Very nice blog, Matt. What do you think should be done with the goalies here in Carolina? Assuming that Justin has turned a corner and the Justin we saw over that 11 game stretch is the new Justin (good on the first shot with some issues with rebounds) and that Khudobin will play similarly to last year in Boston and the couple of games he had in October and assuming that Ward continues to play like he has the last week or so (great at times, a little off others) would Justin be the first choice to trade away or would you consider Ward? With all of the media attention he has received this week for his games against Boston and Ottawa, and considering his contract and durability over the last year, I might see what I could get for Ward first. Either way, I think Justin deserves a shot in the NHL (with Canes or another team).
Thanks for the article!
- MinJaBen
Thanks for your kind words. I put the longer version of it in a blog last week, I believe but with regard to the Canes goalie situation, I am here:
--As much as I appreciate Peters' play of late and contribution to the Canes 2013-14 season, I am slow to declare him a regular NHL goalie. Even during his great run, a couple of his fatal flaws have popped up enough to suggest they are not completely gone (those being the rebound control and his tendency to get beat through him too often for the NHL level).
--So based on that, I would not change plans goalie-wise based on a good but short 11-game run. This makes Peters #3.
--I would be careful where he ends up. The Metro Division Islanders would probably willing to take a flyer on him via waivers. With Nabokov out for about another month (and not playing well anyway) and backup Poulin struggling to find it, picking up a goalie who has been hot at the NHL level would be a great find for them.
--So that means Rutherford ideally finds a trade partner out West. Might Edmonton be willing to try him instead of the mostly failing Dubnyk project? Or otherwise, might 1 of the teams with injury issues pick him up at least short term? At a minimum, I would check with the other GMs in front of the Isles in terms of waiver priority (Edmonton is 1) to make sure he would not fall in the Isles' laps.
--If JR cannot find another home for Peters, I would do what I can to hold him at the NHL level a bit longer to keep him away from the Isles. Ideally, maybe Khudobin does a rehab stint in Charlotte when he is ready (and Ward is playing most of the games at the NHL level anyway) which would buy more time. Peters is on a 1-way contract, so financially he gets paid the same regardless of where he plays.