The debate continues about what the Kings should do, for the rest of the season, with their goaltending situation, but here is what Terry Murray said his plans will be in goal before the eight-day holiday break, which starts Dec. 18.
MURRAY: “We have the back-to-backs again, going up into Canada. Last week, that was part of my thoughts, (Wednesday) night’s game and then probably up in Canada, one of those two. It’s still that way right now.”
Murray also gave his assessment of Ersberg’s game against the Sharks…
MURRAY: “At the end of the day, most importantly, he won the game. They tied it up, and they had an unbelievable scoring chance on a point shot, a redirection, and it was an outstanding save. That’s digging in, when it’s on the line. Sure, he’d like to have a couple of those shots back, and re-do them, but he won the game and was a big part of that win when the game was on the line. He made big stops.”
ersberg gave up a couple of really bad goals against San Jose. You could tell how bad the goal is by the way the goalie reacts afterward. His reaction is much worse when he knew he should have had it – Ersberg had a few of those moments.
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All of you, give it up. There is NO goalie controversy. EE is a back up – if he was nails, he’d be #1. Leave it be, let them play and stop trying to give away the farm for someone riding the pine most nights.
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Continuing from last post… anybody remember Stauber going to the blue line regularly to play pucks and getting caught out of position? Ah those were the days…
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Yeah, the only thing this controversy does is hurt the team by putting unnecessary stress on the players anytime this stuff reaches them. It’s unfair, that’s for sure.
It’s not as though the team is in a position that warrants talk of trades or replacement. It’s not as though Ersberg wasn’t aware or went without acknowledging he could be better. And, we all know he can be too. So, why give up on the guy?
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No one ever said there was any controversy surrounding who should be #1 Jefe
I LOVE how everytime a good discussion starts up, Rich runs with it and gets material from the Inside.. What a Beauty!
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That point-shot deflection save was INCREDIBLE. gotta give it up to EE on that save.
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Well, Vokoun is on the trading block, apparently. I think he’d be happy here; the D’s are smart enough not to brain him with their sticks.
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The key is just to play Ersberg against the teams with holey defense or aging/not great goalies. Duh, I know. But seriously, kings have got to put a few extras in the net when he’s in there. Pray for barn burners when EE gets the nod.
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Rich, can you help us pleeeease? Our Enforcer is not scoring……Maybe we should trade him for Toews or Kovalchuk. ‘tears flow freely
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It would be great to see a shutout sometime soon. I’m pulling hard for Quick to come up with a real gem in the next couple games. Quick has been great of late and deserves it. I haven’t seen a soft goal in a while now. Most of the goals he’s given up would have been impossible to keep out.
In my opinion, the Kings defense is the common denominator that factors into a lot of the high scoring performances. They seem to be improving game by game, so I believe Quick’s and Ersberg’s save percentages will continue to improve as well. I don’t think they’ve even hit their stride yet as a unit.
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J LaBobo
2004-2005 AHL GP-53 W-31 L-16 SV%-.934 GAA-1.84
JB
2008-2009 AHL GP-54 W-23 L-24 SV%-.910 GAA-2.40
Yeah, LaBobo once Tore It Up in the ‘A’
It’s a different game when you’re called up.
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Seriously, this gets out of hand. Just the other day everyone was saying what a stupid move it was to start EE against SJ because we were going to lose. I believe the prhase was “There is no way in hell we are going to win with Ersberg in net”. The kid wins the game for us, yes he let in some soft goals, but now we are discussing possibly trading him. Come on, really?
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BTW, still have two seats available in our suite for tomorrow nights game against Dallas. Tickets include food and beverages. No alcohol.
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Alot of you are throwing EE to the wolves a little to easily. He let in a couple bad goals against the Sharks, no question about it. His numbers don’t look very good, no question about it. Keep in mind the guy hasn’t played much. Cut him some slack, he’s not in game form, how could he be. We’re going to have to get around bad goals now and then if he is going to play so little. Finally, keep in mind we WON both of his last starts.
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wow, i gotta check out bernier’s numbers more often….
with all this praise, i thought JB had better numbers than what Lur just showed us. 2.40/.910 is all right, but….
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I’m an Edmonton based Kings fan. Going to the game here on Tuesday. I hope Quick is in net for the game up here as (almost) nothing makes me happier than a Kings win in Edmonton (admist the boos from Oiler fans). With Quick in net I’d feel much more secure about a win – With Ersberg in net and it will be a vey close game. I agree it’s a waste of time trading a pick or prospect for a barely used backup. Kind of a conundrum.
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JayJay: Those were last years numbers. Here are his #’s this season:
Record = 12-6-2
2 Shut outs
1.89 GAA
.943 Save Pct
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JayHay* sorry
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btw, thanx rich for all of this, turned into my fav site. had no idea about this blog when you were at the old place.
supposed to be studing, but i cant get away from the site, ha!
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those numbers are more like it, carry on w/ the praise
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Amen to what jef said, EE is a backup, having 2 starting goaltenders would be nice but there’s this whole salary cap thing. We have plenty of depth in that position plus EE as a backup wont be playing too many tough games. Non issue here if you ask me.
Ah remember the days when we couldn’t get goaltending from our #1 guy. If our biggest worry is the backup then this team has really turned the corner, and the winning culture is finally trickling down to the fans.
Awesome.
And Jayhay remember those are AHL #’s where there is no D, the best way to see if those are good #’s are to compare him to the best #’s in the AHL and see how it measures up.
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Right.. they were last years stats. And JLs are from ’04-’05. But they are for 50 + games.
No intention to put JB down. He is tearing it up this year… in the ‘A’. I just don’t share the opinion of makeing a move to bring him up at this time.
Putting some perspective out there
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shoulda paid more attention to the part that said 2008-09. i had thought he had numbers similar to what Van showed but hadnt seen them in a couple weeks or so.
i would be in favor of getting JB a couple of games here this year, but communicate to him that thats what it is. a game or two. i think someone said that the calder cup playoffs end before or around the time of the first round of the SC playoffs. cant recall right now.
i like JB coming here, in a back-up role, for our playoff run when MAN is done w/ theirs. JB would be much sharper than EE would be, and could be used as a motivational tool by TM if he were to hook JQ in a playoff game. where as, if we just have EE backing up in the playoffs, and JQ comes out flat, i dont think TM even thinks about putting in EE
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To continue from an earlier post, Ice Edge and the league have just announced that they are signing a letter of intent to buy the Yotes and keep them in AZ.
I think this is great news
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-coyotessale&prov=ap&type=lgns
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I would keep EE as the #2 to see how he plays between now and the trade deadline.
It would be different if it appeared that the players had no trust in EE to make saves (see JLB last year). During the SJ game, I didn’t get the sense that EE lost the team’s support. I would think that for each of the goals the players would say that they have to make smarter decisions or not turn over the puck before saying those goals were all EE’s fault.
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Offtopic but Kyle Calder is playing in the Ducks lineup tonight. I hope the Ducks keep up the good work and put some more money in my pocket by losing tonight
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does anyone feel confident with Ersberg in goal in a big game? If the answer is no, then you HAVE to bring Bernier up.
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http://www.ctvolympics.ca/hockey/news/newsid=22164.html?cid=rsstsn
DD ranked 4th in Canada rankings. Wonder what DL has to say about the added workload our olympic participants will have placed on them. Good for Quick and others to rest, or see world class action?
what say you, Rich?
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Carol Vadnais> he got the job done against SJ so I quess my answer is yes. Would I feel more confident with Quick yes. Bringing up Bernier is not the answer and it’s a none issue. Anyone wonder how the top team in the league felt to lose to our back up at home?
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No one ever said we should trade the farm for a back up…..
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Quick should remain the number 1. I used to be in favor of calling up Bernier to be the backup, but he needs to play consistently and stay where he’s at. Call up Zatkoff for a start. See what he can do. Ersberg’s just not cuttin the mustard.
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I was at the game in SJ and it could have easily been 10 goals for the Sharks Ersberg did just fine.
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I’d be willing to bet Quick will be in goal against Vancouver and Calgary, and Ersberg will be in net against Edmonton.
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Hey ea, email me about the tickets. I’m curious about them. Gary@garylivingston.com.
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bernier had a great night. he stopped 46 of 49 shots in the monarchs 6-3 win.
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i know its the ahl but thats still dam impressive!
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Quick should play no more than 65 games… Anymore we will pay dearly come playoffs and then ersberg won’t have enough game experience when Quick falters…
The guy is essentially a rookie annointed #1 and now plays more than brodeur or Luongo…come on? Mistake but not yet evident.time will tell
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Again, we are in the mid-stages of a true rebuild. The team is doing way better than expected. My solution is to leave Bernier in Manchester, and give EE a few starts per month more than he gets now. That will give Quicker the rest he needs for the playoffs, EE more confidence in his starts, and improve the team’s confidence in EE. At this stage of the rebuild, I do not advocate making a trade for a backup goalie. We may be ahead of the rebuild schedule, and this team needs to go into the playoffs this year with the knowledge that management will do what it needs to do to support them. But not at the expense of the long range plans. I have seen this team abort too many sebuilds for a variety of misguided reasons. I WANT DL TO( STAY THE COURSE. Thank you Rich for your hard work. You are highly appreciated.
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MIK#,
Thanks you, may calmer heads prevail. Stay the course is the right plan.
Although, it will be very fun to be buyers rather than sellers at the trading deadline. It will be fun to see what DL comes up with.
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Thanks you…duh?
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1.Quick 30
2. Brodeur 28
3. Nabokov 27
4. Fleury 27
Here are the top 4 GP goalies in the league. Keep in mind that we’ve played more games than most of these teams. What do all these teams have in common? Two division leaders and Two are 4th in their conference very close to taking over their division.
I think Kings fans are so used to having 2 goalies that suck, split the games, that we’ve forgotten what it really means to have a number 1 goalie on a winning team.
Last season we were 27th in games played by a starting goaltender.
I still think we should start EE a few more games but with the olympic break coming we should be in pretty good shape.
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The reason I feel Quick should start less is because he is young and has very little experience as a number 1 and playing him so much could be dangerous… He almost played himself into a slump back in November when Ersberg got his second start…even Murray publicly Mulled over not getting him back in there immediately… Ersberg needs to be able to put the team on his back if the team falters just like any backup and we have not given him enough games to be able to do so in case something happens to Quick…
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Well, P. Lalime won tonight against Blackhawks, faced 40 shot and saved 39. His number is now Sv% .888 / GAA 3.51. That makes Ersberg with the worst number in the league. Some guys claim EE played only 3 games but so did Lalime. I guess EE really should step up and gives result next time he gets chance to play.
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And How about San Jose(S.O.), Calgary, Chicago all lost tonight. YES!
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Well, Dallas just beat San Jose 3-2 by shootout. It was a fast-paced first period, followed by a tight-checking 2nd and 3rd. The Stars just might be pretty tired…but they gave San Jose a point.
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Can’t help but think of the phrase “If it aint broke, don’t fix it”.
JB needs to get work and Quick needs to be our number 1 goalie. Anything happens to Quick, EE gets a shot for a few games, but if he isn’t sharp, JB gets his shot at the show.
That’s the way I see it.
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Keep EE as a backup. The coach plays him once in a blue moon and everyone expects Stanley Cup goaltending. Where is he getting the consistency and groove of playing in real NHL game situations—-In practice??? Come on. Quick has been pretty good this year but he to has let in some soft goals, everyone does.
As far as EE goes, one thing all opposing players are doing is going high on shots. If Ranford can correct that with him you’ll see better save percentages.
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Carol — Would a more pertinent question be, would Bernier do a better job against San Jose after not seeing live fire for a month? That is one of EE’s attributes, to be able to come off long stints on the bench and win a game. I do not think Bernier has the mental make up to play 5 or 6 games a year.
We also should consider the highly unusual schedule this season. We have a one + week break and a two + week break in the second half of the season. This should allow for plenty of rest for all of the players not going to the Olympics.
EE at 400,000 is the perfect fit for the role he is in this season.
By the way, my neighbor sat behind the goal judge at SJ and said the last goal SJ scored was off the bend. That is not a give me save. He also said the Sharks were going high glove side all night long and put many shots over the net. His impression was the Kings number 2 outplayed the Sharks number 1. He is a Sharks fan, so there is some bias there.
Side note, Edison will be the number 1 team in the country if they beat Servite at Angel stadium tonight. This may be the hardest hitting high school football game ever. Go Edison, Go Kings.
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Which would you prefer: LA’s current backup – EE or Phoenixs’ backup – JL. Things arent that bad.
Also, would someone please duct tape rental boy to his seat or maybe to a lamp post outside the building!!!!!
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Bernier just stopped 46 shots! He is ready. He is young but so to was Price last year in Montreal. My point is I have ZERO confidence in Ersberg. Jesus, look at his save percentage! Bernier should play one every three games the rest of the way and be ready if a) Quick hits the wall; b) Quick gets injured.
In terms of talent, Bernier could lead us deep into the playoffs. I think Quick could, but not sure. Ersberg means early exit.
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I hate to read all the EE haters. We want to trade the guy or bring up a rookie just because he has let in soft goals. The guy has won his last two starts coming off long delays. Imagine what you guys would write if he actually lost a game???
Gary, did you get my email?
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Hey EA Sportsmanagement,
guess who is LAST in the league in goals allowed (over 4!) and save percentage?
Or do you not care about stats?
Be REASONABLE. He was bad last year and HORRIBLE this year.
And for the first time in YEARS, we have a shot at not only making the playoffs, but doing some serious damage and I don’t want to eff that up by having a guy in there who can’t do the job.
It’s as simple as that.
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Lets just hope kopi becomes a dallas killer tonight!, i have a gut feeling he;s opening the floodgates tonight!
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I agree, i gets tiresome crossing your fingers and wincing on every shot against the guy, its like its 50 50 it’ll go in or he’ll stop it, not good!
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Funny how when the team is doing well (and in this case, very well), some people want to change things with the expectation that the team will be even better!
That’s rarely the case and as I’ve mentioned in a previous post that is not Lombardi’s MO. To their credit, Lombardi and staff know exactly where they want to be in six months, a year, two years, five years and what it takes to get them there.
Bernier will NOT be moved to the Kings because the Monarchs need him in Manchester and he needs to be in Manchester for his personal growth and he especially needs the playoff experience in Manchester which he will bring with him to the Kings. Bottom line. Be patient.
As mentioned previously, as well as the team is playing now, I don’t think Lombardi and co expect this team to make it to the finals and if they do – great! It’s all great experience! But they will not jeopardize the long term success of this team for very little short-term gain. With Lombardi and co, you have to think big picture which is awesome for this team (finally!).
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Bernier will NOT be moved to the Kings because the Monarchs need him in Manchester and he needs to be in Manchester for his personal growth and he especially needs the playoff experience in Manchester which he will bring with him to the Kings. Bottom line. Be patient.
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If this rationale is so smart, then why doesn’t it apply to Quick? When did Quick get playoff experience? You bring up TALENT. TALENT wins out.
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OFF TOPIC but this was GoofyFunny. Newest ad for tip-a-king called ‘Kick-A-King’ with Raitis Ivanans. The kid beating the crap outta Raitis is pretty cool. I’m guessing it’s Dustin Brown’s oldest son? But I’m not sure. Rich? Who is it?
http://kings.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-6
OW. OW. OW. OW. OW. Goofy! LOL!
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Carol Vadnais said:
>>If this rationale is so smart, then why doesn’t it apply to Quick? When did Quick get playoff experience? You bring up TALENT. TALENT wins out.
It really comes down to a question of timing. I don’t think it was Lombardi’s plan to bring up Quick so quickly and that he would have preferred Quick get more playing time in the AHL and ‘pay his dues’ at that level before being promoted to the big club. Unfortunately, the goalie situation in Los Angeles was problematic with Cloutier and LaBarbara then injuries and contract issues forced his hand.
The situation is different now because he has better alternatives than he did then.
Quick will get his playoff experience in the majors while Bernier gets his in the minors. Was this the original plan? I’m guessing probably not. There is no point in bringing up Bernier to sit on the bench during the playoffs. Then who do you play in Manchester? How do you best maximize these critical experiences for your players?
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Carol,
You have to be kidding? I’m a player agent who uses those stats to bring value to a player. You expect to use stats over the course of 3, yes 3 games to define the value of a player. Great thing you are not on the other side of those negotiations. There is more than just stats. Last year he played great until he got hurt. Ask any goalie who has had a groin injury how difficult it is to come back. Then you play him sporadically this season and expect him to stop every shot. Let’s be real. That is hard to do. I am confident the DL will keep him.
However expect Bernier to come up if Quicker or EE gets hurt. They are prepared to bring him up if one of them goes down and Zatkoff will be the starter in Manchester.
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Nice answer EA, that about says it. Iceberg was very good last year until the injury. With so little ice time at real time speed, we cant really expect more.
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Carol -
I like your thinking, but I really don’t think the Kings wouldn’t take Bernier (or any other player) because the Monarchs need him. Where are the reinforcements coming from if it’s not here in Manchester?
Currently the Monarchs suite at The Verizon is about overflowing with injured players.
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I don’t care if the Monarchs need him, Simarosa. I care about seizing the opportunity NOW — for the first time in years, we have a great shot to do what Chicago did last year.
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EA — as a player agent, you have some PR duties, I understand — but EE was not great last year. He was not even good. He was average: 8 wins, 11 losses, 2.64 goals against and a 9 save percentage.
But who cares about last year? Last year, Quick was in the minors. I’m talking about NOW and winning NOW and how Bernier has had as much experience as Quick had before coming up — is having a great year — and how I don’t believe Quick can play 70 games this year AND be effective in the playoffs and I want to win the games he doesn’t start.
We have a chance to do something special…let’s not blow it with patience.
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Carol, the last time the Kings ‘Seized the Opportunity’ and messed with the future in 1992-93, it took 15 years to recover.
I know you’re excited and I know you love JB, but JQ is the man right now. EE is his backup. In two years or so, JB will most likely be the Heir Apparant. I say 2 years since we just signed JQ to a 3 year deal. That deal, affordable as it is, makes JQ expendable IF JB takes the starting job down the line. We have Zatkoff in the pipeline for a backup opportunity and Martin Jones to take over in Manch 2 years from now. I’m sure we’ll have a few more prospects to cycle in to Ontario and the juniors in a few years.
Bringing JB up now, or even this season is the equivalent of throwing a monkeywrench into a well-oiled machine. I’m the opposite of you. I don’t care if we have the opportunity to do what Chicago did last year. Who knows what they’ll do this year or the next. Their prospects are not exactly deep like ours are. I want the playoffs this year. Hopefully we go deep. We keep playing like we are it could mean a Cup run. I want this to last for AT LEAST 10 years, not 2 seasons. I didn’t wait for 15 years for us to blow our wad by getting excited about a prospect who has proven NOTHING in the NHL, especially when we already have a quality netminder who is learning on the job and is getting major accolades from just about every important analyst, announcer and beat writer in the country.
Love your enthusiasm, I just disagree with your position.
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ok so simmonds is out tonight? thats what the nhl network said any new rich
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just kidding my computer didnt load the new posts for some reason
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Playing for the future is great when you have reached the playoffs lately but I’m tired of it being our mantra. We are in great position right now to go deep into the playoffs. We won’t go deep, however, if Quick plays 70 games.
Ersberg is not the answer.
And why oh why are you so patient with Bernier when Quick had as much, if not less, expeirence when he was called up? What is good for Quick can be good for Bernier. Athletes are playing better and younger. The sports world is changing. Guys like Bernier aren’t going to sit for two more years. He is itching to play and deserves to play. Just as Quick got his opportunity with very little experience, so should Bernier. If nothing else, if he comes up and does well, we have two good goalies and can trade one for a top forward. In the meantime, we need to change the mindset in this organization from “playing for the future” to winning now –
– I only say that because we are POISED to do some great things now. If we were in tenth place and 8 points out of the playoffs, that would be a different story. Then you leave Bernier down. But we are on the cusp of some great things — let’s not spoil that by being “old school.”
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Carol — I also enjoy your optimism, but we are not a deep playoff team this year. The majority of our players have never played in a playoff game. You need to realize it is a process and not a snap of the finger happening. This team is being built for playoff play, but there is still some work to be done. TM is not going to feel JB has a better shot at winning than Quick, so JB would not get 20 games. Let’s not ruin his development to maybe pick up a point.
If you only look at stats, how many goalies are winning 2/3 of their starts?
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Carol,
You talk about EE’s stats but outside of GP and W and L have you looked at Quick’s stats?
He is 32nd in Save % (generally recognized as the premier Goaltending stat)
He is 24th in GAA. (2ndary goaltending stat)
Not exactly light your hair on fire numbers are they?? Especially considering Quick is #1 in the league in GP.
If you start quoting stats, look at both sides of the equation…
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