GAME DAY:Boston Bruins @ Ottawa Senators - 7:30pm ET - Tues. Mar. 1, 2011

SpezDispenser wrote:
Thanks for that. I thought it was Sacco, but did that make Anderson suck the way he did?

http://thegoalieguild.com/2011/02/andersontradedforelliott/#more-6023

Simply put, he didn’t seem happy at all being in this situation. I think he was unhappy with some of the coaching decisions, unhappy with the lack of support, and extremely frustrated with his own lack of success. It became a downward spiral of sorts, and a trade was made.

Avs don't have a full-time goalie coach. I'd imagine it's tough for a struggling goalie to get some help and feedback when the goalie coach only comes by a few times a month.

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:Kuba will be the key here. I really think one of rundblad and cowen (or both) will need to start the season in the AHL and spend significant time there. That would be mean that Kuba will still be on the team

Rundblad is NHL ready, Cowen, maybe, maybe not.

I'd like to believe that. I unfortunately also believed that when Bryan Murray proclaimed Brian Lee was ready after the '07-'08 season.

Michallica wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:Kuba will be the key here. I really think one of rundblad and cowen (or both) will need to start the season in the AHL and spend significant time there. That would be mean that Kuba will still be on the team

Rundblad is NHL ready, Cowen, maybe, maybe not.

I'd like to believe that. I unfortunately also believed that when Bryan Murray proclaimed Brian Lee was ready after the '07-'08 season.

He also said it about Karlsson and EK spent some time in Bingo but not a lot.

wprager wrote:Not bad. Although I'd love to see Phillips paired up with Cowen. Too bad you'd be either reducing Phillips' ice time or giving Cowen more than he should in his first shot. I'm not even sure Rundblad can play 2nd pairing minutes right away. So Lee would probably be filling in on the 2nd pairing as well.

There -- with your help I've talked myself into keeping him

If you pair Phillips with Cowen, you have four right-handed shots on the blue-line AND one of the left-hands would be on the right side. Put them together on the PK, but otherwise have Cowen with Lee or Carkner (that way he's pushed to do more of the puck-moving himself, which he needs to develop).

I think Rundblad with a good summer should be OK for top-4 minutes. He's only 4 months younger than Karlsson and he's bigger. It's not like we'll be contending anyway.

Karlsson, Gonchar -> top-4 minutes ES, 1st unit PP, some PK time
Rundblad -> top-4 (second-pairing) minutes ES, 2nd unit PP
Cowen -> bottom-pairing minutes ES, 1st unit PK
Carkner -> bottom-pairing minutes ES, 2nd unit PK
Phillips -> top-4 (first pairing) minutes ES, 1st unit PK, some 2nd unit PP time
Lee -> bottom-pairing minutes ES, 2nd unit PK, 2nd unit PP

Is how it'd ideally work out. IMO.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

Michallica wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:Kuba will be the key here. I really think one of rundblad and cowen (or both) will need to start the season in the AHL and spend significant time there. That would be mean that Kuba will still be on the team

Rundblad is NHL ready, Cowen, maybe, maybe not.

I'd like to believe that. I unfortunately also believed that when Bryan Murray proclaimed Brian Lee was ready after the '07-'08 season.

He also said it about Karlsson and EK spent some time in Bingo but not a lot.

Very little indeed. He also made the team right out of camp.

Michallica wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:Kuba will be the key here. I really think one of rundblad and cowen (or both) will need to start the season in the AHL and spend significant time there. That would be mean that Kuba will still be on the team

Rundblad is NHL ready, Cowen, maybe, maybe not.

I'd like to believe that. I unfortunately also believed that when Bryan Murray proclaimed Brian Lee was ready after the '07-'08 season.

Lee was a different situation. He had to change his game entirely and basically be borken down to be built up again. Can't compare the two.

Michallica wrote:I'd like to believe that. I unfortunately also believed that when Bryan Murray proclaimed Brian Lee was ready after the '07-'08 season.

Lee was about the same size as Rundblad but not nearly as talented. He also wasn't/has probably never been as established/dominant in a professional league as Rundblad is right now.

There will be an adjustment period for sure but Rundblad is on a much higher level than Lee probably ever was. IMO.

Agreed I do think Rundblad > Lee in all respects. However, I really wouldn't mind or be surprised if he requires some conditioning in the AHL

Not sure if this means anything but Dorion said he's NHL ready (did Murray say it as well ?)

Hoags wrote:Not sure if this means anything but Dorion said he's NHL ready (did Murray say it as well ?)

Dorion also said we'd be drafting an NHL ready player as I have been saying since a lotto pick was a real possibility.

Michallica wrote:Agreed I do think Rundblad > Lee in all respects. However, I really wouldn't mind or be surprised if he requires some conditioning in the AHL

Could happen. Depends on who's head-coach, how good Rundblad's summer is, how much of an adjustment he has to make coming to the NHL, etc.

What we do know is he's absolutely destroying the SEL offensively, is playing huge minutes, has received a lot of praise for the steps he's taken defensively, and has been an alternate captain in tournaments this year for the Swedish men's (!) team. He's also already 6'2", 190lbs and will be 21 for the start of next season.

Michallica wrote:Agreed I do think Rundblad > Lee in all respects. However, I really wouldn't mind or be surprised if he requires some conditioning in the AHL

Rundblad may very well get shipped to The AHL for a stint if things don't work out right away or he is struggling in some sense. Fact of the matter is the next logical step for him is the NHL. The SEL is arguably a better league than The AHL and he has dominated in every respect (defensivly he has been ok).

Cowen may or may not win a spot in camp but he will have to be dominate on the defensive side of the puck and show that he is physically mature enough to compete on a night in and night out basis.

NEELY wrote:

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:I don't think you will see many players slacking with close to 1/3 of the team being on ECL deals.

For a split-second I was, like "East Coast League?"

Did you mean two-way deals, actually? I don't think an ELC has to be two-way. I can definitely see players on two-way contracts playing their arses off (last-year-Lee notwithstanding).

I think all ECL's are two way deals.

Thanks. That was the missing piece.

NEELY wrote:

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:I don't think you will see many players slacking with close to 1/3 of the team being on ECL deals.

For a split-second I was, like "East Coast League?"

Did you mean two-way deals, actually? I don't think an ELC has to be two-way. I can definitely see players on two-way contracts playing their arses off (last-year-Lee notwithstanding).

I think all ECL's are two way deals.

By definition, yes. For sure.

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:I don't think you will see many players slacking with close to 1/3 of the team being on ECL deals.

For a split-second I was, like "East Coast League?"

Did you mean two-way deals, actually? I don't think an ELC has to be two-way. I can definitely see players on two-way contracts playing their arses off (last-year-Lee notwithstanding).

I think all ECL's are two way deals.

Thanks. That was the missing piece.

... and then I see this. Oops.

Don't you guys ever have to work for prolonged periods of time?

Spezza:

"Sometimes we get caught up playing the system too much. Now, you've seen us play a little more exciting, a little more forechecking and I think everyone is on the same page, and I think that's why we've been doing better lately," he said.

Overcoaching by CC ?

Hoags wrote:Spezza:

"Sometimes we get caught up playing the system too much. Now, you've seen us play a little more exciting, a little more forechecking and I think everyone is on the same page, and I think that's why we've been doing better lately," he said.

Overcoaching by CC ?

Or protecting his goaltender, they kind of go hand in hand.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Hoags wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
The guy is on a ridiculous roll right now and it's an extremely small sample size. I'll begin to get a bit more excited if he can at least sustain capable number one netminding or better the rest of the way and into next season.

He did it in Colorado and Florida so he is certainly capable.

Questions on Anderson:

1) How does he handle a long slump/losing streak and the boo birds sitting by the glass who won't someone else to boo not named Spezza
2) How will he react when the fine gentlemen of impeccable journalistic integrity at Sun Media start writing articles about him during said slump
3) What sort of contract/salary demands does he have in mind ?

Fixed

He did it for one full season in Colorado as a starter. Did he do it as a starter in Florida?

I remember a 53 save shutout performance in either 07-08 or 08-09. I've never seen something like that.