2010 NHL Free Agency - Goaltenders
6/22/2010 | Posted by
Devin
NHL Free Agency kicks off July 1st, so I figure that now is a good time to review the upcoming UFA and RFA class. Unlike last season, I won't be ranking them in terms of overall worth, but instead the rankings will reflect their worth to the Sabres and how bad I'd like to see the particular player in blue and gold next season. Please remember, these rankings are completely biased.
Last season when I ranked the goaltenders, the Sabres didn't have an immediate need for a new goalie, so there wasn't much substance to them. This year the Sabres have an opening at the backup goaltender position and it's one of the biggest roles to fill. It's been a number of years since the Sabres have had a solid backup goalie that could give Miller rest on a regular basis. Ideally I would think they need someone who can play roughly 22 games throughout the season and allow Miller to be fully rested for the playoffs (although, I'm not sure he was that tired out last season, despite the extra workload from the Olympics). They also need a player that won't quickly lose the confidence of Lindy Ruff, which is apparently the easiest thing to do when you're the backup.
1. Martin Biron (NYI) – I know I'm going to take some flak for this, but I'm prepared for it. No, Biron didn't have a good season last year with the Islanders. His 3.27 GAA and .896 save percentage was less than impressive. Then again, so were the Islanders. His previous two seasons are much more indicative of his ability (2.76/.915, 2.59/.918).
When Biron left Philadelphia last summer, his main objective was to get a starting gig with any NHL team. Buffalo had actually approached him last summer about returning to the Sabres as Miller's backup, but Biron turned the offer down because like I said, he wanted to start. This year I think things will be a little different for Biron. He struggled big time to even find a job last summer and once he settled on Long Island, he got a whopping 29 starts total. Now based on the ideal situation of the Sabres backup playing around 22 games this season, wouldn't it make sense for Biron to return to Buffalo, get the same workload as last season, and be on a winning team? I think so. Here is my biggest reason for wanting Biron back. He's played in Buffalo, he's comfortable in Buffalo, the Sabres team is comfortable with him, and he won't lose the confidence of the coaching staff. I highlighted this above but recent goalies have been quick to lose the confidence of Lindy. I'm assuming someone like Biron wouldn't fall into that category. Biron is also very familiar with the Sabres system and there would be a short learning curve. Biron made $1.4 million last season, which is a number the Sabres could easily fit into their budget.
2. Michael Leighton (PHI) – I'll admit it, I'm totally jumping on the Leighton bandwagon based on this past season. I realize he's been released and sent down to the minors by a handful of teams multiple times, so his recent string could've been blind luck. Then again, he played pretty good for the most part in the Cup and had the Flyers one goal and one game away from hoisting Lord Stanley. For those who weren't following the Flyers before the playoffs, Leighton was a big reason for their turnaround and played a huge part in getting them into the playoffs. During the regular season, Leighton posted a 16-5-2 record along with a 2.48 GAA and .918 save percentage. He then suffered an injury that opened the door for Brian Boucher to take over which is the reason most people were caught by surprise with Leighton came back in and did so well. It was very ironic that Boucher replaced Leighton because of injury and became a playoff hero until he suffered his own injury that allowed Leighton to step back in. Speaking of the playoffs, Leighton went 8-3 with a 2.46 GAA and .916 save percentage, along with three shutouts. Leighton did struggle at times during the Stanley Cup, but let's be honest here; the Sabres wouldn't need Leighton to fill that kind of role in Buffalo. If he backed up Miller and posted similar numbers to this past regular season, the Sabres would coast to another Northeast Division crown. Just for reference, Patrick Lalime won a combined nine games the past two seasons for Buffalo.
4. Patrick Lalime (BUF) – It's been well documented that I've had a very on and off relationship with Lalime during his two year tenure in Buffalo. Fact is that when he gets decent goal support, he usually does well. The problem is that he usually doesn't get that goal support. I can only assume after watching the Sabres play that they sacrifice offensive chances to make sure they are helping out defensively, since they know they don't have Miller in between the pipes for that particular game. Regardless, the last two seasons in Buffalo could've been worse. Jocelyn Thibault anybody?
Lalime only played in 16 games last season, which just isn't enough, although it is close. Lalime is getting older and that worries me as well, but he is also familiar with Buffalo and seems to like it (and his teammates seem to really like him). I'm not advocating the re-signing of Lalime if the above players are still available, but if they are gone, I would have no issue with another season of Lalime.
5. Johan Hedberg (ATL) – Sabres fans are probably familiar with Hedberg because it's almost a guaranteed Sabres loss when facing the guy. Hedberg posted a 2.62 GAA and .915 save percentage last season for the woeful Thrashers, which speaks volumes about his ability. The biggest red flag for me personally is that he's 37 years old. Then again, if he's only playing for a season or two in Buffalo, that shouldn't be too much of an issue, as long as he can stay healthy. Hedberg hasn't played less than 30 games since the 2006-07 season so he would have to be willing to accept a much lesser role to play in Buffalo, but wouldn't winning factor into that decision? Or playing in front of a capacity crowd?
6. Andrew Raycroft (VAN) – I would be horribly unimpressed if the Sabres signed Raycroft, but he isn't the worst choice available. He only played 21 games last season in Vancouver which tells me he's already accepted his role as a backup and he did well in that role, going 9-5-1 as the starter and posting a 2.42 GAA and .911 save percentage. Raycroft also sat behind Roberto Luongo, so coming to Buffalo to sit behind Ryan Miller wouldn't be a drastic change at all for him.
If the Sabres were to sign anybody other than the six listed above, I have a feeling I'd have to really talk myself into it being a solid signing. The six goalies listed above all come at a reasonable price and all would fill the backup goaltender position fairly well. Although, there is one other option.
The Sabres could bring Jhonas Enroth up from Portland and allow him to take over the backup role. I don't see them doing this however because the Sabres have already stated that they want a "veteran" to fill the role of backup. That doesn't bode well for Enroth. He also only has one game of NHL experience so the Sabres would be taking a huge chance on letting him take over, not to mention they might stunt his growth as a hockey player by cutting his games by such a large amount.
With all that being said, I'd be okay with Enroth filling the role, or any of the six free agents listed above.
Let's see what the Sabres decide to do.
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