Goalie Style Vs Team System- Part 2!!
Reply With QuoteThe Boston Battle
First off I have to apologize- in my first blip I suggested that Ullmark was more of an athletic/reactive goalie and actually I was straight up WRONG there- lol! I think I got my wires crossed with another former buffalo guy but whatever the case- Ullmark has the size (6”6!)to excel as a positional goaltender and everything Im reading backs that up- hes completely unflappable, good in high pressure situations and is basically known for never taking risks- hes not out there gambling on his reads. I should also point out that his reflexes are no joke either and Im pretty sure Dobber actually did say something in this regard way back when. Although his style does seem to be somewhat risk averse- he certainly has the ability to flash the leather when that’s whats required. More than one scout said he played a very modern style- sometimes referred to as “Battle-fly”.
This is a good time to clarify something I touched on earlier- although I really do feel that each type of goalie has a situation where they seem to thrive better than the other- its also true that a “wide open” system is just plain harder to play in (and look good while doing it) and that a tight defensive structure can benefit basically any type of goalie!
The premise I laid out is that the team gets the most out of a strategic/positional type goalie when theyre playing a wide open brand of hockey where maybe a team gets the most out of a reactive/risky goalie when they play a tight defensively focused one. So while his numbers were pretty pedestrian and wins were hard to come by in Buffalo- they certainly weren’t “bad” and we have to keep in mind that was almost a historically bad Sabres team! I think its hard to gauge exactly what kind of asset they had in that situation so kudos to Bruins scouting staff who seemed to have identified a diamond in the rough! When he came to the Bruins he was inserted into a very good defensive lineup- maybe the best in the league- and that’s not a bad place for either style if were being honest. I think that gives us some important context to our model. I think a wide open style really benefits from a positional guy it appears that’s not always the case the other way. A strong defensive system will indeed prop up either style- and if my premise has any truth to it then maybe it means a positional goalie will have even more value to a wide open team whereas the athletic style “needs more help” to succeed. So while its possible Ullmark may have MORE value to a wide open team- his value to the Bruins is just as immense already. Its worth noting that many scouts are quick to point out that in Ullmarks case you have a bit of an anomoly in that his athleticism is absolutely fantastic despite the fact that he plays a risk averse style that doesn’t always have to lean on reaction speed. We can and likely are seeing the best of both worlds here and for that reason I dont think he will falter anytinme soon even though I have to write (and I hate that I do!!)...
Ullmarks stryle is not a perfect fit in Boston!
That was actually difficult to write! I think playing on Boston really helps ANY goaltender and Ullmarks numbers bear that out. I also think his inhuman reflexes play against type a bit here and really help him to thrive in a system that requires quality saves over quantity of saves. In terms of fantasy I think its fair to say for our purposes Ullmark absolutely DOES fit in Boston and maybe the bigger takeaway from all of this is that an athletic/reactive goalie on a wide open team is the worst combination.
Ok so we learned something here! What can we infer about Swaymans chances though? I think the most prevalent takeaway here is that Ullmarks success is both a blessing and a curse. Ullmark has burrowed in like a tick at this point and Im really having a tough time seeing the organization move away from him now- even after his contracts up in two years. It’s a nightmare for us Swayman owners but the truth is they may NOT want to move away form this player or even this tandem for that matter! The numbers for both absolutely sparkle- Ullmark may get the edge- hes been “comically good” according to Cat Silverman- but Swayman is substantially younger andhe actually has more shutouts this season. The nightmare is that they might not change anything.
When we get to Swayman we have some similarities and we have some key differences. Right off the bat the size is similar- at 6”3 he actually does compare favorably to Ullmark here and in terms of modern goaltending hes right in the sweet spot for size- where hes big enough that he takes up a lot of the net but youre not necessarily sacrificing any real agility or vertical mobility. The key difference is that although Swaymans foundation is very strong (Cat Silverman called his technique a joy to watch)- he couples it with a very aggressive (read:risky) style! So the example I used here was primetime Quick and the cups he won in LA but maybe a better example would be the mose aggressive of riverboat gamblers- the tea party terror himself- Tim Thomas! While Timmy T might be seen as a “pure scrambler” (which would NOT be a great characterization of Swaymans play) it does show what a “risky” style looks like on a tight Boston team- and the view is pretty good! As deeply as Ullmark seems to be entrenched Swayman actually compliments their style better. Again Ullmarks stupendous reflexes mitigate his shortcomings a lot more than your average “positional” guy but the truth is that Swaymans style is tailor made for the B’s.
Jeremy Swayman is a perfect fit for the Bruins!
When the Bruins acquired Ullmark I just did NOT see this good of a fit but even though their styles dont seem to be a match this is a goalie who can do exceptionally well in the Bruins system and I no longer feel like thats going to change anytime soon. I really think they go with the tandem for at LEAST the full four years Linus is signed for and after that its anybodies guess. The good news is that if Swayman is ever given the keys to the kingdom- he should be a fantastic fantasy own as his style is a perfect match and lets just get to the point here. Realistically Swayman is just all around a great goaltender and I think were seeing that Boston is just a straigfht up great landing spot ofr any goaltender so this style meshing really is just icing on a goalie cake gushing with gooey goodness!!
Originally Posted by Invictus
