Given the Alternatives...
by Mike @ MHH on Jan 3, 2009 6:02 PM MST
in Game Recaps
35 comments
Boods in net. I threw Boods under the bus after last night’s game, and am not backing down. But I will say, he was not the reason the team lost last night. So calm down, Boods lovers. But his saves percentage is .899. The numbers are the numbers, folks.
-The above taken from Adrian Dater's latest blog scribblings.
Well, then count the above as Reason #4,398 why much-maligned management was correct to let Theo walk: Jose "Dater's Off-season Man-Crush" Theodore's save percentage is 0.889, on a better team. His GAA is also worse than Budaj's: 3.08 vs. 2.84. He has more wins because he has more goal support. Period, end of story. If the stalwart among you will recall, Dater said that letting Benedict Theodore walk for what he considered pennies was a mistake. Repeatedly. I think this season so far has shown that it wasn't. Remember how Dater's boyfriend DD mentioned that the Avs have played a ton of one-goal games? You don't? Look here. Now then, where was I? Ohh yeah, Dater is wrong. With Theo in net, we'd be staring up at the Kings in the standing and close to catching the Blues and Isles for the Tavares sweepstakes.
The 'broken' part of this team (i.e. the one that does need fixing) is the O and the D, with coaching thrown in for seasoning. Not addressing the supposed "goaltending deficiency" wasn't a mistake by the front office. Not addressing the one-hit wonders like Salei on D, the apparently unfounded faith in some of the young players and Arny to replace Bruno's scoring, signing Tucker, and handing the reins to Tony G. can all be laid at management's feet as bad calls.
Dater and his fans can stick to their opinion that Boods is large part of the problem, but a different goaltender for this team won't even begin to be a tiny part of the solution. This is a mediocre team when healthy, and a horrible team when unmotivated and missing key players. Giggy needs to call GM GM in Washington and get the short version of the rebuild process and implement step #1 post-haste: If you wanna get good, you've got to be really bad for a little bit.
I fully endorse that by the way. Tell Sakic to get healthy, see if Forsberg can do the same, deal some guys like Salei and Clark for prospects, get Speedy up from the Monsters to take his lumps for the rest of this season, keep Arny on the third line where he belongs and unload him at the end of this season, resign Lappy, Guite, Budaj, Jones, McLeod, and Leoprone ,and then go after two or three of the following: Bouwmeester, Morris, Zetterberg, Franzen, Kotalik, Komisarek, Koistinen, McDonald, Gionta, Cammalleri, Tanguay, and the Sedin Twins. I'd also take a look at what would have to be given up to get Matt Hunwick out of Boston as an RFA next year. Give me something to look forward to, other than being the "also-rans" every year.
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All the cool kids read Dater, get PO’d, then write about it today.
by JonHaven on Jan 3, 2009 6:14 PM MST reply actions
The Numbers are the Numbers, folks.
I am no expert on hockey, but goalie stats seem to have a direct correlation to the defensive support a goalie has. Given that, I think we should look at how good Boods’ save percent and GAA are given the terrible D he has. Imagine what his stats would be if he played for a decent team. Imagine how much worse Osgood’s stats would be if he played for a team like the Avs.
After the Predator’s game, they interviewed McLeod. He said they played the third period for Boods. Last night, Lappy said they needed to play for each other. Don’t tell me the team isn’t aware of the affect their performance has on his stats, or that they are not aware of the crap that is written about him.
You are right Mike (which you usually are), this team has much greater problems than goaltending.
Giggy, well I’m not sure if he knows his ass from the office doorknob he humps. He seems pretty useless. Get him out of there! Mike, you take over for him, okay!
I am no expert on hockey, but goalie stats seem to have a direct correlation to the defensive support a goalie has
Ding Ding Ding… We Have a Winner!!!!
I believe in Peter Budaj
by Jibblescribbits on Jan 3, 2009 7:01 PM MST up reply actions
Minnesota going into OT with the Wings. They’ll be good and tired for us tomorrow so there’s that.
Red Wings Suck
Only for us to jump out early and then let them crawl back into it because we can’t play more than 20-30 minutes….UNLESS…Budaj has another great game and bails out the team.
I'm The Canary - but I'm not cute nor cuddly, and I don't sing.
Now and then we had the hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be PIRATES.
-Mark Twain-
by Americanario on Jan 3, 2009 10:02 PM MST up reply actions
Budaj has another great game and bails out the team
Youre implying Boods has had great games, don’t you realize how idiotic that statement makes you sound.
The Savage - Game Thread Leader and King Of The World
"Two roads divurged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"
R. Frost
I do not think Budaj is as good as many people here do.
I do think he is already capable of being a #1 goalie in the NHL though.
I think he is capable of making that amazing, opponent-frustrating save; but he also allows through more routine shots, mainly shortside, that a MORE EXPERIENCED, not “better,” goalie would stop more regularly.
And I absolutely think he is OUR goalie, and that we should not try to trade for another.
I still don’t know how to characterize Granato.
I absolutely agree with Mike’s personnel recommendations, especially in re-signing Jordan Leopold. Letting him walk would be a HUGE mistake.
Yeah
What he said.
They call me Bubblegum.
by SlamDunkTheFunk on Jan 3, 2009 11:18 PM MST up reply actions
I’m not sure how many people here really believe that Budaj is super awesome, but I think he’s perfectly capable, though he’ll never make an all-star game. Until there is an all-star cast around him, blaming him is bush, bush league. I think much of the pro-Budaj sentiment on this site is a result of others being so insanely against him because they haven’t heard his name before and he isn’t making a lot of money (there are no hockey verifiable reasons).
Even if the Avs were to go get, say Khabibulin. They’re going to add something like $5.5M to their cap to gain, at best, .03 in the save percentage and win two extra games per year? Anybody who runs a team with that type of efficiency should be working for our government.
by JonHaven on Jan 4, 2009 12:18 AM MST up reply actions
Budaj
I do think he is already capable of being a #1 goalie in the NHL though.
That’s all I’ve really ever said. I think he could make an All-star game, but I don’t think he ever will. I think he is just as good, if not slightly better, than Chris Osgood in his “prime”. Osgood has 4 All-star games to his credit, but seriously, he probably doesn’t deserve 2-3 of them.
It’s just seeing Budaj as a legitimate #1 goalie somehow makes me “in the tank” for Budaj. I think he’s one of the top 20-15 goalies in the world, which puts him as an average to below average NHL starter.
Somehow this opinion has translated into being blind for Budaj, and frankly I don’t know how.
I believe in Peter Budaj
by Jibblescribbits on Jan 4, 2009 1:04 AM MST up reply actions
Osgood
FYI: Osgood has had 4 season with a save % of less than .900, and has a career save % of .906 despite playing the majority of his career in the dead puck era. And he is going to the hall of fame someday (Seriously he isn’t but he’s got enough wins and cups that ignorant sportswriters will put him through).
Budaj is just as good as that.
I believe in Peter Budaj
by Jibblescribbits on Jan 4, 2009 1:15 AM MST up reply actions
Oh
And despite playing the majority of his career with a really good team.
I believe in Peter Budaj
by Jibblescribbits on Jan 4, 2009 1:16 AM MST up reply actions
Not long ago a poll on NHL.com ranked him as the clear 2nd best Northwest goalie. No-ones ever saying he’ll be as good as Roy or Brideur or even Luongo, He’s good enough to make saves when the defense helps, and thats all a goalie should have to do. If the only reason you can win games is because your goalie stands on his head then you should have aserious look at the rest of your team.
The Savage - Game Thread Leader and King Of The World
"Two roads divurged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"
R. Frost
Do we still have to talk about this? I thought we all agreed ‘Theo < Boods’ and moved on.
26 Card Jet
Key word
WE agreed, the muppet mob at the Dp and subsequently any one stupid enough to believe them haven’t. We need to convince these people, even if it means using Religions three most evil words, ‘Come Join Us’.
The Savage - Game Thread Leader and King Of The World
"Two roads divurged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"
R. Frost
I’m quite allright not converting them to be honest, as long as TG is on our side (which he seems to be).
26 Card Jet
Do we really want to convert some of those Muppets? The more of them we add, the lower the average IQ here gets. Pretty soon we’d end up like the home sight boards…
I'm The Canary - but I'm not cute nor cuddly, and I don't sing.
Now and then we had the hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be PIRATES.
-Mark Twain-
by Americanario on Jan 4, 2009 11:06 AM MST up reply actions
I thought we all agreed ‘Theo < Boods’ and moved on.
I don’t agree with that. But Theo is gone and Budaj is perfectly capable. Budaj has never won a Vienza and he has yet to play in, much less win a playoff series.
by JonHaven on Jan 4, 2009 11:31 AM MST up reply actions
Theo: 2.98 gaa .892 save %
Bood: 2.84 gaa .899 save %
Not even comparing salary cap in the equation.
26 Card Jet
They are, but hockey involves a lot more intangibles than say, accounting, which is why he is making under a million and Theo is making $7. Take a guy like Mike Keane, there are a zillion skaters you can come up with that have better stats, but if you are putting a team together for a playoff run, there aren’t (or shouldn’t be) many guys you’d rather have out there killing penalties.
I’m not gonna debate this topic anymore because we will never agree, but IMHO, Budaj has a whole lot to add to his resume before anybody outside of his fans in Denver will really even consider him a better goalie than Theo.
by JonHaven on Jan 4, 2009 5:39 PM MST up reply actions
Just quoting dater.
For the money give me boods any day. As someone else said around here recently, if you have to rely on your goalie to stand on his head every game to win games, you have other problems to look at
Who here would take theodore and tucker and their contracts vs budaj and forsberg and their contracts? (just as a gm comparative) i’d take budaj and 1/2 season of forsberg and then a whole season of yelle, but I don’t get paid for that.
I blame it all on my goalie
This year, there is no question that Budaj is the better alternative when you consider their cap numbers.
However, Theodore is now in his 12th season. He has finished with a GAA of 3 or lower in 6 of those. Budaj has yet to do that once. When the playoffs come around, you know that he can be clutch. Budaj carries a bit of a question mark.
by JonHaven on Jan 4, 2009 5:43 PM MST up reply actions
Any goalie in his first season as a starter carries the same question mark. So, what’s your point?
Red Wings Suck
It’s nice to know your goalie isn’t going to shit the bed under the pressure of the playoffs.
by JonHaven on Jan 5, 2009 8:42 AM MST up reply actions
You can’t say Theo’s better becuase he’s clutch in playoffs(He’s not) Boods has never been in a playoff game outside of relieving Theo in 3 of the 4 Wings games. No-one knew how Roy would play in the playoffs and he won the Conn Symthe. Until Boods has actually played playoff games its pointless using that as an argument. Ward one the Conn Symthe as a rookie, now he’s fighting Leighton for the starting job.
The Savage - Game Thread Leader and King Of The World
"Two roads divurged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"
R. Frost
I didn’t. I said
When the playoffs come around, you know that he can be clutch
Budaj may be fine, but “maybe” and success in the past are quite different. Nabokov puts up decent numbers all the time in the regular season before needing diapers in the playoffs. Go ahead, say it isn’t his fault, but he hasn’t been able to steal games and win. That’s what clutch is. That’s what Roy did, that’s what Theodore did at the end of last year on multiple occasions to get the Avs into the playoffs and against the Wild. Someday, the Avs will be in the playoffs and then, Budaj may be able to step it up to that level of money and be a huge reason why the Avs win a series. But he hasn’t show us that yet, so saying he’s a better goalie than someone who has demonstrated that ability is a little out there.
I think comparing Save % between east/west teams is pointless as an argument. If Budaj wins 75% of his games, I don’t really care if his Save % is .5 and his GAA is 13. The Avalanche’s record would not be any better or worse if Theodore were the goalie right now, so I’ll take Budaj at his salary.
Reality is, if the Avs’ signed Martin Brodeur for this season at Budaj’s salary, this team would still be only 3 or 4 games over .500.
by JonHaven on Jan 5, 2009 8:52 AM MST up reply actions
MHH: Shagging Dater one contributor at a time.
by Bob in Boulder on Jan 5, 2009 2:29 PM MST up reply actions
Budaj’s never played in the playoffs bar from relieving Mr Clutch in 3 of the 4 wings games. Theres no point paying an extra 4 million for a goalie with worse stats who may be able to win a playoff series.
The Savage - Game Thread Leader and King Of The World
"Two roads divurged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"
R. Frost
that’s what Theodore did at the end of last year on multiple occasions to get the Avs into the playoffs and against the Wild. Someday, the Avs will be in the playoffs and then, Budaj may be able to step it up to that level of money and be a huge reason why the Avs win a series. But he hasn’t show us that yet,
You mean when Boods singlehandedly almost got us in the playoffs going 15-1-1. Boods has shown he can handle pressure.
The Savage - Game Thread Leader and King Of The World
"Two roads divurged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference"
R. Frost
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