Peter Budaj: The Most Important Av?
[Promoted to the front page from the diaries, with a poll added. --Joe]
Can Budaj get the job done?
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| Peter Budaj |
The Avs look very solid top to bottom with their forwards, and the defense promises to be much improved, with Patrice Brisbois and Ossi Vaananen gone and Jordan Leopold, Jeff Finger, and Scott Hannan in. But without good goaltending, the improved roster may be for naught. Who will we see, the Budaj of the last 20 games of the season? Or the one that struggled with consistency in the first 60 games?
In my humble opinion, Budaj's positioning is very solid and I like the way he sees the puck. He's also got good quickness and reacts to what he sees well. However, I worry that he's not quick enough to be an elite goaltender and that his anticipation of plays is lacking as well. He seemed to respond well when given more consistent playing time, but 20 games of solid play is hardly a confidence inducing sample set. Will he continue to develop? Can he be the strong #1 the Avs have lacked since Roy? I think he could be, but it's a tough risk to take, considering how loaded the team is elsewhere. And let's not forget Sakic isn't sticking around forever.
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| Ilya Bryzgalov |
If I was Francois Giguere, I'd probably pull the trigger on a deal for Bryzgalov and maybe a pick if it only cost me Budaj and Svatos AND I had agreed to an extension with Bryzgalov. This makes sense for the Ducks -- they get a good, inexpensive backup and a scoring winger to replace Penner, and possibly Selanne.
From my perspective, Budaj is probably going to be a solid #1 in this league, but he may not be ready yet, and he may not ever be. Svatos is a decent scoring winger for a team's second line, but he simply doesn't have a place on this team this year. In all honesty, barring a rash of injuries, he'll probably spend this year on the 3rd and 4th lines, and continue to lose confidence. It's my opinion he's hit his ceiling as a player -- think Radim Vrbata. He's a one-dimensional, 20ish goal scorer -- provided he has teammates that can distribute to him. The Avs can do better -- and I think they have better in the system already. But I digress, this post is about Bryzgalov and Budaj, not Svatos.
What say you folks, is a trade for Bryzgalov worth it? Will Budaj be able to handle the goaltending duties for this team this year? Is sticking with Budaj a worthwhile risk?
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12 comments
Comments
Well there's always the trade deadline.
Budaj has earned the right to at least attempt to prove himself this season. If the Budaj struggles with consistancy this season, it may be time to ship him and a pick to the Ducks for Bryzy, but let's see how Budaj handles himself first.
by Jibblescribbits on Aug 7, 2007 10:20 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
unfortunately...
i agree as well -- but i'd bet a lot of money Bryzgalov will be traded before the season starts.
by thedoctor on Aug 7, 2007 11:09 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: Boots
Great post! I pushed it up to the front page so nobody misses this---it's a good discussion to have.
No matter what he does, it never seems like Budaj gets much credit. He just doesn't have the flair of a star goalie, and he's been stuck with lackluster d-men in front of him so long that he can't help but have a shaky overall record.
I think The Streak showcased what Budaj is capable of when he has 1) confident blueliners in front of him and 2) consistent playing time.
The Avalanche defensive corps will only be stronger this year, which will help Boots considerably.
The wild card in all of this is how long it takes Coach Q to figure out that Theodore STILL isn't a good goaltender anymore before he starts Budaj every game like he should. Without consistent playing time, Budaj will struggle to find a rhythm just like he did at the start of last season. If he gets to start every game, especially with guys like Hannan and Leopold in front of him, he should be far more solid and reliable.
I hope.
But anyway, I say keep him---for now.
by Joe Dunman on Aug 7, 2007 10:24 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: Boots
I hope this didn't get missed in my post -- I like Budaj. I think he's already a par-for-the-course NHL goalie, and he's a got a lot of potential to improve.
He's also got a lot of things working against him -- the pressure of how good this team is primed to be, a team that's not exactly defensive oriented, and most of all, Coach Q. Quennville sucks at handling his goalies -- remember the blues? -- and I'm concerned a developing prospect like Budaj is going to get ruined by the Q. Bryzgalov certainly is more proven, and the extra confidence that Q would have in him might be worth the trade alone.
At any rate, I certainly wouldn't put money on Budaj going anywhere. But if the ducks get desperate, a Svatos for Bryzgalov trade or something of the sort would be pretty nice.
by thedoctor on Aug 8, 2007 8:55 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: Boots
I think you're right on. While I don't want the Avs to trade Budaj, trading Svatos (and a high draft pick) for Bryzgalov could really pay off in the end. After all, somebody has to replace Theodore when he leaves after this coming season.
by Joe Dunman on Aug 8, 2007 10:42 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
...
I really like Budaj, and I think the team will give him every chance to be THE guy. I think Theo will get some opportunities as well. Personally, I think Budaj will be a solid starter for several years.
The team is in a good position - they've got a bunch of cap room, so, if Budajodore doesn't work out, they can try to swing a deadline deal. I would love to see Marty Turco fall out of favor enough in Dallas for them to move him, but it's probably more likely to be guys like Roloson, Legace, Denis or Gerber. Meh. It wouldn't totally shock me to hear Khabibulin's name bandied about if the Blackhawks suck again. His cap number is ridiculous...but if the Avs get desperate enough...
Assuming the Flames re-sign Kipper, there's not a ton of compelling names on the FA market next year. Huet. Johan Holmqvist. Kolzing. It doesn't look like we'll be shoring up our goaltending through the free agent market any time soon.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Aug 8, 2007 9:48 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: ...
Knowing the history of the Avalanche, it wouldn't surprise me if they went after Huet. Apparently, just about anything in a Habs jersey entices the hell out of them.
by Joe Dunman on Aug 8, 2007 10:40 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
well
Huet is just French, though, not French-Canadian
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Aug 8, 2007 12:29 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: well
Good point. But then again, a French player on THE French-Canadian team, seems pretty close to me.
Granted, I'm from Kentucky, so the nuances of cultural identity in the Great White North don't make much sense to me.
by Joe Dunman on Aug 8, 2007 1:41 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great subject...
I agree with most of the comments to date and the original post. Budaj sees the puck well, is technically sound, and 99.9% of the time makes the saves that he should. I had a baseball coach who was asked why he picked one solid third-baseman over a flashier more athletic fan favorite. His reply was that the solid guy made all the plays he should, and every now and then gives you something extra. The flashier guy might make some outstanding mind-boggling plays, but he was also more likely to muff the plays that should have been routine. That's kinda how I feel about Budaj.
I also think the biggest thing he had going for him late last season was that he wasn't heaping complete and total responsibility on himself to win games. Early in the season, I think both netminders felt that it was up to him to win/lose games. I think it put a little too much pressure on him. At the end of the season, everybody had written off the Avs, so he had nothing to lose by going out and playing well.
The dearth of FA goalies in the coming seasons pretty much precludes beefing up the position during the summer. I think most of the starters in the league are going to be younger players who were developed by thier own team.
As for Bryzgalov, I watched him a couple of times last season, and I have to say, it would be awful hard for ANY goalie, even Theo, to look bad behind that team. He may have an inflated value because he's been playing behind a dominant team for the last two seasons. Remember, wasn't everybody high on Gerber coming from Anaheim? I just would worry that Bryz would be version 2.0.
by Mike @ MHH on Aug 8, 2007 11:29 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: Great subject
That's a really good point. I think Budaj's numbers have been deflated because of the Avs' weak defense and Bryzgalov's have been inflated by the Ducks ungodly amazing defense. So what does that mean? They're more or less the exact same goalie, I guess.
by Joe Dunman on Aug 8, 2007 11:34 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

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