Quote:
Originally Posted by dammage79
I guess the question is, if Smith goes down for another stretch of time, how much do you trust Rittich or Gillies to carry the load again? Pretty important to eliminate guess work out of this.
Rittich was fine in spot duty but pretty unreliable when given a steady workload.
In my opinion, I don't think they can gamble on that scenario and will bring in a capable #2. Give Rittich and Gillies an over ripening season in the AHL.
Or they move one to maximize a trade return.
Smith is the bonafide be all end all in net and his ability to play a full season is the question mark. Just not sold that either goals prospect can rise and carry
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tough question... Rittich doesn't have a resume of a kid that you expect to be a bonifide #1... but Gillies and Parsons esp, i would hope/expect one of those guys to pan out...
in some ways Hellebuyck is an interesting example where, he was expected to carry a bigger load in 2016/17 but struggled to a 13-11 record... so much so the GM brought in Mason as the backup just in case...but Hellebuyck bounced back and really became the kind of goalie they were expecting.
Such a tricky position to develop because its so dependent on confidence...which can be a struggle with a first time starter.