Over Paying Goalies

Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe has a great piece on overpaying goaltenders. Some in the Wild fanbase were uttering some of the same things when the Devan Dubnyk to six-year 26 million dollar contract. So far this season, Dubnyk is (5-1-0, with a 2.35 GAA and a .907 SV%).

Fluto Shinzawa, Boston Globe – The volatility of the position, however, might be enough for GMs Steve Yzerman and Ron Hextall to apply their money elsewhere.

Consider that the Avalanche, Bruins, and Blue Jackets are investing $20.325 million this season in Semyon Varlamov, Tuukka Rask, and Sergei Bobrovsky. In turn, the goalies are providing their employers with save percentages of .861, .854, and .840. They are wretched numbers that are more of a reflection of their teams’ ragged play than their individual performances. But none of the goalies have come close to approaching their previous standards. In Bobrovsky’s case, he helped Jackets coach Todd Richards lose his job.

Varlamov, Rask, and Bobrovsky are not this bad. Their numbers will improve. But the nature of goaltending — peaks and valleys, with defensive support playing a major role — does not make payment of a prime puck-stopper a sure thing.

The difference between a struggling, well-paid ace and an inexpensive backup is minimal when it comes to performance. But it’s a massive gap in cap allocations. In the case of Rask and Jonas Gustavsson ($700,000), it’s $6.3 million, or the price of a very good player.

It’s safer to invest big money and long term to skaters. They don’t have as many in-season variances in their play. Their performance also isn’t influenced as heavily by their teammates.

Cody McLeod Jumps Mikael Granlund and Fights Charlie Coyle

I want to be clear, I am all for fighting and sticking up for your teammates. I get that, but what the heck is Cody McLeod doing? Or better yet, what is Avalanche coach Patrick Roy doing?

My question is: Wouldn't this be an intent to injure? McLeod took a run against an unexpecting player after the faceoff. I don't know?

Second, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund are skilled players, they're not goons. You really don't want to see Coyle or Granlund stuck in this situation.



If you're a Minnesota Wild, you're probably talking about this today. The Minnesota Wild the Colorado Avalanche are at it yet again. In four games against the Wild the Avalanche has scored a grand total of one goal.

There are rules in place to prevent what McLeod did, but you need the refs to actually call it.

“That’s garbage is what it is,” Yeo said of McLeod’s antics. “You feel it was going that way all game long. They were obviously very emotional all game long. In an emotional type of game, we did a good job of keeping our focus and I really think that was the difference in the end.”

Asked what he thought of Roy putting out McLeod, Yeo said, “We’ve seen the league respond to things like this. There’s rules in place to try to prevent things like that and I’m quite certain that they’ll take a good long look at that.”

We’ll see if the league does examine this and determines the only thing that kept this from being an instigator with less than five minutes left is that the refs decided not levy one for some unexplained reason. (Michael Russo, StarTribune)

Apparently, Av's coach Patrick Roy sent their goon out at the end of the game because of a legal shoulder-to-chest hit.



If you don't believe me that this is a legal hit check out the GIFs embedded below.

Shoulder-to-chest hit. RT @ybba2026: @goon48 Bergenheim? pic.twitter.com/t5UTb3INs1
— Eric J. Burton THW (@goon48) March 1, 2015

GIF: Bergenheim hit on Mackinnon, cc @WalterNorris pic.twitter.com/BEdxfRb9M5
— Steph (@myregularface) March 1, 2015

(Video) Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche end of game scrum

Feisty end to a very good game between the Wild and Avalanche.

20:00 MIN Clayton Stoner Misconduct (10 min) - 10 min against Patrick Bordeleau
20:00 COL Patrick Bordeleau Misconduct (10 min) - 10 min against Clayton Stoner
20:00 COL Cody McLeod Misconduct (10 min) - 10 min against Nate Prosser
20:00 MIN Nate Prosser Misconduct (10 min) - 10 min against Cody McLeod

Wild score their empty net goal to go up 4-2, Yeo with a fist pump http://t.co/T3u8QOBCWK
— Steph (@myregularface) April 29, 2014

(Video) NHL Hockey: Where's the obstruction? Av's game tying goal offsides

This officiating crew for the NHL should be fired. This is absolutely a travesty. The Av's are also offsides on the game tying goal as well. You can see by the video that Paul Stasny was offside as well.

Much better look- RT @johncanref: Why we teach linesmen to work the line! This call needs to be made inside the line. pic.twitter.com/aZA6XQLQgH
— Chris Long (@jclong) April 27, 2014

Irony: tomorrow's #mnwild #avs notebook, I quote Roy saying it's time for coach's challenges b/c of the bogus Parenteau offside in Game 2
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 27, 2014

@jthock @CharlieMpls @adater @jclong incorrect, skate must be in contact prior to puck crossing.
— John Moulton (@johncanref) April 27, 2014

The Russian Olympic team for the 2014 Sochi games

English: Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Fedor Tyutin prior to a National Hockey League game against the Calgary Flames, in Calgary]] (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Goaltenders

Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Semyon Varlamov (Colorado Avalanche)
Alexander Eremenko ( Dynamo Moscow)

Defense

Anton Belov (Edmonton Oilers)
Vyacheslav Voynov (Los Angeles Kings)
Alexei Emelin (Montreal Canadiens)
Andrei Markov (Montreal Canadiens)
Evgeni Medvedev (AK Bars)
Nikita Nikitin (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Ilya Nikulin (AK Bars)
Fedor Tyutin (Columbus BlueJackets)

Forwards

Artem Anisimov (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)
Ilya Kovalchuk (SKA)
Denis Kokarev (Dynamo Moscow)
Nikolai Kulemin (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Valery Nichushkin (Dallas Stars)
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Alexander Popov (Avangard)
Alexander Radulov (CKA)
Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues)
Alexei Tereschenko (SKA)
Viktor Tikhonov (SKA)
Sergei Soin (Dynamo Moscow)

Better save, Varlamov or Fleury?

Good question: Which save was nicer, Semyon Varlamov or Marc-Andre Fleury? I am going with the Russian. Both are great saves though

Colorado Avalanche: Don't go in Semyon Varlamov crease

We had an old saying in football, don't go in the kitchen, if you don't want to get hit. Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov was none too pleased with Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien after put his glove in the face of the Av's goalie. It could get ugly next time the two teams play. The two teams play a couple more times in March.

Related articles

• Winnipeg Jets' Dustin Byfuglien taunts Semyon Varlamov, struggling Avs (denverpost.com)

Av's goalie Semyon Varlamov turns in on domestic violence charges

Semyon Varlamov, Avs goalie, arrested on domestic violence charges http://t.co/vvrjXAuWNG #avs
— Colorado Avalanche (@avsnews) October 31, 2013

This could be a tough break for the Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov is 7-1-0, 1.76 GAA and a .945 GAA.

Semyon Varlamov turns himself into police on domestic violence charges http://t.co/ZaztckrHsu
— Ian Cameron McLaren (@iancmclaren) October 31, 2013

BREAKING- Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov turned himself in to Denver Police detectives for domestic violence related charges.
— Denver Police Dept (@DenverPolice) October 31, 2013

Brad Stuart rocks Gabriel Landeskog

This was the hit that everyone was talking about yesterday. The Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart absolutely destorys the Av's forward Gabriel Landeskog with what appears to be a legal hit. I don't think it's a violation of rule 48. Or is it?

Rule 48 - Illegal Check to the Head

48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.