Ville Husso/Binnington another Hammond?

[bearcat]

Hi folks, just gauging what your thoughts are on Ville Husso's worth with the rise of Binnington, and if Binnington's remarkable run in the second half will fizzle out in the upcoming season (a la Andrew Hammond 2015). I've got a prospect draft coming up and could use a few extra slots, wondering if its time to set Husso free. From what I can gather, Binny looks like the real deal, even with mediocre playoff numbers so far. With Allen locked in for another 2 years and Coreau the likely 3rd goalie in the event of a major injury, Husso might be stuck in the AHL for the foreseeable future, where he hasn't exactly dominated either.

Any thoughts or opinions are appreciated! thanks.

[lucafen4]

I would not compare Binnington to Hammond. Hammond was also exposed come playoffs. Binnington is still Winnington.

letting Husso go is all relative to who you are replacing him with?

[ericdaoust]

Binnington has a better history at the lower levels. Hammond was three months away from going to Europe to continue playing. He was not on the radar at all and randomly caught fire.

[SeaDawg]

I feel that Binnington is the real deal and I'd move on from Husso if I were you.

I actually grabbed Husso back in October hoping he'd take over the job from Allen once he was recalled to the NHL...however, Husso played very poorly in the AHL, so St. Louis recalled Binnington instead, and the rest is history. I released Husso for Rittich not long after Binnington was recalled and I don't regret that decision.

It will be very interesting to see what happens with Allen this off-season. I wonder if there's a team out there that'd be willing to take him on. I don't expect Allen to ever rebound and be a legit fantasy option again, but it would be nice for all involved if Allen was no longer on the team.

[4T2]

I'm not ready to declare Binnington the next great goalie just yet. How many goalies have we seen come in over the last few years and have one great season and fizzle out? Hammond, Allen, Talbot... Hell it wasn't all that long ago that guys like Steve Mason or Jaroslav Halak were going to carry their respective teams to multiple Stanley Cups. As everyone loves to point out, goaltending is voodoo. Until Binnington strings together a couple of good seasons in a row, I'm keeping him below the elite (Vas/Anderson) and consistently reliable (Holtby, Helle, Rask, Bob, etc.).

Unless you have a surefire prospect you want to replace Husso with, I think you can afford to hang on to him for one more year.

[SeaDawg]

I'm not ready to declare Binnington the next great goalie just yet. How many goalies have we seen come in over the last few years and have one great season and fizzle out? Hammond, Allen, Talbot... Hell it wasn't all that long ago that guys like Steve Mason or Jaroslav Halak were going to carry their respective teams to multiple Stanley Cups. As everyone loves to point out, goaltending is voodoo. Until Binnington strings together a couple of good seasons in a row, I'm keeping him below the elite (Vas/Anderson) and consistently reliable (Holtby, Helle, Rask, Bob, etc.).

Unless you have a surefire prospect you want to replace Husso with, I think you can afford to hang on to him for one more year.

I definitely agree that it is a good idea to be cautious with Binnington. I certainly wouldn't dump a more experienced tier 2 type goalie for him (Rask, Hellebuyck, etc.). However, I also wouldn't hang on to Husso if I had the opportunity to replace him with a better prospect. I don't necessarily know what type of prospects will be available in the OP's upcoming draft, but Husso has quite a bit going against him at the moment. Binnington is the main obstacle, but with Allen still in the picture and Husso's poor play in the AHL, I don't see him becoming fantasy relevant for a long time.

[DocMcPuffin]

Hi folks, just gauging what your thoughts are on Ville Husso's worth with the rise of Binnington, and if Binnington's remarkable run in the second half will fizzle out in the upcoming season (a la Andrew Hammond 2015). I've got a prospect draft coming up and could use a few extra slots, wondering if its time to set Husso free. From what I can gather, Binny looks like the real deal, even with mediocre playoff numbers so far. With Allen locked in for another 2 years and Coreau the likely 3rd goalie in the event of a major injury, Husso might be stuck in the AHL for the foreseeable future, where he hasn't exactly dominated either.

Any thoughts or opinions are appreciated! thanks.

Is Shestyorkin available? Or Samsanov and Sorokin? Are you able to replace Husso with any one of those 3 and not worry about them sitting for a bit? Demko would be another solid option if available. All 4 in my opinion, and probably most, are more valuable than Husso. Just a thought.

[chuckcouples]

I still don't trust Binnington so I would value him as a 1B NHL goalie. He still has less than 45 NHL games under his belt so no one really knows how good he really is.

I also don't think now is the time to give up on Ville Husso. He's had 1 bad season in his career and he was injured for the majority of it. Husso is also one season away from no longer being waivers exempt which means we will know for sure where he stands in October 2020. I would hold onto him until then as he's still one of the most talented goalies not yet in the NHL.

[stevegamer]

I'd probably keep Husso, as I think he's the second most likely guy in the St Louis system that could be a really good NHL starter, behind Binnington. Yes, that's ahead of Allen, who has a contract, but isn't actually good.

[bearcat]

Thanks for your input folks! For those wondering, most of the big name goalie prospects are taken, but a few (Blackwood, Larsson, Merzlikins) are available. I've actually got a decent stock along with Husso (Demko, Jarry, Gustavsson & Point) and need to shore up on some forward depth in the minors, but with the uncertainty of goalie voodoo I've decided to hold onto Husso for another year and make the call then. Thanks again

[Eskimo Brother]

Blackwood over Husso is 100% what I would do.

[ericdaoust]

Blackwood/Merzlikins over Husso/Point

[4T2]

I have to agree that I would snag Blackwood over Husso as well

[chuckcouples]

Blackwood/Merzlikins over Husso/Point

Why would you choose Blackwood over Husso? Are you basing it solely on the the most recent season?

Here are their AHL numbers over the 3 seasons they played in that league.

Blackwood: 88 Games, 4997 minutes, 2.95 GAA, .897 SV%, 32 W, 42L 4 OTL
Husso: 87 Games, 4819 minutes, 2.78 GAA, .907 SV%, 34 W, 38 L, 0 OTL

I also have no idea what the big deal is with Elvis Merzlikins. He's been the 5th or so best goalie in the Swiss league for the past few years. That means nothing to me in terms of NHL potential. Sure he signed an NHL deal with Columbus who may be losing their starting goalie for next season but I don't see why Merzlikins should be expected to be an NHL goalie next year or at any time in the near future.

[4T2]

Why would you choose Blackwood over Husso? Are you basing it solely on the the most recent season?

Here are their AHL numbers over the 3 seasons they played in that league.

Blackwood: 88 Games, 4997 minutes, 2.95 GAA, .897 SV%, 32 W, 42L 4 OTL
Husso: 87 Games, 4819 minutes, 2.78 GAA, .907 SV%, 34 W, 38 L, 0 OTL

I also have no idea what the big deal is with Elvis Merzlikins. He's been the 5th or so best goalie in the Swiss league for the past few years. That means nothing to me in terms of NHL potential. Sure he signed an NHL deal with Columbus who may be losing their starting goalie for next season but I don't see why Merzlikins should be expected to be an NHL goalie next year or at any time in the near future.

Personally I’m taking Blackwood over Hudson because he has already had a shot at the NHL and has proven to be able to play when given the chance. Whether he can sustain that is unknown but he’s further along than Husso is. Also, he is likely closer to getting another NHL opportunity than Husso is at the moment