Brodeur

[NoWayOut]

I haven't watched him this year so I'm interested in what those of you who have watched him make of his start to the season. I noticed he got bombed in the 2nd tonight. Do his struggles have something to do with his play? The play of the team in front of him? Or is the answer, as I suspect, a combination of the two?

I'm not in panic mode, but I am starting to get concerned. I knew when I drafted him, at his age, that the cliff could appear at anytime. That said I'm not about to write him off, if anything, depending on what the Dobberites say, I might even try to get him from an owner in panic mode in my other leagues.

I'm keeping the faith he'll pull it together but can't help wondering what's up right now.

[spoilers]

He struggled at the beginning of the season last year as well, he pulled it together.

[newper114]

yeah now it seems like he has off games and then ON games. he has a shutout already so who knows. dont forget that there defense core is not the best anymore and a bunch of them are injured. when volchenkov (however you spell it) comes back in a few days brodeurs stats will improve. brodeur in my mind is still one of the best goalies playing and will show you that over the season but still he needs a defense infront of him to help him out.

[NoWayOut]

Those pesky little gremlins keep whispering in my ear about his age and it's hard not to listen when his numbers look like they do. I'm holding in the one league I have him and in the rest I'll watch and see if maybe I can grab him.

[tripel]

i acquired Brodeur last Feb and with my Brodeur-Luongo tandem I can honestly say that goaltending cost me the division, then the cup last year ...and now it feels like we've picked up right where we left off.
i'm trying REALLY hard to believe that my tandem is elite and not an albatross, but all this damn evidence keeps getting in the way...

[NYR9394]

Age + New coach - Lack of Lemaire's defensive safety net = You guys are in trouble.

This is not a bump in the road. He sucked last year in the playoffs too. We all knew age was going to catch up to him. Unfortunately for you guys, it's happened while you own him. His skills have clearly eroded. I have seen a bunch of goals that wouldn't have been goals from him in previous years. His glove hand is slow and he just doesn't look right anymore. Watching him now, it makes me wonder how much of the past few years has been his own personal skill helping him to succeed, or is it more of Lemaire's coaching that has helped stretch out his elite years? Has the regression been there, but we haven't seen it because the team was so solid defensively? Hence, hiding any warts in his game?


P.S. I know there will be a couple of people telling me that it's only a couple of games and the team will get better. However, that is competely ignoring last year's playoff stinker. He is just not the goalie you expect anymore. Still a #1 guy, but not the Marty everyone has come to know.