Out of these goalies:
I like....
Halak
Ward
Leighton
Who would you be most comfortable with owning this season, Halak, Ward of Leighton?
For me I'm thinking
Ward
Halak
Leighton
Out of these goalies:
I like....
Halak
Ward
Leighton
I agree with what you're thinking. Mainly Leighton is a distant 3rd because he's clearly a system goalie and came out of nowhere to do well in Philly. Meanwhile Halak and Ward have longer track records of high level play.
Contact me for Frozen Tools bug reports and inquiries
Follow Frozen Tools on Twitter @FrozenTools
Follow me on Twitter @DH_EricDaoust
Assuming W, SO, S% and GAA:
Ward
Halak
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Leighton
Ward and Halak are close for me but definitely the two frontrunners
I might give the edge to Ward over Halak. Too many variables for me to feel comfortable taking Halak over a relatively proven commodity.
I think that Ward is the clearcut safest choice here and I do expect Carolina to improve overall this year. Halak is riskier in my opinion but could also give you great return this year if he plays like he did in the playoffs. Leighton is miles behind both of them. Id go with Ward.
Both Ward and Halak need their respective teams to produce more offensively. Both teams were in the middle of the pack in "goals for", and both need to increase their shots/game up into the 30's on a more consistent basis.
Now...I think Ward may be the safer pick because he's got the longer leash, should he find himself slumping. Problem is their "goals against" as a team last year was pretty sucky (3.06) - much worse then St Louis' (2.66). Their defense has to get the SA down from 31/game average in order for Ward to improve his numbers. Thus far, I like the improvements.
Halak is the higher risk/higher reward goalie because of the lack of long-term production + a talent laden youth movement in front of him. Better (though somewhat still unproven) goal tending combined w/a young, feisty core w/another year of experience under their belt, makes me believe that last year's 2.66 team/GA will decrease, and wins will increase. I think Halak will put them over the top, and have much success.
Of course, if last night's game was any indication, then I'm just a f-in hump who's going to lose a lot of damn games this year.
@SmittysRant
Leighton is miles behind the other two.
I would give Halak a slight edge over Ward though. Not only did Halak post solid playoff numbers, but he also played very well last regular season, as well as in the limited games he was given the year before. While not as long a sample to work with (as Ward), Halak has proven his consistency and his talent level. I also like the Blues a lot more than I like Carolina, who seem to be a couple years behind in the development of their younger players. (Not a slight on Car, rather just acknowledging the time that players like Perron, Oshie, Berglund etc have already put in at the NHL level.)
Ward has never been one of my favourite players. Actually, I am not much of a fan of him at all, that being said, I always try to keep my hockey analysis as objective as I can.
As everyone knows, Ward busted out in a big way during the playoffs of 05-06, but saw his numbers regress in the following years. Posting back to back seasons with .916 SV% is definately a marked improvement, but is not enough for me to give him the nod here.
Overall the two are extremely close in talent/skill; while Halak is more "unproven", I feel his has a higher talent upside. That being said, Ward brings several years worth of experience as a starter, something that cannot be tangibly measured, but cannot be overlooked. The sticking point for me is the rosters around each of these goalies. While Carolina is poised to challenge in the SE division in the upcoming seasons, this season will still be a challenging one. They are in the process of a tremendous overhaul in their roster. On the flip side, St. Louis is acknowledged as being one of the biggest underachieving teams of 09-10. Even if St. Louis players just play "Average" (that is not overachieving or underachieving), they should still ice a more competitive roster than the Carolina Hurricanes.
hope this helps.
-cheers
Last edited by WestCoastSteez; September 22, 2010 at 4:52 PM.
Zach Parise is my hero
-West Coast!!
Champ!
Keep in mind both Ward and Staal were hurt for long periods last season, having a lot to do with those #'s.
I think Ward is the safe bet, if you like to take chances go with Halak. He could prove to be a stud...I prefer the safe side. However if this is your #2 behind a decent #1, I might take the chance with Halak.
Last edited by islefan31; September 22, 2010 at 8:41 PM.
10 team H2H !Y League (4 keepers - at least 1 must be a D-man OR Goalie)
Start - 2C, 2L, 2R, 1U, 3D, 2G, 6Bench, 2IR, 2IR+ (Daily) (5 moves per week)
Skaters - G, A, +/-, PPP, PIM, HITS, BS, GWG, SOG
Goalies - Wins, Saves, S%, GAA (Min. 4 starts)
Championships 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019*, 2023
C-McDavid, Trocheck, Thomas
L-B.Tkachuk(C/L), Forsberg, Hyman(L/R)
R-Svechnikov(L/R) Konecny(L/R) P. Kane, Zucc
D-Dahlin, Josi, McAvoy, Montour
G-DeSmith, Thompson, Hill, Grubauer
IR-Demko
10 team H2H !Y League (4 keepers - at least 1 must be a D-man OR Goalie)
Start - 2C, 2L, 2R, 1U, 3D, 2G, 6Bench, 2IR, 2IR+ (Daily) (5 moves per week)
Skaters - G, A, +/-, PPP, PIM, HITS, BS, GWG, SOG
Goalies - Wins, Saves, S%, GAA (Min. 4 starts)
Championships 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019*, 2023
C-McDavid, Trocheck, Thomas
L-B.Tkachuk(C/L), Forsberg, Hyman(L/R)
R-Svechnikov(L/R) Konecny(L/R) P. Kane, Zucc
D-Dahlin, Josi, McAvoy, Montour
G-DeSmith, Thompson, Hill, Grubauer
IR-Demko