Do You Want Kipper Back Next Year? (not for purposes of trading him)

[FAN]

So it sounds like that Kipper is leaning towards retirement but he is open to coming back. My question is, do you want Kipper back next year? I'm talking about bringing him back for the full year and not to move him at the deadline.

Personally, I want Feaster to try hard to convince Kipper to come back with the guarantee that he can retire as a Flame if he wants, or moved to a contender if he wants a chance to win. I know Feaster has made some moves to protect the team in case Kipper retires, but that insurance comes in the form of Ramo, Berra, and MacDonald. Why not bring Kipper back and let Ramo, Berra, and MacDonald battle it out for the backup spot? Joey MacDonald is at best a career backup goalie in the NHL so I'm not concerned about the fact the team just extended him. He can be traded or put on waivers it doesn't matter. Someone will pick him up. Ramo and Berra have potential, but they are unproven and Berra probably could use some AHL seasoning to get used to the North American game and if Ramo can't outperform MacDonald his #1 goalie potential would likely be limited anyways. On the other hand, the team would have an insurance policy in Kipper and he'll bring stability and locker room leadership to what will likely be a very young team next year.

I am of the opinion that having capable veteran goalie helps a young team that is in transition. Young players are going to make mistakes and those mistakes will be amplified if they are playing in front of a shaky goaltender. Kipper will give the young guys the confidence to make mistakes knowing that they have Kipper back there. And of course, Kipper can either pass the torch over to Ramo or Berra or provide insurance in case those two fail in their audition for the Flames' #1 job. Of course, bringing Kipper back is based on the assumption that Feaster won't be acquiring a long-term #1 goalie solution and plan on going with Ramo, Berra, and MacDonald.

[FlameZilla]

Yes please.

[FlameZilla]

Could you make this a poll maybe? It'd be cool to see what state of mind CP is in about Kipper.

[killer_carlson]

Yes

[badger89]

Yes. Any chance to watch Kipper again should be embraced.

[dissentowner]

Yes

[PeteMoss]

No. Its time to move on. No need to hold onto the past. I'm perfectly fine with losing a lot of games next year. Plus MacDonald was better than Kipper in front of a terrible team this year.

[NewFan]

If Kipper retires in mid season what will happen with his cap? Will it still counted in our salary cap?

[renny]

Kipper instantly makes the team better. So, yes!

[Imported_Aussie]

I would like to see Kipper back, but I think with the Flames window to contend well and truly closed, they need to move on and see if they have a new guy (or tandem) in net to go forward with. Ramo and Berra are the two future guys now, with MacDonald as insurance, and Brossoit and Gillies still developing. Ortio is a longshot to make it as a north american pro IMO

[kehatch]

He is 37. He had a horrific season. We tried to trade him. He played the 'refuse to report' card leading to uber controversy. He had a GREAT send off.

So no. Absolutely not. I do not want Kipper back. Why would you?

Either he is back as our starter which means we are another season away from seriously looking for our next starter. Or he is playing backup to a guy like Ramo. We don't need a 6 million dollar cap hit sitting the bench. Besides I don't want to watch Kipper finish his career on the bench.

There is no good scenario if Kipper is back.

[StrykerSteve]

Nope.

[worth]

No.

Next year we should have one "veteran" goaltender and one rookie. They signed Joey MacDonald next year, so if they plan on using him, the other goalie should be one of Ramo/Berra.

From an outsiders point of view, I think MacDonald would probably be better for those kids than Kipper anyway.

Going with the tandem of MacDonald & Kipper next year would be a huge mistake in my opinion and would likely set this team back. The kipper era is over.

[Wolven]

Yes. Definitely. He is the type of goalie that can steal games and provide wins that otherwise this team will likely not see next season. If we want a winning culture here next year then Kipper is the single best tool we can use to have that.

I also think that playing beside Kipper would be a much better learning experience for Ramo than playing beside MacDonald. I would rather have Ramo learning from the "master" instead of learning from the "tutor".

Both Kipper and MacDonald are under contract for next year so I see no reason to argue any kind of loyalty to MacDonald because we signed him to a 1 year deal. If both Kipper and Ramo are at camp then MacDonald should be traded or waived to a team that could use a veteran backup.

[FAN]

Originally Posted by kehatch

Either he is back as our starter which means we are another season away from seriously looking for our next starter. Or he is playing backup to a guy like Ramo. We don't need a 6 million dollar cap hit sitting the bench. Besides I don't want to watch Kipper finish his career on the bench.

There is no good scenario if Kipper is back.

I don't understand. If Feaster thinks that one of Ramo, Berra, or MacDonald will step up and become the team's #1 goaltender next season and Feaster isn't going to go out and acquire another potential #1 goalie if Kipper isn't coming back, how does Kipper coming back mean the team is another season away from seriously looking for our next starter? Kipper coming back doesn't mean he'll play 70 games. He might not even play 60. The team will find out whether Ramo or Berra would be ready to be the next starter next season with or without Kipper.

As for Kipper's cap hit. The chances are the team won't be up against the cap next season even with Kipper on the roster.

[gargamel]

I'd be happy to have him back, but, more than anything, I hope he makes a decision soon. Him taking a few months to think it over and then deciding to return would be the worst possible outcome, because he'd likely be just as unprepared for next season as he was for this past one.

[Northendzone]

personally, i agree with the thinking that he provides us with teh best chance to win; however, i also can't help but wonder if in the long term the overall team would be more defensively responsible if we had average goatending and it would be a benefit in the long-term

[kyuss275]

Yes as long as he could potentialy be traded.

I am not saying trade him, but if Ramo for some reason looks like a starter by game 40 and Berra needs to get some NHL games, then any goaltender that does not have a clause is up for trade.

Kipper if he comes back needs to be told that the flames did him a "solid" this year, but next year he will not be treated as a NMC.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Nope. Let's see what Ramo and Berra have to offer us.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Wolven

Yes. Definitely. He is the type of goalie that can steal games and provide wins that otherwise this team will likely not see next season. If we want a winning culture here next year then Kipper is the single best tool we can use to have that.

I also think that playing beside Kipper would be a much better learning experience for Ramo than playing beside MacDonald. I would rather have Ramo learning from the "master" instead of learning from the "tutor".

Both Kipper and MacDonald are under contract for next year so I see no reason to argue any kind of loyalty to MacDonald because we signed him to a 1 year deal. If both Kipper and Ramo are at camp then MacDonald should be traded or waived to a team that could use a veteran backup.

We all love Kipper, but how exactly is he going to be a better mentor than MacDonald? His personality doesn't really lend well to that type of role. Plus, having Ramo play 17 games behind Kipper isn't going to do a hell of a lot for his development anyways.

And the idea of waiving MacDonald in training camp after signing him to an extension a few months earlier isn't exactly the type of move that encourages other guys to come sign here.