Quote:
Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy
Good grief. Zatkoff is almost 29, and has roughly the same amount of ECHL games under his belt as NHL games (35ish), while amassing 200 AHL games.
No thanks, I don't want him over Ortio. Keep the 24 year old Finn and let him continue to develop as the back up.
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The fact that Pittsburg has better goaltending depth than the Flames does not make Zatkoff and inferior goaltender.
Do you honestly believe that if Ortio were on any other team he would have been given as many NHL starts as the Flames gave him the past couple of years? Did he really earn those starts?
Ortio was picked in the 6th round. Sent back to Finland after his first AHL stint. Spent some time in the ECHL. Rode the pine for most of this year, even while the other goaltenders truly stank. He passed through waivers. Maybe he's not as great as you think?
Regardless of your preference for homegrown talent, I happen to think Zatkoff would be a better backup for the Flames next year. And I think Zatkoff would happily accept the backup role. Ortio will aspire for the eventual starter's role, which I believe Gillies will take from him, creating unwanted tension.