Perhaps there are just more 'types' of goalies than I really thought about.
For instance:
1) "Shot blockers" - the Giguere and Hiller types. Traditional butterfly where they are sound positionally, and just make sure they look 'big' and cover as much of the net as possible so the shots hit them. They then try to freeze the puck, or have a defencemen clear it.
2) "Catcher" - the Finnish-type of goaltending where the puck is caught and frozen, and if not, then the rebounds are controlled out. Kipper (and almost every other Finnish goalie on the planet).
Maybe there are two more things to consider here that each type above may possess.
"Scramble goalie" - Hasek, Kipper, etc. - Very athletic, and have that ability to fight for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th.. shots.
"Positional goalie" that NEVER lose the net, but need a structured system in front of them. Will almost always stop the 1st shot, but often just can't get at the 2nd and 3rd shots from rebounds or poor clearing attempts. Luongo comes to mind here.
I am not sure where to categorize Elliott. Maybe I am thinking too much. Maybe there are more types. I don't know. He has been giving up a goal on the first shot at times (not the first shot of the game necessarily, just the first shot in a series.
I thought Johnson was a 'blocker', but he has been swallowing-up rebounds like a Finnish netminder, and he can totally play a scramble game.
I think for a team that likes to run and gun, you need a scramble-type of goalie, and preferably someone that swallows-up those rebounds.
For a team like St. Louis or LA - strong defensive systems, strong cast of defenders with size that can clear rebounds - maybe the positional goalies help more.
Ramo was good at scrambling I thought, but would sometimes lose the net. He did a MUCH better job at swallowing those rebounds. That is why I always thought he was a better fit for Calgary than Hiller was. I assume he is a good fit for Toronto for the same reason, though not ideal. I think he is a solid backup though.
Of course, I still think Elliott can turn things around. Maybe my thoughts above are out to lunch. I don't know. I just notice that some goalies just excel at blocking those 2nd and 3rd opportunities, whereas other goalies will never allow that first shot in, but may struggle with the 2nd and 3rd.
Something to think about as this team looks for a goalie for next year. If Elliott doesn't recover his play, I would be fine with a tandem of Johnson and Ramo as backup if Rittich and/or Gillies isn't ready. Not ideal, and we want to see a longer sample size from Johnson for sure.
Up until Johnson, Ramo was probably the best scramble goalie since Kipper. I am sure he will do much better than Enroth - who I liked and thought the Flames should have signed this past off-season (what do I know??).
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