Poll on Price: Stay or Go?

On Sep 30, 5:17 pm, Chuck wrote:

> Some people will say he didn`t do enough in training camp. If you
> agree with that, what could he have done during the short pre-season
> to impress you enough to think he should stay?

While I fully subscribe to the theory that stats don't tell the whole
story, in this case, Price's stat line of a 3.62 GAA and .863 SvPct
(not coincidentally the worst of our 4 pre-season goalies) is
basically illustrative of both his relative and absolute performance
in this camp IMHO. (At least, insofar as fan-observable game action
goes). He was simply "ok", and he simply wasn't better than any of
the other goalies in camp. To impress me enough to think he should
stay, he really ought to have outplayed his competition.

> Should the decision be
> based only on pre-season, without players being fully into game shape
> yet, playing in front of him. Should the fact he helped win a AHL
> Championship be ignored.

The same players who may not have been fully into game shape were in
front of the other goalies on the team. And no, I don't think the
decision should be based only on pre-season either. But he's the
rookie. He's the guy with no NHL experience and no full season in the
minors either. So at the very least, he would have _at least_ needed
to surpass the other goalies in pre-season play in order to supplant
one of them in the pecking order. He didn't do it. So the rest of
the argument is rendered moot.

Now _if_ he had actually outplayed other goalies, well, then it would
still be a matter of degree and the question of where he should be
playing to maximize his longterm development would still have come
up. Halak has 2 years of pro experience. IMHO he would have really
had to stumble and Price would have really had to stand on his head to
upset that pecking order in training camp. Since it didn't even
remotely come close to happening, however, who cares.

As for the AHL Championship... nice, great... also warrants a "who
cares" in terms of the decision, IMHO. Halak was on track for AHL MVP
consideration and would have backstopped them to the Calder Cup just
as readily had he remained there.

> If he is sent back to the AHL will he face enough quality shooters to
> be able to be a sure fire star or quality #1 once he is brought back?

Let's not underrate the AHL. The calibre of AHL play is basically the
same as the calibre of NHL pre-season play (the modern up-tempo NHL
pre-season, that is, not some of the lazier older versions). The guys
down there shoot just as well on average as the shooters in the NHL...
it's not their shots that are keeping them down there. And if Price
is all we think he is, then he'll be a star or quality #1 NO MATTER
where he plays next season.

> If Price can prove himself early Huet can be traded at the deadline.

Well, depending on how Huet is playing and how our team is sitting in
the standings, anyway. I mean, even if Price is undefeated in the AHL
and looks like an MVP there, I'm still not going to throw out Huet if
he's playing well and keeping us in a playoff spot.

l8r,
Gerry
 >> Stay informed about: Poll on Price: Stay or Go? 

Bill wrote in
@r29g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:

> Cuts tomorrow, so I'm curious about what everyone thinks now that the
> preseason is over.
>
> Bill
>
>

Mmmm, well, I never saw a pre-season game, but I don't think he did
spectacular in any way from reports. So why start his coutdown to UFA a
year early when we have one solid veteran and one decent prospect for the
back-up role already? Let Price carry the starting load at the AHL level
for a year, and next season let him and Halek battle it out for #1,
assuming both have solid years this year and look ready for such a battle.

IMO, a call-up of Price in his situation makes sense for a team without
goaltender depth. It doesn't make sense for Montreal.
 >> Stay informed about: Poll on Price: Stay or Go? 

On Sep 30, 4:45 pm, Bill wrote:
> Cuts tomorrow, so I'm curious about what everyone thinks now that the
> preseason is over.
>
> Bill

Some people will say he didn`t do enough in training camp. If you
agree with that, what could he have done during the short pre-season
to impress you enough to think he should stay? Should the decision be
based only on pre-season, without players being fully into game shape
yet, playing in front of him. Should the fact he helped win a AHL
Championship be ignored.

If he is sent back to the AHL will he face enough quality shooters to
be able to be a sure fire star or quality #1 once he is brought back?

They need to know sooner then later whether or not Price or even Halak
can step up to replace Huet. If Huet carries all the load this year
and is lost as a UFA next season, and Halak / Price are not fully
tested this season will they have to waste some cap space to sign a
UFA veteran goalie to replace Huet, if they are not comfortable
putting Price/Halak into a sink or swim situation as number 1s coming
out of next years training camp. If Price proves he is real, and Huet
is lost as a UFA would you be comfortable with Halak as a back-up or
would you expect the team to sign a veteran to back Price up? If he
just has an average year it might be possible to convert Huet into
more of a back-up role but if they both shine maybe Huet would prefer
to move somewhere to continue being a number 1 rather then a lesser
role here.

If Price can prove himself early Huet can be traded at the deadline.
 >> Stay informed about: Poll on Price: Stay or Go? 

If I could turn back time, I'd keep Danis as the backup and try and
trade him, send Price and Halak back down and platoon them.
 >> Stay informed about: Poll on Price: Stay or Go? 

On Sun, 30 Sep 2007 13:45:56 -0700, Bill wrote:

>Cuts tomorrow, so I'm curious about what everyone thinks now that the
>preseason is over.
>
>Bill


Send him down and let him play his way back up.

Play Huet and hope that he plays well enough that he can be traded for
a real asset.

Bring Price up when Huet is gone.
 >> Stay informed about: Poll on Price: Stay or Go? 

Bill wrote:
> Cuts tomorrow, so I'm curious about what everyone thinks now that the
> preseason is over.
>
> Bill
>
I don't think he's done whaty he needed to do, namely challenge for the
#1. Huet cam in as the undisputed #1 and left as the undisputed #1. For
Price to stay he would have had to have people talking like he could be
the #1 guy. He didn't so I say he ends up on the Farm to *start* the season.
 >> Stay informed about: Poll on Price: Stay or Go? 

He's stays. BG stated in an interview 2 weeks ago that he doesnt agree
with Carbo's assessment that needs to play on a regular basis on the farm
rather than riding the pine.


"Bill" wrote in message

> Cuts tomorrow, so I'm curious about what everyone thinks now that the
> preseason is over.
>
> Bill
>
 >> Stay informed about: Poll on Price: Stay or Go?