Ortio on Waivers [Update: Clears]

[flambers]

I would guess he will clear, Ortio has 1 year remaining on his contract.

Curious if he will head back to Europe next season, as he has to be frustrated as how this season has turned out.

[neo45]

We were so spoiled with Kipper

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Atodaso

A friend of mine offered a good point. He thinks Dallas might be the best bet. In all situations though, Ortio will probably be going back on waivers when the other guy returns. In that case Calgary gets first dibs and can put him in the minors without having to clear waivers.

Then Dallas has to waive one of theirs and pay him nhl salary while in the minors. And rely on a goalie who was third string on a team that's got the worst goaltending in the league....

[Fire of the Phoenix]

I wouldn't mind some sources on this whole "Ortio has been bad in practice" thing. On it's surface it sounds to me more like fans grasping at straws because they don't want to believe management/coaches totally blew it. I would love to be wrong as my faith in the current regime has been shaken a bit with how they've handled the goaltending situation.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by codynw

Nope. Ramo was playing like garbage and Hartley decided to run with him anyways instead of switching the goalies every game. It wasn't until a few games after Hartley made that decision that Ramo started playing decent.

Ortio vs. Islanders: bad loss
Hiller starts vs Sens, gets injured, Ortio comes in and loses in shootout, but plays alright in limited action
Ortio vs. Habs: embarrassing loss
Ramo vs. Oilers: Not great, but a win.
Ramo vs. Avs: Bad loss
Then the eight games I mentioned.

As annoying as that loss to Colorado is, you are trashing Hartley for sticking with the guy who went on to post the numbers I mentioned rather than going back to the guy who did absolutely nothing to create any sense of belief in his two starts. If Ramo had lost that game vs. Edmonton, then Ortio might have gotten another chance. He didn't, and Ramo quickly began to earn the coach's trust after that.

[Inferno]

I can't say I like this at all even though Ortio has struggled. If they aren't/can't trade for a goalie I'd much rather them bury Hiller or Ramo in the minors and give him more playing time. It's not like he can play any worse than the goaltending the Flames have gotten so far this season.

[Huntingwhale]

I'm glad to see him go down finally. But I'm extremely disappointed in how his situation was handled from day 1 this season. I know his play wasn't anything to brag about, but he's shown in the past that he can flat out steal games. The potential is there. I hope the Flames don't give up on him and I hope he's not claimed. Kipper wasn't himself until age 27. Ortio is Finnish, had the same tutor and is from Kipper's city. The similarities are way too alike to give up on the guy.

I too would like to know exactly how he looked in practise. I thought some CP members attend practise and posted observations? If he's looked off in practise it makes sense to sit him. But then why do guys like Wideman get icetime? Wideman looks piss poor in games, does he look amazing in practise and that's why he gets big ice time? So very confused with Hartley's decisions this season, but I have to keep the faith that he's doing what he thinks is best.

I wonder if Treliving has a ''gentleman's'' agreement with the other GMs to let him pass through? No idea if it's against the rules, but I very much doubt the Flames want to lose him for nothing. I still see him as a legit NHL goaltender one day. And while he may have #### the bed with his couple starts this year, no goaltender was going to save this team with the way they are playing. Kipper himself would be getting lit up at the start of the season with how crappy we've been.

All in all just a crappy situation overall and I'll be upset if we lose Ortio for nothing.

[greyshep]

I would have been upset at this at the beginning of the season but right now its a big "meh" from me. With how disappointing the team has been as a whole this kind of thing barely registers.

I hope Ortio does well if gets claimed but I am not too concerned either way. This team has so many parts that need fixing right now.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by CalgaryFan1988

Doesn't it go by standings? By then they might have first dibs.

It will depend on how many teams put in a claim on Ortio in this hypothetical. If the team that claims a player in this situation subsequently waives the same player in the same season, the teams that also put in claims but had lower priority get the first choice the second time around. Then it goes reverse order of standings.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

There is next to no chance that he gets picked up, most teams already have a player like him in the AHL and have all teams already have a backup in the NHL who is better than him right now. So there really isn't much benefit to picking him up... just to sit in the press box for the next 60 games. Frankly, he may pan out to be something but at the current time he is a goaltender who had one good AHL season and hasn't been able to show much at the NHL level. The Flames have the worst goaltending in the league and are jettisoning him off, that is quite telling about the odds of him being picked up off waivers.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Oh I agree. Just stings to see the young one get very little time to work out of it versus the to UFAs who have no future in this organization get more leash. They are all pretty bad this season, would have liked to see the one with actual potential get a little more slack is all.

I definitely agree that if all of the goaltenders are bad that it would be nice to see the one player that's still a prospect get some rope but that's the coaches decision. I realize Hartley won the Adams last year and fans are kind of walking on egg shells when it comes to criticizing the head coach but as bad as the players have been this staff has been equally as bad putting players in position to succeed. Random benchings of players that haven't even been playing bad. Players being shifted from 1st line to 4th line on a nightly basis. Special teams that are quite frankly an embarrassment. The whole season has been one big disaster and everyone has blood on their hands.

[shotinthebacklund]

I am not happy at all with this news, Yes he did not look good in his 2 (only 2) starts but common.
I was all on board with never seeing hiller again in a flames jersey ( have not liked him one bit since game one last year vs Canucks.)
I don't see him clearing, especially not right now with situations around the league.

Horribly managed.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by chockfullofgoodness

Pretty sure Ortio is on a one way deal this year. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure he would make his NHL salary whether he plays in Calgary or Stockton.

Yep, one-way deal. I thought most senior posters knew that

[Atodaso]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Then Dallas has to waive one of theirs and pay him nhl salary while in the minors. And rely on a goalie who was third string on a team that's got the worst goaltending in the league....

Even if Lehtonen goes on IR?

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

I'm glad to see him go down finally. But I'm extremely disappointed in how his situation was handled from day 1 this season. I know his play wasn't anything to brag about, but he's shown in the past that he can flat out steal games. The potential is there. I hope the Flames don't give up on him and I hope he's not claimed. Kipper wasn't himself until age 27. Ortio is Finnish, had the same tutor and is from Kipper's city. The similarities are way too alike to give up on the guy.

Similarities being... what? His nationality and goaltending coach. There was a stretch when Irving played lights out for the Flames as well and he was being anointed with the title of Kiprusoff's replacement. Keeping someone on the team because there is the chance that he could three years from now be valuable is poor asset management and a long shot at best.

[CalgaryFan1988]

So Dallas, Winnipeg, Florida, Ottawa, Phoenix and Toronto all with goalie injuries then?

My vote still goes Toronto, depending how bad Reimer is injured.








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[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Which goalies are given NHL playing time to develop???

Goalies either come in, play well, or they don't.

There are goalies who are given opportunity especially when there is a belief in them prior to the season (which there was and should be in Ortio). It's not cut-and-dry that the first handful of games have to be a great or even solid string of performances.

Rinne's "rookie" season was 2008-09 where he played 52 games. His first five games (October/November 2008) he had a .866 / 3.54 and was pulled twice in 20 minutes or less.

Crawford's "rookie" season was 2010-11 where he played 57 games. His first four games (October 2010) he had a .901 / 3.03 GAA and lost 3 of 4 games. This was behind the defending cup champs, btw, not exactly a poor team.

Steve Mason, who won the Calder Trophy, let in 4 goals with a .846 in the first game of his career. He started the very next night.

Kari Lehtonen, who Hartley coached in his "rookie" year, was treated similarily to Ortio this year. Through his first handful of starts (4 starts between October through early January) he was at .876 / 3.10 GAA

Fact is seasoned veterans, when they struggle are still given every opportunity to work through their struggles (see this season: Quick, Varlamov, Bobrovski, Ramo, Hiller). Whether rookies "should" be given a similar leash is debatable, but it's not like cold starts are indicative of poor goaltenders. Ortio had a cold start, so did all those guys. The overall sample size with Ortio isn't there, so we don't know what we have in him yet. The eye test has told me for a long time that he's a better goalie than Hiller or Ramo though.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Atodaso

Even if Lehtonen goes on IR?

Didn't realize that. Even still, do they not have better options?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Yep, one-way deal. I thought most senior posters knew that

Well going by my post and your reply, you or I didn't. Back to junior status for the both of us?

[StrykerSteve]

Ortio is a very good goalie. I'd be surprised if he isn't claimed. Not a fan of this move, but that's why I'm not the GM.