So, I'm going to pose my top five most overrated goaltenders currently playing in the NHL. My rules? They cannot be a rookie or a goaltender that has not at any point in the previous two seasons been called the "#1 goaltender" for their respective club. They cannot already be considered a poor goaltender (Sorry, Vesa Toskala is out). They must have at least SOME hype to them.
Here they are:
5. Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins) - Ok, I'm going to get flak for this, but he's really not all that good. He just has a team in front of him that can cover for his mistakes. He tends to be too aggressive if you want some real goaltender analysis. And yeah, he won the Cup last year, whoopdedoo.
4. Marty Turco (Dallas Stars) - He was so bad last year the 5 hole was briefly named after him ("He got Turco'd."). He was better this year, but he's really not much more than a middle of the road goaltender. He's the king of inconsistent. One minute he's brilliant, the next minute, he's worse than putting goalie pads on a quadriplegic.
3. Jose Theodore (Washington Capitols) - Sometimes called Jose "Threeorfour" by sarcastic fans, this selection actually pains me. You see, I saw him when he played for the Habs and he was REALLY good on a REALLY mediocre if not bad team. I'm not sure why he's not found success, but then again... being on Colorado and Florida can do that to any goaltender... sometimes (I still can't believe Khabibulin has a Stanley Cup ring. Not because he's a bad goaltender, but because... seriously.. TAMPA FREAKING BAY?) can drive home the suck in anyone. And yeah, I know about Colorado and Roy but look at the team in front of him. What? Oh yeah, thought so. I rest my case. And no, I'm not saying Patrick Roy was overrated. I can't stand the guy, but he was VERY legit.
2. Cristobal Huet (Chicago Blackhawks) - #2 and #1 are pretty interchangeable as both I can't see as to why they ever were named #1s for their respective clubs. Huet has a 5 hole the size of Illinois and plays as consistent as the ground in and about a rock slide. He makes me nervous any time someone shoots from the point. UG-GLY.
1. Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) - How sad they have brought in Jaroslav Halak to foster and push Price along and had a GM in Gainey who said Price was the #1 all along and yet... Halak is the real deal and Price is barely NHL quality. I'm not so sure that this is Price's fault though. Gainey was a bad GM and surely rushed Price along. He shows signs of brilliance but often those are just the gleam of the lights off his facemask. I also give him the award for the goaltender who has most often tore the hearts out of Habs fans, stepped on the heart, and then flushed it down the toilet since Patrick Roy left. And he's still young. Oh, and the fact that he's gotten so much hype and has done Z-E-R-O to the millionth power to deserve the hype may also have swayed me to this.
Honorable Mentions: Nikolai Khabibulin*, Peter Budaj, Ray Emery, Any Lightning Goaltender, Vesa Toskala (Hey, can someone suck so bad they become overrated by simply saying he sucks?), Manny Legace (Ouch!), Rick DiPietro. I should give one to Boston's Tim Thomas too, but man, that guy's come a long way to get where he is.
* - He, like Theodore, is among those I have a softspot for.
Henrik Lundqvist could be on this list but the jury's still out. He's not won it all yet, nor has he gone especially deep into the playoffs. However, such factors as how suck the team in front of him is, has to be considered. Put Lundqvist on the Wings and I'm sure he'd be hoisting the Cup.
So my question to the bloggers on this site and the commentors is: What's your top 5?
I think Dipietro needs more than an honorable mention, overpaid, overrated, etc.
ReplyDeleteProps on calling out Fleury though and I'd even say move him up the list. He currently and always has played in front of exceptional teams.
Khabibulin is hardly overrated. He's old, injury prone, and has a drinking and driving problem. Yes, he has a Stanley Cup ring, but that only means he was really good for a few weeks when it mattered. You saw how that went last year when he split time with Huet in Chicago when both of them were streaky
ReplyDeleteLBJ - The only reason he's at 5 and not 3 is because he has a ring.
ReplyDeleteI can't put him ahead of Huet or Price.
Boosh- I'm not ranking guys on personality or off the ice issues. Heh, if I was I'd have Khodobin of Minnesota highly ranked on the positive side (was very impressed with the way he handled himself in the interview I watched him on).
I watched him last year and I thought he'd pull it out. And, I'll say this much: If they sat Khabibulin, Chicago would have been swept in the first round.
Yeah, I'll take an old, drunk, hurting Khabibulin 10 times out of 10 if the alternative is Huet or Price.
And, for further emphasis: He won the ring with TAMPA FREAKING BAY.
To be overrated doesn't someone have to think you are good? Everyone who follows the NHL knows Huet and Theodore represent the main weak links on their respective clubs. They may be overpaid yes but overrated I don't think so because most people think they suck.
ReplyDeleteI think Luongo deserves mention here. his skills have been slowly deteriorating and he has laid some stinkers in big games the last couple years. I think the Canadian team won despite his play not because of his play at the Olympics. The same argument can be made for Mikka Kiprusoff. Both he and Luongo are thought of as being top 5 or at least top 10 goalies in the NHL but I don't think they are anymore.
I think that Turco is an awesome goalie. Last year was the first time that he didn't have a very good season...
ReplyDeleteFirst of all i agree with all of your comments accept one. Did you watch any of the stanley cup playoffs the last 2 years. Yes Fleury has a good squad in front of him that can score, but so does every other team that goes deep into the playoffs. Fleury stole many games for the penguins in their two long playoff runs and was the reason that they won game 7 against washington (save early on ovi) and game 7 against detroit. Not to mention in the 2008 playoffs when he kept pittsburgh alive with that 50 some save performance in game five against detroit. Fleury overrated? get real
ReplyDeleteI feel perfectly fine naming Fleury. Why? Look at his years when Malkin and Crosby came around. They had the gods on offense and had a good offense to boot. Their D wasn't as good and they weren't all that gritty sure, but they should have been AT LEAST as good as you see the Hawks this year and last year. But they weren't. Why? Fleury sucked. HARDCORE.
ReplyDeleteFleury had a spectacularly well balanced team in front of him when he won the Cup and he was, as Boosh said about Khabibulin, really good for a couple of weeks.
He won a ring. He's definitely a #1 caliber goaltender. He's bound to have a long NHL career, maybe being another version of Osgood, but he's not great. However, he's attributed to be far greater than he really is, hence, overrated.
Seejowski - What the fans believe and what analysts and hockey execs believe are different. Sure, analysts may come to agree with fan opinions (or not depending on the analyst), but you don't garner the contract Huet got because he's got a cool name and played a few good games for Montreal... well... despite the fact that it's mostly true.
You do make an interesting point about Luongo. I like him well enough, but your point makes me ponder.
As for Turco, again, like Fleury, I stand with the ranking. He's almost giving up one weak goal for every other type of goal. He's INCREDIBLY inconsistent.
All in all, I'm still ok with my list.
Hence my point that Huet is overpaid but not necessarily overrated. When he got that big contract he was overrated but I don't think he is now after two weak years. Now he is just overpaid.
ReplyDeleteIf hockey execs. still held him in high regard then the Hawks would have dumped him for a draft pick at the deadline. I don't think anyone... fans, analysts, or execs think much of him anymore. Not at his current price tag anyway.
But we are basically arguing about symantics so whatever. We both agree that he is not living up to the hype/money.
Kinda sad that Luongo isn't on this list, seeing as how he's the most overrated NHL goaltender of all time.
ReplyDeleteErik-
ReplyDeleteI can't find room for Luongo. If I did, who would I remove?
Huet? Ok, I guess, but I cant say the word "overrated" without thinking of him and Price.
Can't remove Fleury, Turco. I'd love to remove Theodore, but like it or not, he belongs.
Luongo would be on my list, for sure, if I went to 10.
I'm thinking that it would go something like:
10. Thomas
9. Emery
8. DiPietro
7. Luongo
6. Lundqvist
However, 6-10 might as well be the same ranking. I can't really say any of them are more overrated than they each are already. And I simply ran out of numbers for Khabibulin. However, does Emery belong anymore? I mean, he couldn't hold the starting role to the Mike Morgan of the goaltending ranks Michael Leighton. Ok, he's injured but even so!
And Erik, I can't put Luongo ahead of Lundqvist even so. Why? He's the KING of hype outside of the top 5.
How many goaltenders have a nickname like King Henrik? Sure, Felix Potvin was "the Cat," but that's not nearly as arrogant as the title "King" anything. What's he the King of? Falling Short? Being pretty good on a team that should do better? Hey, doesn't that sound like Luongo?
All this has proven to me is two things:
1. There are far more overrated goaltenders in the NHL than I'd like to admit.
2. My list must be fairly accurate as no one in this comment section nor any of my co-bloggers have dared post anything different. :D