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.

Ottawa's Future

Robin Lehner (January 31, 2011 - Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images North America)

In one of my recent posts I said that Robin Lehner was going to be the backup next season in Ottawa and slowly take time away from Crain Anderson as seasons go on.  I think Lehner’s confidence in himself made me think he’s farther in his development then he really is.  He is only 19 and definitely needs time to develop in the minor leagues.  He has only participated in 26 games this year and the consistent movement between the NHL and AHL has slowed his development this season.  Assistant Ottawa GM Tim Murray has penciled Lehner in as the starter for Binghamton next season and management has the intention of Lehner playing 50 plus games down there.  In this article, Robin Lehner is realizing he needs time to develop and understands his situation, even though he wants to be in Ottawa. 

Curtis McElhinney(Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

In addition, Curtis McElhinney finds himself in an interesting position for next season.  He’s a free agent this summer and Curtis has bounced around since last season.  Ottawa is his fourth NHL (Calgary, Anaheim, Tampa Bay, and Ottawa) team in less than two full seasons.  He has played his best all season in Ottawa, even if he’s only started five games, winning three of them.  Defeating the surging Devils and the Lightning twice; the team that traded for him and waved him after four days without giving him a chance to even dress for a game.  He’s giving Ottawa a good reason to resign him as their backup next season. McElhinney is also raising his stock in a pretty flooded goalie market this offseason.  As well Curtis McElhinney thinks he makes a decent fit in Ottawa, even with Anderson signed for 4 years, but as of now McElhinney is just focused on having fun and playing the best that he can.



I-96

Joey MacDonald (September 28, 2010 - Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

I-96 is the highway that runs between Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Veteran journeyman Joey MacDonald did not plan to travel this highway much this season, but he knows it like the back of his hand by now.  He was slated to be the starter for the season in Grand Rapids and mentor Detroit’s prospect goalies Thomas McCollum and Jordan Pearce.  Joey Mac has been called up to Detroit again today, which makes this his seventh time heading to Detroit this year.  This has been the result of nagging injuries to Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard and the team’s failed attempt to sign Evgeni Nabokov. 

MacDonald has taken full advantage of the opportunities when given the chance to play for the Motor City.  In 12 games played in he’s 4-4-2 with a decent GAA (2.10) and a real good save percentage at .926%.  I think MacDonald has a great mentality.  He’s a great team player and has a lot of wisdom to offer to both teams.  He is also a decent goalie as well, if you look at his numbers, even if he’s played the majority of his career in the AHL.  MacDonald has a great outlook on his situation as well, “I’m 30 years old now, so being back up on a team like that (Detroit) is what my goal is,” he said. “When I’m not, (Grand Rapids) is the place to be. Of course, as a goaltender, you’ve got to play games to get better.”  He’s an UFA this summer and would be a great re-sign for the Wings to fill their backup or their number 3 slot again. He'd also be a good signing for another team looking for a mentor for their younger goalies.  For the rest of the season he will be good for the Wings until Osgood is healthy enough to backup; or in spots starts and relief efforts for Howard.  There may not be any as the season is almost over, but he’ll be ready if needed.  Hopefully, for Mac though, he won’t be traveling I-96 again.

 99VEKY2MPDBP 

Bobs or Bust?

Sergei Bobrovsky (February 2, 2011 - Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images North America)

The Flyers are looking solid in their run toward the playoffs and their goalies are, in part, to thank for that.  Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher have been solid for the Flyers this year.  The NHL posted a story on their play as a tandem in February and there are a few words from Boucher and the teams goalie coach Jeff Reese on the situation.  The current question the Flyers are faced with is who the go to goalie in the playoffs will be?  This article offers some valid points in favor of both goalies.

Brian Boucher has the veteran experience and was able to beat the Devils in the first round last year before being injured.  Even with his experience, I think Sergei Bobrovsky is going to get the nod come the first round of the playoffs.  He was relatively unknown until this (his rookie) year and he has been outstanding.  He would probably be competing in the AHL with Johan Backlund right now if Michael Leighton had not been injured.  Bobs numbers this season have been exceptional for a rookie and I think he has managed to outplay Boosh this season.  His poise and abilities will ultimately lead Peter Laviolette to choose him to start the playoffs, in my opinion.  Will Bobs handle the pressure of the playoffs and become this year’s Antti Niemi?  We shall have to wait and see.  I agree with Sam Carchidi in that Bobs is going to probably be the starter and Boucher will be there to take over if he stumbles at all.  And don’t forget that last year’s playoff hero (or sieve) Michael Leighton is in Adirondack waiting for another opportunity in the NHL and he has proved that he can play in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Brian Boucher (December 19, 2010 - Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images North America)

Andy

Craig Anderson (March 9, 2011 - Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

So Craig Anderson is going to be in Ottawa for the next four seasons.  I think it's an interesting choice by Craig after Colorado recently traded him to the worst team in the east and he was headed to be an unrestricted free agent July 1.  Here is a good article on what could happen to Anderson now that he’s locked in with Ottawa.  It seems it could be the demise of Anderson’s career or he could put the Senators back into the playoffs as Ray Emery did.

This move seems interesting to me with Ottawa having two goalie prospects in Robin Lehner and Mike Brodeur.  I would expect maybe a two year deal for Anderson, maybe three.  That way Lehner could backup the next season or so.  He would take on more games as time progressed then take over as the full time starter for Ottawa.  Then again, as mentioned in the article, Ottawa has been through more than a handful of goalies over the past few seasons and consistency is something lacking in Ottawa's past goalies.  Anderson had a great first full season as a starter in Colorado, helping them reach the playoffs and giving them a chance to win every night.  He was also a really reliable backup for the majority of his career.  This year was a little shaky, but the trade has refocused Anderson and he’s started to play decent for the last place Eastern Conference team.  This looks to be a good move for the Senators and for Anderson as they are both looking to get some stability for themselves.  What’s the worst that could happen for Ottawa…they could end up with a great backup, but at $3.18 a season it's not a terrible waste of cap space, and current trends have teams paying goalies around that amount.

Hershey to DC

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

Braden Holtby is making some noise for the Caps over the past two weeks.  His second time up in the NHL is going much better than his first stint when the Devils, who couldn't steal a win, scored 5 on Holtby in a 5-0 loss for him.  Maybe it’s his intense pregame routine

or his stick handling ability that has turned his game around....

All I know is this guy is good. Do to some unfortunate injuries to Varly and Neuvy he "Capitalized" on this opportunity...terrible joke I know...  Holtby was the NHL's first star of the week last week, earning his first shutout and going 4-0-0 with a 1.05 GAA, and will be forcing George McPhee to make a move sometime soon. There's 3 valuable assets in goal in Washington...and Mr. Boudreau is going to have a tough decision to make come playoff time on which goalie to start....I think he should keep with the hot hand in Holtby and let him play.  He has earned the starting job for now.  If he keeps it up start him in the playoffs...otherwise if Semyon Varlamov is healthy enough to play he's ended up being the go to guy in the playoffs for the caps so I'd go with him...and Michal Neuvirth is not even a bad option either....

I'd like to see Braden Holtby with the Caps full time next year.  He has a lot to offer and a long career ahead of him.  One thing I definitely know is there is no way the Caps 3 goalies will not be in the NHL next season.

Robin who?

Robin Lehner (Getty Images)

This guy needs to wake up....Robin Lehner definitely has a potentially solid career ahead of him.  But at 19 he has a lot of maturing and growing up to do....seems that he feels like he should be in the show and has no desire to float back and forth between Ottawa and Binghamton to gain experience and get a decent amount of playing time.  Binghamton's fans are not too happy with his attitude and would rather have the favored hard working and solid playing Barry Brust in the net. 

Lehner needs to learn that he needs to earn his time in the NHL; it is definitely not handed to him or anyone else.  In the few games he has played for Ottawa his stats seem ehhh...promising is a stretch at the moment, in the AHL they have been better but he’s only played 28 professional games between the two leagues...He definitely seems quite cocky as well, "I'm hunting the goalies in front of me..."  What a nice way to say watch out Craig Anderson. And Pascal Leclaire, well he would probably be an easy kill since he’s already wounded....but hey Lehner could continue to take cheap shots on goalies in hopes he hurts them...

Little word from the wise Robin...you still have to earn your minutes in the AHL or anywhere you end up... there’s 5 goalies in the Ottawa's system that have more pro experience then you... and according to your coach, Kurt Kleinendorst, "I think Robin, he has got to earn that net."

Lag

I apologise for not updating the past few days as I have been super busy. I had a big job interview all day today and have been working on a term paper.
Anyway take a look at this site it has a ton of really good goalie info and articles.

http://www.ingoalmag.com/

Also here's there twitter version of it which focuses on minor league news and info on goalies.

www.twitter.com/ingoalmagahl

Both are super good sites and have a lot of relevant goalie info from interviews, news, and technical articles to a bunch of really good pictures. You should definitely take a look.

Mark Dekanich (Copyright Chris Jeirna)

The Dexshow.  He currently plays for the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL (Nashville's minor league affiliate).  I spent a week with him over the last summer, at Mitch Korn's Buffalo Prospect camp(unfortunately its not offered anymore), prior to this season.  He has an amazing work ethic and it was crazy to see how good of a goalie he is.  He has a lot of possibility and will continue to push Nashville starter Pekka Rinne and challenge rookie backup Anders Lindback.  Look out for Mark in the future, the Colgate University grad has alot to offer.  Take a look at his twitter if you have a second as well.  @dexshow

Optimus Reim

James Reimer (March 1, 2011 - Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images North America)

“Optimus Reim” is the nicknamed coined by Maple Leaf fans.  James Reimer owns this nickname and it might not have occurred this year unless there were some unfortunate injuries to J-S Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson or if he did not get noticed about 10 years ago pretty much by accident.  Here is a great article on the soon to be 23 year old rookie goalie and his career so far.  "Reims" has been spectacular this season ever since being called up from the Marlies in the AHL.  He has the possibility of being the franchise goalie of the future for the Maple Leafs, if he is able to continue his play and not end up like former Leaf and Calder trophy winner Andrew Raycroft.  As well, he will push Jonas Gustavsson as the team’s future goalie if Gustavsson can work out his heart issues, and Reimer is resigned this summer.  Now here is a comical article suggesting that Reimer may end up like Raycroft, falling off after a great first season; but this will be the result of hanging out with goalies that had only one solid season in the NHL.  I think this “Transformer” of a goalie will end up not transforming.  He will continue to be a reliable goalie for years to come, but the Canadian pressure may affect his play if he starts to slump, if at all.

Welcome Back!

Ray Emery (Getty Images)

Ray Emery….I used to think this guy shoulda been boxing instead of in the NHL.  He is definitely a changed man and actually a man today.  Maybe if he was boxing he wouldn’t have had the meltdown he had, but I don’t think he was mature enough to focus only on his career in the NHL.  I think his exile to Russia and then comeback attempt in Philly (ended by a midseason injury) last year was a start toward screwing his head on straight.  Well here’s a really good article with a nice summary on his career up until a few weeks ago.  He realized how fortunate he was being able to play pro hockey and does not care if he cannot walk in 5 years.  Now he’s in Anaheim, again to fill in as a backup, happy about his solid weekend in Texas playing a few games in the AHL for Syracuse.  Now he is waiting for the opportunity to get into another game in the NHL.  He is definitely ready to play a game in the show after months of rehab.  The new Ray Emery is here and is going to make a difference for whatever team he is on whether it is Syracuse or Anaheim or somewhere else.

Lost and Found

                                                         Al Montoya (March 1, 2011 - Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

As a goalie, when your given a shot to play at any level you need to take full advantage of that opportunity.  When this opportunity happens, the goalie’s play will ultimately affect their ice time and where they will end up.  You already know this.  So much will go into this moment of a goalies career, but for some, they might not get that opportunity.

Take a look at Ari Ahonen. He was a 1^st round draft pick by the New Jersey Devils as a promising goalie in 1999.  I personally was a big Ahonen fan feeling he could be the goalie of the future or culminate into some great trade bait.  This never happened; he was never given that opportunity.  For a lot of pro goalies, they get lost in a team’s system and personally, I know, it sucks.

Even though sometimes a goalie may get lost in a team’s system, that opportunity may show up later.  Al Montoya.  This guy is good.  I was one of those who cast him off when I saw him play in the Rangers system.  I was told by a buddy of mine that when he was at camps and practicing with the team he was nervous, “star struck,” and couldn’t stop a beach ball.  He ended up in Phoenix.  When given the opportunity in the show, finally after 4 plus years in the minors maturing, he made the most of it going 3-1 and had a 2.08 GAA and .925 save percentage.  But he ended up getting “lost” again due to a few experienced goalies on the team. 

Now he is in Long Island; again showing he can play in the NHL and seizing the opportunity presented to him.  His goals against average is 1.94 and has a .931 save percentage in 9 games and he’s playing outstanding for the Islanders.  I am so psyched for this guy.  I hope he ends up on a team in the NHL, playing next year.  He deserves to be in the NHL and his play is giving teams a reason to want him on their team in the NHL.

Uncontrollable Aspects

                                                                                      Scott Clemmensen (AP Images)

The most difficult part of my goaltending “career” did not have to do with my skill or confidence.  I was playing the best I had ever been and I was extremely confident in my ability to play at the college level.  The last season of my “career” I ended up watching more than playing.  And it was due to my coaches decisions.  The aspects I couldn’t control really messed me up.

 My distorted mentality made me think that I “deserved” to play; being that I had 3 years of playing experience in the league and I figured my coach would let me play knowing it was my last year.  I was even told that I was going to play the majority by him. So, when the first year goalie ended up starting 4 games in a row and I went a month between starts it was bad news.  I thought it was bs that I was supporting my teammates from the bench and not in the net.  In addition I had played solid and gave my team a chance to win the games I did play in.  I was only upset with my coach and I was really pissed off and bitter for a good two months.  If you were to ask those close to me it wasn’t only affecting my game but whole life.  I was not a happy person and I was definitely not a team player.

As time went on, I realized what I had to do.  It was hard to make the transition; but think about it I was playing college hockey and was part of a team with some of the best guys I played with in my career.  And it was probably going to be the last time I was really playing for something.  I did whatever I could to make my teammates better and offer any knowledge I could possibly offer to my teammates.  I started to have fun again and it was one of the best seasons, team wise, I was part of.

An uncontrollable aspect is one of the hardest things for a goalie to deal with.  A situation that I was part of, limited playing time, an injury, or a goalie that is just flat out better than you could really hurt your game if you don’t have the right mentality.  It may be hard to do at first, but once you figure out how to get through this aspect, it will make you a stronger goalie.

                                                                    

Shuttle Service?

Are the Rangers going to have that shuttle they had running last year between Hartford and NYC again this year?  So, far it looks like that might be a possibility due to the unfortunate injury to Marty Biron.  Cam Talbot was recalled from the ECHL that day to be the back-up in his place.  Two days later he was sent to the minors and Chad Johnson was recalled from the AHL.  Have the Rangers started the shuttle service up again where Johnson and former Rangers prospect Matt Zaba were basically shuttled back and forth between the two cities on game days and days off when the Rangers lost faith in Steve Valiquette and waived him to the minor?  I thought it was absurd last year, but it kinda makes sense this season since there are 17 games left and the Rangers are going to have Henrik Lundqvist play the remaining games to try to keep the Rangers in the playoffs.  The shuttle bus will allow for Chad Johnson to have more exposure in the NHL as well as give him the opportunity to still play games and develop down playing for the Whale.  Let's see if this really happens....

                                                Chad Johnson (January 29, 2010 - Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

MOOOOOOSE!!!!

                                                                            Johan Hedberg (February 10, 2011 - Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images North America)

“MOOOOSE,” chants have been heard throughout the Prudential Center 16 games this year.  That is about 12 more times then I was expecting.  When Johan Hedberg came to New Jersey this offseason I thought it was a waste of money, with the expected number of games Marty Brodeur’s backup typically plays and the cap space needed with Ilya Kovalchuk and all, I would have rather paid the league minimum for Yann Danis again.  I had a feeling at first Hedberg was only signed to persuade Kovy to sign with the Devils or at least make it more comfortable for him to sign here.

I was wrong when I expected Moose to be collecting splinters most of the season with the exception of a handful of games.  That handful of games played was expected due to the fact that Brodeur’s backup as averaged about 9 games played a year for the past 5 years (excluding the year he was injured). Hedberg has already played in 31 games this year, starting 24 of them.  I cannot complain as Johan definitely won some games for the Devils that Brodeur would not have been able to.  Due to a few injuries to Brodeur at different times and playing extremely well resulted in the substantially larger than normal number of games he’s played.  It also kept Brodeur on the bench for a few games when he became healthy again. 

Hedberg’s work ethic and competitiveness is well above average, contributing to his solid goaltending.  The players and coaches are extremely happy with the way he has played, too.  Even in his last game, a loss to Tampa Bay and the first after 9 consecutive wins, coach Jacques Lemaire said he was happy the way Moose played and  that, “He still played the game he’s been playing this whole time.” His goals against average is in the top 10 in the league at 2.24.  This is the best GAA of all the goalies (at least 15 games played in) who are playing for the last 4 teams in the Eastern Conference.  Hedberg has yet to play a poor game this season, yes he’s had a weak goal here and there, but between his confidence level (just coming off winning 9 in a row) and his ability to steal games he will definitely be great in the 5 more games he plays this year.  His stats and ability to play so well shows he has the potential of a pay increase come July 1^st.  Even at 37 he will be a great veteran backup that can play 35+ games at a high level.  He proved it again this year.