Hey Justin, I'd love to hear your thoughts about Niklas Backstrom. Were his good numbers from two-three years ago mere results of the Wild system or is he really an elite goaltender who's had two down years?
The reason I'm asking is that I'm hesitating which goalie to pick for the third spot on my one-year squad (W, SV%, GAA, SO), my 2 other goaltenders being Lundqvist and Ward. I was leaning towards Roloson, but Backstrom is also available. Anderson, Varlamov, Smith are also available.
Obviously not Justin, but I personally think we'll see Backstrom's numbers increase a bit as the team improves. However, I'd probably take Anderson over Backstrom as my 3rd goalie.
To answer your first question, it's a combination of both. A goalie's performances are always going to be tied to team defense and overall team performance. That's just the way she goes. Goalies on strong defensive teams will have better numbers in regards to their true abilities and vice versa.
Backstrom is still an "elite" goalie in terms of how economical he is, his poise and composure, his size and quickness. But yes, his numbers over the past two years are a result of the changing systems in both ends. But at the same time, his game has slid in the opposite direction. He's not as consistent and he seems frustrated by the lack of defensive support on many occassions last year. The team relied on him more than usual and the better scoring chances he faced on a more consistent basis wore him down and he got injured.
If I were you, I would go with Anderson. You know now that when the team in front of him is rolling, he's going to stop a ton of pucks and be a fierce goalie that will do whatever it takes to stop the puck. You also know that if Ottawa starts to lose a few games and the defense in front of him isn't as tight, you simply just stay away from him.
In my opinion it's easier to moderate and manage Anderson this season than it will be Backstrom. I think a lot of the enigma surrounding Backstrom has worn off. On this Wild team, I don't think he's capable of reaching the "elite" status he had a few years ago. He might bounce back in terms of regaining his consistency, but I still don't think the numbers will work out.
Thanks dyzfunctioned and Justin. I'm surprised that you both recommended Anderson. I actually picked Roloson but Anderson is still available. The general feeling around the draft table was that most managers wanted to stay away from Ottawa players as much as possible because of the poor season that is expected from them. I really thought that Roloson was the better option, especially in terms of wins. Would anyone risk projecting numbers for Anderson and Roloson?
I'd think, for Roloson, 30 W, .915, 2.50 and 4-5 SHO are realistic. For Anderson, I'd expect 25-28 W, .915, 2.40 and 4-5 SHO. Basically, similar numbers, maybe a slight edge in peripheral numbers for Anderson but more W's for Roloson. Am I in the right ballpark?
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Giving up on Backstrom?
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