NHL ready and by then I think either Neuvy or Varly will have established themselves as the starter, making the other trade bait.
Neuvirth has had a string of minor injuries that have kept him unable to play at times. Now granted, they haven't been as major as Varly's knee that kept bothering him at the half point last season, but the point is that both have been bothered by a bunch of minor injuries.
GO WINGS!
Varly is the #1 choice this season.
If you follow the Caps you know management have hitched their wagon to him this year. They're very high on him (and you really can't fault them for that given his regular season/playoff record when he's healthy). But Varly has injury concerns and that's his biggest concern at this point. I've heard it said he relies too much on his atheltism to make the save and that leads to his injuries.
Neuvirth has gotten both praise and critism for his ability to shrug stuff off. They question his "fire" and "competiveness" when he seems to not care if he lets in a bad goal or loses a game, but he has won back-to-back Calder Championships. Don't discount that. I personally think the fact he can easily shrug off the bad goal or poor game makes him a better goalie, not a worse one.
It's Varly's spot to keep based on managements current thinking. But don't count out Neuvirth. A lot of people think he'll be the future of the Cap's at goal. Either becasue of injury to Varlamov or just because he has the mindset/skill to overthrow Varlamov once he gets his chance.
I say 60/40 this year in favour of Varlamov but you're looking at a Halak/Price situation in 11/12 when they're both RFA's. So either toss a coin at this point or try to get them both.
Last edited by wizworm; August 31, 2010 at 8:46 PM.
Team 1
C: Kuznetsov
LW: Ovechkin, Hall, Gaudreau, Huberdeau
RW: Perry, Voracek, Nyquist
D: Hedman,
G: Schneider, Hellebuyck*
Prospects: Lazar, Mantha, Bjorkstrand, Gillies, P.L. Dubois, Konency
* Prospect Bonus
Team 2
C: Crosby, Malkin, Backstrom, Coyle
LW: Saad, Lucic, van Reimsdyk, Kuznetsov
RW: Ovechkin, Connolly
D: Byfuglein, Krug, Green, Lindholm, Savard
G: Price, Varlamov, Anderson, Bernier, Pickard
Prospects: Nurse, Milano, Hellebuyck, Jarry, Gillies, Chychrun
Why can't he use that as an argument? It's perfectly valid. A backup always has a better chance of stealing the job when the starter is injury prone, regardless of the fragility of the backup.
Let's pretend that Neuvy's fragility is a constant 7 on a scale of ten. If Varlamov was a 0, then Neuvy would have a worse chance stealing the job than if Varlamov was an 8. Therefore, the fragility of the starter affects the chances of the backup regardless of how injury prone the backup is.
As for my opinion on the OP's question:
Not many people would have guessed that these guys would all finish last season as their team's starters: Niemi, Rask, Elliot, Howard
Goaltending is a volatile position, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Neuvirth overtake Varlamov as the #1 goalie next year.
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