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slcrocket · 10-20-2018, 01:29 AM

I agree with many that Smith didn't lose us this game tonight; but I am also with many who say that Smith is not a viable starting goalie for a team that fancies itself as at least getting to the second round of the playoffs.

But I don't see what real options we have this season. If you feel better about Rittich in net than you do about Smith, that's great - but I don't. I think they are both average netminders at best who are both best suited for backup roles. But there is no significant upgrade that is either 1) readily available via trade or 2) readily available for the limited assets we have to spend. And if there is, that goalie is not going to be made available until the deadline, meaning that we are locked in with what we have for the majority of the season.

Those saying Treliving has a decision to make about the goaltending must be seeing some option I'm not. You're not trading core guys for that significant upgrade in goalie, and the other guys you have are not good enough pieces to attract it. We are going to have to dance with who brung us for the time being, and unfortunately that is a rapidly aging #41.

The real problem is this organization's lack of ability to develop a young goalie. We've been renting players who are all for the most part past their primes (Hiller/Elliott/Smith) while waiting for Gillies or McDonald or Parsons to emerge, and none of them do. Gillies is 24 and was drafted third round in 2012 and can't seem to make the jump. McDonald is 22 and was drafted second round in 2014 and is in the ECHL. Parsons is 21 and was drafted second round in 2016 and only now has jumped to Stockton. I still personally hold out some hope for Parsons now that he's got his head right, but Gillies's and McDonald's extremely slow development (if we can call it that) has handicapped the future of that position for this team. Thank goodness we stumbled upon undrafted David Rittich or we'd be really screwed on this one.

This team is going to have to play some high-scoring games this year; fortunately not everyone is as good as Nashville and I think we'll win a lot of them.

10-20-2018, 01:29 AM	#160
slcrocket Backup Goalie Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lakebay, WA Exp:	I agree with many that Smith didn't lose us this game tonight; but I am also with many who say that Smith is not a viable starting goalie for a team that fancies itself as at least getting to the second round of the playoffs. But I don't see what real options we have this season. If you feel better about Rittich in net than you do about Smith, that's great - but I don't. I think they are both average netminders at best who are both best suited for backup roles. But there is no significant upgrade that is either 1) readily available via trade or 2) readily available for the limited assets we have to spend. And if there is, that goalie is not going to be made available until the deadline, meaning that we are locked in with what we have for the majority of the season. Those saying Treliving has a decision to make about the goaltending must be seeing some option I'm not. You're not trading core guys for that significant upgrade in goalie, and the other guys you have are not good enough pieces to attract it. We are going to have to dance with who brung us for the time being, and unfortunately that is a rapidly aging #41. The real problem is this organization's lack of ability to develop a young goalie. We've been renting players who are all for the most part past their primes (Hiller/Elliott/Smith) while waiting for Gillies or McDonald or Parsons to emerge, and none of them do. Gillies is 24 and was drafted third round in 2012 and can't seem to make the jump. McDonald is 22 and was drafted second round in 2014 and is in the ECHL. Parsons is 21 and was drafted second round in 2016 and only now has jumped to Stockton. I still personally hold out some hope for Parsons now that he's got his head right, but Gillies's and McDonald's extremely slow development (if we can call it that) has handicapped the future of that position for this team. Thank goodness we stumbled upon undrafted David Rittich or we'd be really screwed on this one. This team is going to have to play some high-scoring games this year; fortunately not everyone is as good as Nashville and I think we'll win a lot of them.