Goalie Signings of the 2011 Free Agency, Day 1

Mark Dekanich (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

Here is a list of all the goalie signings on the first day of becoming free agents along with my reactions to their signings.  These were done in the order the transactions occur so some of my writing and opinions may be reflected in later contracts that were signed.  Also if you click on each goalies name there is a link to the respective team’s press release or more info about the contract. (Note I did not have an internet connection on July 1-2 and was not able to post this until today, but this was written on July 1st)

Josh Harding – Re-signs with Wild 1yr $750,000.  He’s only played for Minnesota.  They know him best and he is getting another shot after missing a full year due to injury that occurred in the preseason.

Mathieu Garon – 2yrs $1.3 million a year with Tampa. His former team was Columbus Blue Jackets.  Solid goalie that can get hot and will play well when called upon by Tampa….another good move by Yzerman…Mike Smith’s day are done in Tampa.

Jose Theodore – 2yrs $1.5 million a year with Florida, former team Minnesota Wild.  Don’t know why people keep saying he is signed as a backup…he is going to compete with Clemmensen for starts and he played well enough the last two years to be a number one again.  Even though I am a big fan of Clemmensen’s I see Theodore becoming the starter based on experience and skill level.

Mike Smith- Phoenix 2 yrs $4 million, former team Tampa.  Not sure about this one….he was cast off last year by Tampa…He will get a chance to be the starter, but I’m not sure if Smitty or Barbs (Jason LaBarbera) will be able to take over or replace Bryz.

Semyon Varlamov – Traded to Colorado for 1^st and 2^nd round pick. Then signed to a 3yr $8.5 million contract. His former team is Washington. This diva got the money he wanted and got to stay in the NHL, and Colorado extremely overpaid….let’s see if he can perform a full season without injury.

Brian Boucher – 2yrs $1.9 million with Carolina. His former team was Philadelphia.  I guess good move for them to have a veteran backup behind Cam Ward…will be able to give him more time off then Justin Peters did…looks like it’s back to the AHL for him…unfortunate because I don’t think he was not given an opportunity to gain experience and not sure if any team is willing to sign Peters to a one way deal.

Peter Budaj – 2yrs $1.1 and $1.2 million with Montreal, his former team was Colorado. Don’t think it was worth it for Montreal…could have got something similar with more experience and reliability….and not worth it for Budaj…not sure if he can handle the pressure cooker city and might hurt his career to become a starter even more…

Johan Hedberg – Re-signs with Devils for 1yr $1.25 million.  Good for Moose gets to be where he wants to and family will join him this year…he’s reliable and will continue to perform well for NJ….as a Devils fans I think it’s a bad move, even if I really like Hedberg…my friend put it  pretty well that they will have “two grandpa’s in net” again this season….and both Moose and Marty (Brodeur) could retire after this season, Marty claims he is not signing another contract….we’ll see.  The Devils could end up in a bad spot the next few seasons with no experienced goalie in net or will have to pay a high price for an available goalie…I’m thinking Jonathan Bernier or Cory Schneider.

Alex Auld – 1yr $1 Million with Ottawa, former team was Montreal. Ok singing I guess for Ottawa….he’s been there before and is back again to backup…should be able to fill in admirably for them, when needed…I’m wondering what powers will come from Auld’s and Anderson’s combined baldness?!? A losing season?

J-S Giguere – 2yrs $2.5 Million with Colorado, former team Toronto.  Not sure how this will work unless he is healthy, guess Colorado will have special doctors so Giggy and Varly will not be injured this season. 

Brian Elliott – 1yr two-way deal with St. Louis. $600,000 NHL and $105,000 AHL.  Former team is Colorado.  He still has a lot to prove and will have Ben Bishop challenge him for the backup spot.

Anton Khudobin – Re-signed 2yr deal with Boston.  He will take over the backup position once Tim Thomas is gone and challenge Tuukka Rask for ice time.

Curtis Sanford – 1yr two-way deal with Columbus $600,000 NHL & $250,000 AHL. Former team is Montreal.  Depth signing and will be veteran presence and the AHL starter.

Mark Dekanich – 1yr $575,000 one way deal with Columbus. Former team is Nashville/Milwaukee (AHL).   Cheers to @Dexshow.  He is an extremely hard working goalie and deserves to be in the show after having two previous outstanding AHL seasons.  With the amount of time and work he puts into his game he has a bright future ahead of him.  Plus he spent a number of seasons working with, (in my opinion) the best goalie coach out there, Mitch Korn and learned a lot from him.

I’m surprised that Tomas Vokoun was not signed yesterday…must be looking for too much money…there is still a few decent goalies out there looking for teams.

For the Love of the Game or Money

Semyon Varlamov (February 11, 2011 - Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

Well it has been awhile and I apologize for that…there has been a lot going on in my life and I have not been taking the time for this. 

Since the free agency starts tomorrow I have been thinking about why the hell a guy would leave the league or not sign a contract because he thinks he deserves a lot of money and isn’t getting what he wants…for example, Marty Biron made the choice to play for money a few summers ago and ended up scrambling to sign for a team towards the end of the summer.  This was because he thought he was worth more then he really was worth and held out for a better deal…he ended up as the third goalie for the Islanders.  The next summer (2010) he was the first guy to sign a contract on July 1^st.  He signed for less money than he ever has, but secured a spot in the NHL for two more years with the Rangers….he’s playing for the love of the game.

Now let’s look at Semyon Varlamov.  This guy is young, he still has a lot to prove, and is leaning towards signing in the KHL because he thinks he deserves more money (see fellow netminder Michal Neuvirth's contract for the next two years, a similar amount Varlamov might be worth, but he wants more) and playing time.  Wanting more playing time is understandable, but your 23 years old and competing with two guys around your age for playing time and they may have beat you out.  This is beside my point. If your goal is to play in the NHL and you have shown you can play in the league at a young age, why in the hell would you go overseas and play in Europe or Russia for more money?  The odds aren’t in your favor to come back and play in the show, not to mention with the combination of a possible attitude problem…there are just too many good kids coming up.  So if you end up in the KHL Semyon, enjoy your money...the Cap's don't really need you anyway.

It makes me go crazy when guys in the NHL are leaving because they are not making “enough money.”  There are so many guys in the minors and at the lower levels that would give a lot to play just one minute in the NHL…so it is really a bummer when guys complain or do not sign a contract because of money.  Remember why you started playing the game boys.



Eastern Conference Finals

Dwayne Roloson (May 2, 2011 - Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

It’s been far too long between my last post and I apologize for that...I was buried under a finals workload and am proud to say that I will be graduating on Monday from college after the fastest four years of my life...

I have been able to watch games here and there and am really in favor of Dwayne Roloson and the Bolts if that wasn’t made apparent in my last post….I’d love to see Roloson and Tim Thomas play for the Cup as they are both old guys, 41 and 37 respectively, and don’t have many years left.  Here’s a nice Puck Daddy post about both goalies facing each other in the Eastern Conference Finals.  Roloson is going to continue to “get better with age” and perform great this round.  He will help get the Bolts to the Finals and bring the Cup to Tampa again (at least I hope so).  Tim Thomas still has a few more years so he’ll get another shot.

***Be on the lookout this summer I plan on interviewing a few pro goalies hopefully one every other week to keep something going on during the summer. Hope it works out and you will enjoy it.  I’ll be asking for your questions as well when I do these interviews.***

Dwayne Roloson

 Dwayne Roloson (April 14, 2011 - Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America) 

Everyone seems to be focusing on Dwayne Roloson’s “perfect record” in elimination games, I could care less.  Roloson could care less too; he knocked on his head (wood) when told by Darren Pang it was “unblemished.”  Roloson has been really good the past three games and has played fairly solid throughout the first round, he is top three in GAA and SP% among goalies. 

I’m a big fan of his “12 hour rule.”  He gives himself 12 hours to think about the previous game and after that is out of his mind, whether it is positive or negative.  I wish I implemented this rule a few times in my competitive career.  It would have helped me in a few games throughout my career.  It definitely helped him rebound in game five after the poor OT game four winner.  Also he has long forgotten about the poor puck handling that lead to the first goal in game six.   

I’m really rooting for “Roli” and the Lightning tonight in game 7 vs Pittsburgh.  Roli seems to be getting better as he is getting older.  He was already planning on playing next year even before he was traded to Tampa.  This year is his “second chance” at winning Lord Stanley.  I think the Oilers would have won the Cup in 2006 if Roloson did not get hurt.  Roloson is going to do everything in his power to give the Lightning a chance to win it all.  At 41 I do not see him playing many more years after this season. 



Déjà Vu Luongo

Roberto Luongo (April 21, 2011 - Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images North America) 

So it seems like Roberto Luongo is turning into a non-playoff goalie again this year.  He has been pulled from the last two games allowing 10 goals in what is equal to playing a game and all of OT in the regular season.  Considering that having a goals against average of 2 is where the best goalies in the league are around, 10 goals in a game is not even going to get you ice time in the ECHL.  As mentioned in my last post he played well in the first game shutting Chicago out and was decent enough in the next two games to get wins.  You have probably seen the picture below; Vince Vaughn isn’t wrong in laughing at Lou and how ridiculous it is that he’s underperforming again in the playoffs.

Chicago has picked their game up in the last two and has challenged Lou and the Canucks; so far it seems as if he is not up to it.  He is a Vezina Finalist this year and I hope he picks his game up.  It will be tough if has or is losing confidence; when you are slumping as a goalie, even when you are doing everything you can and the results are not what you want, it is tough to be on top of your game.  Hopefully, his past experience will help him turn things around and pull himself together (even if I am routing for the Hawks). Unfortunately we may be seeing the usual Luongo in the playoffs, the guy who cannot get his team to the Finals. 

Playoff Update

Brian Boucher(R) prepares to replace Sergei Bobrovsky(L) earlier this season as he will take over for the Flyers tonight (December 19, 2010 - Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images North America)

The goalie issue in Philadelphia continues………Due to Sergei Bobrovsky’s poor play in game two of the playoffs (3 goals on 7 shots in 12:30 minutes) he will not start tonight.  And it’s suspected  "Bobs" will watch the game from the stands tonight, I didn’t think his leash was that short, and Michael Leighton will dress as the backup tonight as well.  The Flyers are going to start Brian Boucher.  He deserves to start after salvaging a win out of game 2.  He also has the experience and will hopefully create some stability in net for the Flyers. 

So after watching parts of the first few games of the first round I am impressed with Jimmy Howard and Pekka Rinne.  These guys, even though they have not been challenged all game each game, they have come up big for their teams.  Also I’m starting to question Roberto Luongo after posting a shutout in the first game of the series.

I’m not impressed with Tim Thomas either….he should be playing at a much higher level, granted he isn’t getting the best help from his teammates.   But as this article suggests his rebound control is not that great right now, I agree, and that has led to a few timely goals for the Canadians….

King Henrik

Henrik Lundqvist (March 21, 2011 - Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America)

Henrik Lundqvist is going to have a lot of pressure to get the Rangers past the Caps in the first round.  He has been a pretty solid goalie so far in his career, he’s had six straight 30 plus win seasons and received Vezina nominations his first three years in the NHL, but he has yet to prove himself in the postseason.  As much as I hate the Rangers, I have a lot of respect for Lundqvist and his abilities as a great goalie, but he has only helped the Rangers make it to the second round of the playoffs twice in four trips to the postseason and has failed to make it any further.  Also, he has only been able to win 3 games in the second round…

King Henrik is a franchise goalie and has the ability to get the Rangers past the Capitals.  I can see this first round series going 7 games as it did in 2009 against the Caps.  Lundqvist can make the series outcome different this year.  Henrik has 2 shutouts and has stopped 85 of 89 shots this season against the Capitals.  If Lundqvist plays his game and receives help from his teammates, as much as it pains me to write this, I can see them beating the Caps in the first round.    It will have to be a long series though.  I give the Rangers the advantage because of Lundqvist and since they won the season series 3-1 and outscored the Caps 18 to 5.   If they beat Washington, I can see the Rangers making a run for the Cup.

Top 10 NHL Goalie Masks of 2011

The following are the top 10 NHL goalie masks of 2011.  The order is based on my opinion and quality of art on the masks as well.

10) Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars

The first mask he wore this year had images of Chuck Norris on it.  It plays along with the cowboy/Dallas theme with Stars logos throughout the mask and the fact that Norris was in "Walker, Texas Ranger."  If features art work by Dave Gunnarsson and this makes the list for the great imagery on the mask.

9) Antero Niittymaki, San Jose Sharks

I like the use of the sharks as “gangsters” as they mix in his nickname “Nitty” that started in his days with Philly.  It’s painted by mask artist David Arrigo. You’ll see his work again on this list.

8) Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks

This mask pays tribute to Canucks goalies over the years as this year is the team’s 40^th anniversary.

7) Craig Anderson, Ottawa

Like the two sided mask look. Simple team oriented on one side and personal touch on the other side.

6) Jonathan Bernier, LA Kings

This is a really good looking retro/tribute mask to Rogie Vachon.  Its another solid mask by David Gunnarsson.

5) Sergei Bobrovsky, Philadelphia Flyers

Like the use of Philadelphia/US and Russian imagery between fighter jets and landmarks. Another work by daveart.com

4) Dan Ellis, Tampa Bay

Like the different look for a Tampa Bay Mask.  The sea creature on one side and then skarks and deep sea fish on the other definitely make the mask as great as it is.  Daveart.com

3) Scott Clemmensen, Florida Panthers

I really like the simplicity of the mask and the fact that you can easily make out the design from far away. He has two different versions of the mask, one mostly red and one mostly blue.

2) Curtis McElhinney, Anaheim Ducks

The design of this mask is really great.  Love the creepy alien looking creature with the subtle Duck mask over the top and twisting spiral designs with a skull and wings in the center on the chin of the mask.

1) Henrik Karlsson, Calgary Flames

This is by far the best mask in the NHL this year.  Of course it has to be a David Gunnarsson mask.  It has a great design between the use of the old horse logo, the current logo on top and the really good skull on each side of the mask.  And when light hits the mask a certain way there are little Calgary logos in the dark areas on the mask.

Marty Turco the Gambler

Marty Turco(December 2, 2010 - Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America)

Marty Turco has a hell of a character and a great personality too.  He could be hanging his head and complaining about his current situation, sitting behind Corey Crawford, but he is not.  He has not played in almost three weeks and has not started a game since mid February.  He is a great teammate and has offered as much veteran support and knowledge as he can.  But when you’re sitting on the bench for as long as he has been sometimes you get bored just opening and closing the door on the bench.  Check this out.  He is now making bets with opposing team’s fans from the bench…and if you happen to sit by him at your local rink the odds are in your favor.  I would like to see more fan-player interaction like this.

Flyers Playoff Goalie?

Michael Leighton (December 29, 2010 - Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images North America)

What the hell is going on in Philly.  Michael Leighton is on waivers…this article suggest the Flyers might be trying to dump salary or only for “playoff depth,” but I doubt that.  Leighton is really on wavers because the Flyers are questioning their goalie situation at the moment.   I still think Sergei Bobrovsky is going to start in net in the playoffs for the Flyers…if they can turn their recent questionable play around….then again, this guy just let in 4 goals against the crappy Senators tonight.  Brian Boucher has not looked great either as of late.  Now the Flyers are on a 4 game losing streak and have lost 5 of the last 6. 

The Flyers are making the right move by placing Michael Leighton on waivers.  Once Leighton clears, the Flyers have nothing to lose and potentially something to gain if they call him up.  It does not matter that he spent most of the season in the AHL.  He is going to motivate Bobrovsky and Boucher to work their asses off to make sure they are the ones dressing and playing in the playoffs. 

Don’t be surprised if Leighton starts on Friday in Buffalo.  Leighton is coming off back to back shutouts for the Adirondack Phantoms and it probably feeling really confident right now.  I definitely believe Michael Leighton has the ability and the playoff experience to right the Flyers ship and help them move in the right direction; if he is given the opportunity.

Patrick Lalime

Patrick Lalime (November 2, 2010 - Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

I really feel for Patrick Lalime….don’t know how he can be happy at all.  I also don’t know how he could have a positive attitude right now.  He’s been around for 12 seasons and outside of being the starter in Ottawa he’s been a backup.  He’s only played in 7 games this season and lost 5 games…he has not played in a game since the end of January and his last start was at the end of November. 

Lalime has basically been a place-holder since that November game…when Ryan Miller needed a day off; Buffalo felt more comfortable calling up and starting Jhonas Enroth from Portland in the AHL.  And to add to not playing, Lalime has hurt his knee and has been day-to-day for the past month or so.  If I was Lalime, I would be pissed having played 12 seasons in the NHL and then management ends up having more confidence in some 21 year old kid.  I think, even if Lalime did happen to make this horrible play in his last start in November, he dose deserve another chance to start a game…he will dress as the backup for the next few games until Miller is healthy…even with back to back games this weekend Lalime probably won’t see the ice.  I doubt he will be in the NHL next year or possibly playing at all….

Mac and McCollum

Joey MacDonald (January 9, 2011 - Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America)

Here is a follow up on Joey MacDonald. It talks about his recent call-up to Detroit and his chance to get to play some more NHL minutes due to another minor injury to Jimmy Howard. He went over a span of about 4 games without letting in a goal, prior to starting in a 3-2 OT loss to Chicago on Monday.  He played well enough to earn another start tonight against St. Louis.  The article also talks about the interesting situation a guy called up from the minors goes through when called up. It would be nice to see if he stays with Detroit in the playoffs since he’s been up and down so many years, but it would be an interesting situation to see if he ends up having to play for Detroit…

Thomas McCollum(Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

There is also a short write-up about  Thomas McCollum, he is the goalie called up from the ECHL to fill in for Howard.  He has had a tough second pro season not playing as well in the AHL and was sent to the ECHL to build confidence and help him play more consistently…which he has and its earned him the call-up to the Wings for Monday’s game against Chicago.  Also make sure you look at the blurb on Corey Crawford. He has reached 30 wins and he is definitely making a push for winning the Calder Trophy.

And here is a post goal fail by Scott Clemmensen…it must have been a mind numbing goal…kinda makes me more embarrassed to be Clemmensen fan.



Caps

Semyon Varlamov (February 11, 2011 - Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

I came across this article on NHL.com and I think it’s a good follow up on my post about Braden Holtby and the Capitals.  I agree that Washington is pretty secure in net with any of their three goalies (Braden Holtby, Michal Neuvirth, and Semyon Varlamov) playing in the playoffs.  It is actually the first time that Washington has had 3 goalies with 10 wins each, Neuvirth has the most with 24.  And I think the Caps are going to go with him to start the playoffs since he’s had a solid year and has won back to back Calder Cups in the AHL.  As I said in the Holtby post I think Varlamov will be the next one to go in if Neuvy can’t handle the playoffs.  As you’ll read in the article the players on the Caps aren’t worried who’s in net for them; each goalie gives the Caps a chance to win.

Michal Neuvirth ( March 2, 2011 - Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

Braden Holtby ( November 21, 2010 - Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

The next few days are going to have short posts due to the fact that I am tied down with a ton of work this week….

How to Draft an NHL Goalie

Drafting goalies is definitely like roulette in my mind.  I came across this Hockey News article on draft eligible goalies and it made me think about it for a bit.  Drafting a goalie at 17 or 18 is something really hard to do.  There are big risks in drafting them, you don’t know if they will mature properly, burnout, or actually make it to the NHL.  A promising goalie might get stuck in a teams system behind other goalies and never get the shot to play.  Also if a guy isn’t drafted it’s really not the end of the world for a goalie, most goalies don’t hit their prime until their mid to late 20’s.  Below are some goalies that have been drafted high, low or not at all and where they are now.

March 23, 2011 - Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images North America

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (Drafted 7^th round #205 overall by NYR 2000, 210-134-49 [NHL Career], .918 save percentage, 2.31 GAA)

-Lundqvist was drafted in the 7^th round and is definitely a great find for the Rangers.  They probably didn’t expect him to end up being their franchise goalie (He came around the Dan Blackburn era).  He spent 5 years in the SEL after being drafted and that’s probably what helped him do so well in his first year in the NHL.  He’s an example of drafting a goalie late and it turning out unbelievable for a team.

March 9, 2011 - Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America

Henrik Karlsson, Calgary Flames (Undrafted, 4-5-5, .906 save percentage, 2.55 GAA)

-Karlsson went undrafted and has been playing in Sweden for a number of years, only two in the SEL, before drawing attention of the Calgary Flames and signing with them last summer. Karlsson is now playing his first year in the NHL at 27. This is not something usually happens for an undrafted goalie, but is starting to trend with teams the past couple of years.

                                                         February 22, 2011 - Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (Drafted in the 1^st round 1^st overall by the Penguins 2003, 182-124-2-35, .909 save percentage, 2.73 GAA)

-There was a lot expected of Fleury being drafted first overall.  Fleury took a little bit of time to develop, but he has become Pittsburgh’s franchise goalie and into a great return for the high risk move they took on drafting a goalie first overall. See Rick Dipietro for a not too great result in drafting a goalie 1^st overall.

© Daniel Levi Cfir www.daniellevi.fi

Ari Ahonen, KalPa (SM-Liiga) (Drafted in the 1^st round 27^th overall by the Devils 1999, no NHL games played)

-You might be saying Ari who? He was a promising prospect the Devils drafted.  Ari is a case where he got stuck behind a franchise goalie (Martin Brodeur) and the few times he was called up from the AHL he was never given a shot to play.  When he became a UFA he jumped back over to Europe to play in the top league in Sweden (SEL) and now Finland.  He is an example of the hazards of not knowing what you will get when drafting a goalie.

As you can see it really is like reaching into a bag blindfolded and not knowing what you are going to grab when you draft a goalie.



Top 10 Backup Goalies

Brent Johnson (February 1, 2011 - Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)

I’m working on coming up with ranking system for the top 10 goalies of the week or by-weekly.  It is taking me a little time to fully figure out how I want to do that.  But I came across this ranking of the top 10 backup goalies in the NHL by Bleacher Report and I am going to have to disagree with some of the rankings.  I am also going to give my top 10 backups right now.

They have Ray Emery on the list, but after playing in 4 games I don’t think that warrants making it into the top 10, I also think that two headed goalies (where goalies are splitting or are close to splitting games) don’t really count for backups even though they may appear as a backup (Brian Boucher), in my opinion.  I think they did a pretty good job otherwise.  As much as I’d love to put Scott Clemmensen as the best backup, those of you that know me would expect that, here are my top 10 backup goalies:

10- Jonathan Bernier, Los Angeles Kings (10-8-3, .908 save percentage, 2.57 goals-against average, 2 shutouts)

Bernier has done well in his first full year in the NHL, performing great in the games he has played in this year. Look for him in years to come.

9-Martin Biron, New York Rangers (8-6-0, .923 save percentage, 2.13 goals-against average)

Biron was an amazing backup for the Rangers filling in well and giving his teammate shootout tips from the bench helping the team win games that way.

8- Mathieu Garon, Columbus Blue Jackets (10-10-5, .904 save percentage, 2.65 goals-against average, 3 shutouts)

He has done well behind Steve Mason and earlier we anointed “the starter” for a few weeks and had filled in decently for Mason when he gets a night off.

7-Antero Niittymaki-San Jose Sharks (12-6-3, .900 save percentage, 2.57 goals-against average)

Nitty has done great filling in for Antti Niemi, even with an injury that kept him out a little during the season.  The Sharks have no problem playing him in games over Niemi and he has the experience should Niemi falter.

6-Jose Theodore, Minnesota Wild (12-10-3, .915 save percentage, 2.78 goals-against average, 1 shutout)

He was really good in Washington last year but did not fit into their plans or any other team’s original plans. Theodore’s play has been really good and he has taken some games away from Niklas Backstrom and is playing really well again this year.

5-Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (10-12-2, 2 shutouts, .917 save percentage, 2.75 goals-against average)

Pask an outstanding rookie season last year and taking the reins from Tim Thomas.  He has also performed great this year, but was outplayed by Thomas, resulting in fewer games for Rask.  He can handle the show and will do so in the future.

4-Johan Hedberg, New Jersey Devils (13-11-2, .913 save percentage, 2.34 goals-against average, 3 shutouts)

Even for a crappy first half Devils team he did well and gave the team a chance to win, but a few bad bounces resulted in losses.  Then he became brilliant filling in for Marty Brodeur winning 7 in a row pulling the Devils out of last place.  His solid play even kept Brodeur on the bench for a few games when he became healthy again.  Although he might not start again he has shown that at 37 he can still play great in the NHL.

3-Anders Lindback, Nashville Predators (11-5-2, 2 shutouts, .915 save percentage, 2.60 goals-against average)

Lindback has done well in his first year in North America and has shown that he will have a good career in his future.  He did great covering for Pekka Rinne when he was hurt for a bit.  I give Mitch Korn a lot of credit in helping Lindback make the jump from Europe to the NHL at such a quick pace. Look out for him in the future. 

2- Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks. (14-3-2, 1 shutout, .927 save percentage, 2.22 goals-against average)

He has played outstanding in all of his starts and would be the future if Roberto Luongo was not there for 11 more years.  He will bring great trade return and is another guy with a promising future ahead of him. 

1- Brent Johnson, Pittsburgh Penguins (11-5-3, 2.19 goals-against average, .920 save percentage, 1 shutout)

He kept the Penguins together when Fleury struggled early this season and plays solid in almost every start and his teammate are very confident in him.  He can also throw a punch or two.