When Ward said, "This is Danny's net right now," I couldn't really blame him. The AHL is weird in that a goalie playing back-to-back games is not abnormal like it is in the NHL.
So, when Taylor stopped 26 shots on Friday night and made some spectacular saves on top of it, it was a no brainer for Ward to put him back in. After letting in a couple of weak goals in the first period, I was wondering if Ward would give Brust a shot, but he didn't and Taylor rebounded pretty good.
It wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Taylor back in net on Friday against Chicago. The Wolves, like the Heat, are 2-0-0 so they're a better team than the Rivermen. So, thinking like "mysterious" Ward, do you burn a couple of games by putting Irving in as the backup just in case Taylor isn't good OR do you keep it as is with Brust as the backup because Brust "might be more capable than the other two [goalies]" (
link).
It's so hard to predict what Ward will do and it's futile to try. But I do agree with you guys; sitting in the rafters is not helping his development. Period. Truly, I don't know what the answer is. Do you put Irving in even if it means some lost games or do you put a fairly consistent winning goaltender in for the good of the team and the development of the other prospects.
Such a tough situation.