I don't think there is any question as to Irving's ability to be a very good goaltender. The biggest question mark around him is his consistency. He has only had one season where he was consistently good so far.
He has the ability to make sensational saves. The shootout loss tonight isn't something I would put too much stock into. Kipper was horrible at shootouts early on, but became better with time (though, I wouldn't say Kipper is really good at them even now).
I personally prefer Taylor over Irving right now (and I really preferred Irving when the Heat signed Taylor, and even when Taylor stole the starter's job away from Irving). However, it was always Irving's job to lose, and he lost it every single except one.
People are complaining that the Flames (and Heat) didn't give Irving a fair shake. He has had LOADS of opportunity on the Heat. He isn't an 18 year old rookie. He has been a pro for I think 4 years now (I think), but still hasn't shown consistency yet.
Look back at Giguere or Anderson. Flames were NOT a good development organization because that part of the organization was barely even around. Some shared AHL teams, affiliations with others that preferred to play vets and 'win now' over properly developing rookies, etc. That has all changed. Flames are still working on the magic formula from that standpoint (Darryl was preferring all prospects and losing, but letting the prospects have all the big minutes, vs a more blended approach that is happening now with them keeping some vets and trying the 'winning environment' theory).
Irving has had a lot of opportunity. The Calgary Flames are not a 'development team' - they are an NHL team. Your players have to at least be at an acceptable level of performance and consistency in order for the organization to have success as a whole (and yes, the Flames are not experiencing this success at the moment - but they are at least trying to be successful).
I would argue that this season, Irving was 'given' the back-up position and two better and more consistent goalies on the Heat were not even offered the chance to compete for that position. The Flames have shown a preference for Irving, but Irving has not yet developed into a fully capable starter.
I think by getting MacDonald, it shows that the Flames are on the verge of giving up (or Kipper is more seriously hurt than rumored).
Irving has been better this game. I was really curious to see how he would react tonight. He played a decent game today. I don't think he was all that great in Van (some spectacular saves, but way too much bobbled pucks and poor rebounds). He was MUCH better today, but I fully expected him to get eaten alive on the shootouts - just inexperienced in those.
At the end of the day, one just has to wonder when an organization gives up on a prospect. At some point, a prospect has to 'earn' his place on a team. He either steps up, or he doesn't. Irving looked good tonight, but there weren't many really good scoring chances either to measure his work (but at least he wasn't really bobbling anything, which is a great sign). I personally prefer Taylor because he has been CONSISTENTLY better than Irving in the AHL, and if a prospect can't be reasonably consistent in the AHL - even while showing flashes of brilliance - he sure as heck is not going to be consistently good in the NHL.
Will Irving ever be a #1 goalie in this league? NOBODY can definitely say yes or no. However, as an organization, when do you cut bait? You still have Ortio possibly coming over from Europe next season, you have Brossoit turning pro next season, and you have Ramo coming over from Europe. Will they be better or worse than Irving? Do you still push Irving on the Heat and remove development time for potentially two good goalies (Brossoit and Ortio) to develop and show what they got, or do you keep him on the Flames and force a Kipper trade or Ramo trade?
This is the last season I think you have Irving around for. He either breaks out, or he doesn't. I am not sure what happens now with MacDonald. My only guess is that the Flames are turning the page on Irving. Nothing else really makes sense - beyond further speculation on upcoming trades (i.e. Kipper is moving on).
Irving is a good prospect. He DOES have potential. How long do you wait, and at what cost to the organization's future prospects? He may NEVER develop into a starter, so do you waste the opportunity for someone else to develop into one, or do you keep trying to develop Irving into that role and take the chance that he will be Calgary's future?
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