So... who are our goalies next season?

[MacDaddy77]

Can the Flames trade a pick (6th) right now to get early negotiation rights to a UFA or RFA goalie? Cant see getting permission to talk to RFA but we should be trying due expansion draft.

[robbie111]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Darling has 75 NHL games in his career behind the best team in the modern era, and he's 28 years old. His .936 playoff save percentage, while impressive, comes from a grand total of 5 playoff games.

He will definitely be cheaper than Bishop, and he might just blossom into an excellent starter, but his body of work to date does not qualify him for being considered better than Ben Bishop.

Darling played 32 games this year. Bishop played 39 games this year. Pretty comparable workload with Darling having a much better save pct.

Being 28 years old he is just entering his prime as a goalie and is 2 years younger than Bishop.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by MacDaddy77

Can the Flames trade a pick (6th) right now to get early negotiation rights to a UFA or RFA goalie? Cant see getting permission to talk to RFA but we should be trying due expansion draft.

It is a buyer's market. If ever there was a time when the Flames should not be making aggressive, pre-emptive offers it is now.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by robbie111

Darling played 32 games this year. Bishop played 39 games this year. Pretty comparable workload with Darling having a much better save pct.

Being 28 years old he is just entering his prime as a goalie and is 2 years younger than Bishop.

one played for two non playoff teams

one played for the top team in the west...come on now

one has also been a proven starter in the past and was nominated for the Vezina LAST YEAR!

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by robbie111

Darling played 32 games this year. Bishop played 39 games this year. Pretty comparable workload with Darling having a much better save pct.

Being 28 years old he is just entering his prime as a goalie and is 2 years younger than Bishop.

I brought up his age because usually by then a goalie has played more than 75 NHL games, and you certainly shouldn't be calling him better than Bishop at this point in his career.

Bishop played 39 games this year because he was injured for a bit. The three seasons prior he played 60+ games, and has proven he can put up elite numbers while shouldering a starters work load.

Darling hasn't done that and shouldn't be proclaimed as the better goalie like you did. He hasn't proven that yet.

[robbie111]

Originally Posted by dino7c

one played for two non playoff teams

one played for the top team in the west...come on now

The top team in the West that was just swept in 4 by Nashville?

So Tampa and LA are perrenial bottom feeders? Or was it poor goaltending by Bishop that did them in?

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by robbie111

The top team in the West that was just swept in 4 by Nashville?

So Tampa and LA are perrenial bottom feeders? Or was it poor goaltending by Bishop that did them in?

82 games > 4 games

I see you have a lot of trouble understanding sample sizes, like for instance claiming a 28 year old career back up with 75 NHL games under his belt as being better than a multiple Vezina nominee with twice as many NHL WINS as Darling has starts.

[robbie111]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

I brought up his age because usually by then a goalie has played more than 75 NHL games, and you certainly shouldn't be calling him better than Bishop at this point in his career.

Bishop played 39 games this year because he was injured for a bit. The three seasons prior he played 60+ games, and has proven he can put up elite numbers while shouldering a starters work load.

Darling hasn't done that and shouldn't be proclaimed as the better goalie like you did. He hasn't proven that yet.

You think Bishop is better but the stats for last season don't agree with that assumption. Darling was the better goalie last season and by a large margin. Maybe Bishop can bounce back but I wouldn't count on it especially at 7 million per season.

[robbie111]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

82 games > 4 games

I see you have a lot of trouble understanding sample sizes, like for instance claiming a 28 year old career back up with 75 NHL games under his belt as being better than a multiple Vezina nominee with twice as many NHL WINS as Darling has starts.

Darling was better last year by a large margin statistically in comparable amount of starts and it is a what have you done lately for me league. To say Bishop is better right now is problematic at best.

[Ace]

I just don't see the east teams very much, but I always kind of figured MAF was an average goaltender in front of a really good team; can someone who pays more attention than me give some input on how good he looks skillwise, without the bonus of playing behind some of the best players in the world?

[djsFlames]

Miller is 36...

Darling or Bishop are feasible pickups. Bishop wouldn't be a world of improvement, but I think would be quite a bit more consistent than Elliott.

I'm also not a fan of paying goalies 6 million dollars, which is why I would lean towards Darling.

If you can get Grubauer or Saros through trade because of the expansion situation, then those are attractive options as well.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by robbie111

Darling was better last year by a large margin statistically in comparable amount of starts and it is a what have you done lately for me league. To say Bishop is better right now is problematic at best.

No, to say Bishop is better and has proven more is basically just fact.

Darling put up better stats this year, doesn't make him better when you factor in the whole picture, and if you put Darling and Bishop in front of 30 GMs and asked them to pick, all 30 guys pick Bishop without hesitating.

If Darling goes on to sign somewhere as the starter next year and proves he can handle it while still putting up those kinds of numbers, that might change, but for now Bishop is clearly the better and more proven goalie.

[Par]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Miller is 36...

Darling or Bishop are feasible pickups. Bishop wouldn't be a world of improvement, but I think would be quite a bit more consistent than Elliott.

I'm also not a fan of paying goalies 6 million dollars, which is why I would lean towards Darling.

If you can get Grubauer or Saros through trade because of the expansion situation, then those are attractive options as well.

Out Grubauer, Saros, Darling or Pickard, who would you want?

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Par

Out Grubauer, Saros, Darling or Pickard, who would you want?

That is difficult. Probably between Darling and Grubauer. With Saros a not too distant third.

Darling reminds me of Talbot in NYR behind good team, but quietly strong. Really good numbers, and was all-worldly in the AHL before that. Chicago has a good blue line, but they're not exactly stingy in that end, and he has held his own. He didn't have anything to do with the recent sweep. Looks ready to bust out in a starter position.

Grubauer has had a .916 SV% or better at every level he's played since 2010. That's extremely consistent over a long period of time. He'd be ideal in a 1a/1b situation, with the chance to take the net if he runs with it.

Saros came out of Europe and doesn't have as much NHL experience. Good numbers over there but it's harder to read/predict goalies coming out of the Euro leagues until they're proven in North America. But he certainly passed the eye test this season when I saw him. Nashville is also a more stingy team defensively, so makes him harder to gauge.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by robbie111

You think Bishop is better but the stats for last season don't agree with that assumption. Darling was the better goalie last season and by a large margin. Maybe Bishop can bounce back but I wouldn't count on it especially at 7 million per season.

Who said anything about 7 million?

Darling has never been a starter and played on a MUCH better team...teams often put their backup in against the lesser lights of the league.

really there is no point in arguing with you, you cherry pick numbers

If Darling was as good as you say he wouldn't be a career backup...being "the guy" is a whole new ballgame


By your logic Scott Darling is better than Carey Price RIGHT NOW...better save % and winning %

Habs should make the deal now while it makes sense

[SuperMatt18]

I would like a Bishop and Gillies tandem.

Spending a 1st round pick and $7M on Bishop wasn't the preferred choice last off season but as a UFA with a slightly reduced cost/term ask after this season I would be all over that.

Guy had 3 straight seasons of 60+ starts and a save percentage of over .916. That is true top 10 starter type of performance. Plus a career .927 playoff save percentage is pretty positive too.

One thing I do think you need to see is if a guy can handle the starters workload. Edmonton hit on Talbot, but lots of other examples where it doesn't quite work out.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I would like a Bishop and Gillies tandem.

Spending a 1st round pick and $7M on Bishop wasn't the preferred choice last off season but as a UFA with a slightly reduced cost/term ask after this season I would be all over that.

Guy had 3 straight seasons of 60+ starts and a save percentage of over .916. That is true top 10 starter type of performance. Plus a career .927 playoff save percentage is pretty positive too.

But he had one mediocre season so he is a bum now

Bishop with Gillies or even Johnson would be fine by me.

[tsquared1967]

Saros is exempt from the expansion draft so I doubt Nashville will make a trade. Pickard might be cheap in a trade but I don't think he is the solution for the Flames. Darling could be a cheap contract as he is UFA. Grubauer is an interesting prospect that the Flames need to make the trade before the expansion draft. If Vegas picks him up I doubt that McPhee will trade him.

[Classic_Sniper]

Apparently Scott Darling has a top 5 even strength save% this season among all NHL goaltenders. I really like the idea of acquiring him as he won't cost the team any assets and will be a cheap option with high upside. The Flames really only need a stopgap until Tyler Parsons is ready because this kid looks like he's going to be an absolute star.

Signing a Ben Bishop to a lucrative long term deal would be a mistake in my opinion because we have a lot of potentially expensive contracts to deal with in the near future and will need that cap flexibility going forward.

[SuperMatt18]

The one thing I want now is a goalie that just will make the easy saves.

Coming into the season Elliott's stats were good but his "Low-Danger" save percentage stats were below average, even though he made up for it with great stats in "High-Danger" situations.

I kind of want the opposite now after seeing that playout this year. I would take the goalies that make all the easy saves and let in some of the hard ones (Bishop) over the goalie that will make a ridiculous save only to give up a back breaker soft goal two minutes later (Elliott).

Especially because I now really doubt that Bishop will be able to command more than 3-5 years and/or $6 million anymore. With the goalie market and his season last year I don't see anybody backing up the Brinks truck on a long term deal.