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Potential Game-Changer Goalies Available..Backstrom, Smith, BOB? |
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Make no mistake about it, Goalies are difference makers and several teams this year found themselves in the post season and deep in the playoffs because they either had the goalie or they did not.
Enter Nik Backstrom, Minnesota Wild, who many would argue was the reason the Wild made the final dance. In a league where there are teams dying for help in goal, Backstrom tops an interesting list of UFA goalies who could be potential starters.
Similar to Backstrom, Nabokov deserved a ton of credit for getting the Islanders in the 8th spot...Unfortunately for Nabokov he had a subpar playoffs against the Penguins and unfortunately Backstrom of course didn't get to play in the playoffs due to injury...
Then we have the curious case of Mike Smith who, had he been a UFA one year ago, would have demanded all sorts of interest. It is hard to imagine Smith doesn't get something done, even short-term, in Phoenix, because the system Tippett plays and Mike Smith were literally made for one another...But Tippet is also a UFA and the Phoenix situation continues to stretch year after year without resolution...
At the next tier we have some very tough competitors in net and intrigue after what we saw out of two strong backups in Ray Emery and Dan Ellis...both of whom may have played themselves back into starter consideration and at the very least proved they can perform extremely well as a backup on a minute's notice.
Then you have your solid team-guy type of experienced veteran backups. It has been a few years since we have had this many quality guys. Goalies like Khabibulin, Chris Mason, Jose Theodore.....these are the kind of goalies who can step in with experience and help groom a young goalie while calming a locker-room.
What about Bob?
And then there is an RFA who needs to be discussed....an RFA who is almost assured to win the Vezina trophy sometime before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals...Sergei Bobrovsky.
Columbus has a real situation brewing here. They have two unsigned goalies in Bobrovsky and Michael Leighton, and they have almost no options. Bob is in let's just say, "A position of power" here. The Blue Jackets need to sell this team and they have the perfect player with which to do so....but signing a goalie to a monster contract based on one shortened season of greatness...well that rarely works out well at all...
What's the Buzz?
What goalies on this list intrigue you for your team?
What should Columbus do about Bobrovsky? Back up the truck or let him sign an offer sheet before deciding?
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