Quote:
Originally Posted by TheScorpion
I like him, and I think there's no denying that he's improved a lot since he was in Minnesota, but I also don't know if he's a massive upgrade over some of the names available in UFA.
Ultimately — is Darcy Kuemper going to be the franchise guy? No, he's a stopgap for two years, maybe a couple more. And I don't see a reason to give up another high pick for another stopgap, particularly when there are so many quality guys on the market this year (Khudobin, Talbot, Markstrom, etc.). Kuemper as an idea is decent but is he so much better than the guys available for free that the Flames should give up what Arizona is probably going to want for him? I'm just not sure.
But I think at this point I'm really just tired of the goalie carousel. I think the team should stick with Talbot until he proves to them that he's done (or until one of the prospects shows him up). Talbot is free and IMO is just as good as Kuemper.
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I don't know, I think Kuemper could be the franchise goalie for the next 5 seasons. Of course nothing is guaranteed, but he is only 30 and it's not all that surprising to see a goalie develop into star during their late 20's. 5 seasons is an eternity in the NHL. 2 seasons at 4.5 is a really fair contract.
I really don't think the Elliot comparison is valid. Everyone knew he had inflated numbers from playing for the Blues, but there was hope he could be a legitimate starter even though St.Louis never gave him that opportunity (for good reason).
I know the goalie analytics aren't an exact science, but Kuemper is regularly right at the top and from the Coyotes games I have watched his play seems to back that up. More often than not, he is keeping that team afloat. Anybody watch that series against Colorado?
Arizona gets by on a reputation as a very defensive team, but unless I'm mistaken haven't they been average at best over the last couple years at giving up high quality scoring chances? I think Tocchet has been very overrated.
Talbot had a nice rebound year, but at the end of the day he is 3 years older than Kuemper and arguably has less pedigree (espeically when looking at the last 2 seasons).
I won't be disappointed if they just roll with Talbot and give him a modest salary bump, but I really think Kuemper is a big time upgrade. It also closes that goalie carousel for 2-5 years where I think Talbot has a much shorter shelf life.
If the M.O is to go all in then I don't even mind if Kuemper is only here for 2 years as long as he continues to provide the same level of goaltending that he has for Arizona and LA before that. Talbot just feels like much more of a gamble to me despite what it will cost to bring Kuemper in.