Let's talk about the goaltending situation.

[CsInMyBlood]

No reason to rush Ignatjew with the plethora of goaltending we have.

He is best served learning the speed and angles of the smaller North American rink. Not an easy transition for a goaltender who has played his entire life overseas.

That said he is an exciting prospect to add to the fold. He had a great prospect tourney and seems like an interesting individual.

Be amazing for the Flames if both he and Wolf become legit NHL goalies.

[Jay Random]

I'd just like to point out that in one of the middle rounds of the prospect ranking, I was the only person to vote for Ignatjew. Mind you, I just did it to show that I no longer thought much of any of the remaining prospects and was taking a WAG, and I bowed out of the voting after that round. But I did vote for him!

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood

No reason to rush Ignatjew with the plethora of goaltending we have.

He is best served learning the speed and angles of the smaller North American rink. Not an easy transition for a goaltender who has played his entire life overseas.

That said he is an exciting prospect to add to the fold. He had a great prospect tourney and seems like an interesting individual.

Be amazing for the Flames if both he and Wolf become legit NHL goalies.

Respectfully disagree. The angles aren’t really different, the dots are spaced same as a NHL rink. The dots and notches in the crease are reference points for angles. You don’t really need to move much to stay square to pucks that are outside the dots.

Quite honestly it’s probably harder in theory going the other way, for example when NHL goalie adjusts to international competition, because there’s a chance for guys to be wider out on odd man rushes

As for speed, you could try to argue that the North American game is faster, but I think that’s more something you hear from the skaters, due to having less time and space. That probably favours the goalie as well


The rest of it, I agree. He’s looked really good so far, excited to see what he turns out to be

[EVERLAST]

It's the ice in his veins and calmness that people keep talking about with Ignatjew. And in all interviews this guy is happy, smiling , cool , humble and very present.

All qualities I want see in a goalie. Still love the story about him firing a shot for an empty net goal and it was a bullet that luckily got knocked out of the air or it was in.

A guy that can handle the puck. I've seen video of him playing out of the net too. This guy understands all positions which is another strength.

Me thinks we're sitting on a gem here.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Ped

Well no, he doesn't. He just has to be waived again before they could send him down. Which is what would make it pointless because if Calgary loved him that much, they would just keep claiming him back until every one else gives up.

No team is going to claim him, just to waive him again. Not at this point in the season, as every team is long bodies, and trying to get some guys down to the AHL.

And the net effect of your scenario is exactly the same - the Flames re-claim him and send him down. So...

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Ped

Kind of, but in reality, teams don't tend to love these types of players very much. They're useful, sure, but not irreplaceable.

Closest I've seen is Jarrod Skalde:

In the 1997-98 season, he started off playing for San Jose. On January, he was claimed by Chicago. On January 23, he was re-claimed by the Sharks. On January 27, he was claimed by the Stars. On February 10, he was re-claimed by the Hawks. And then on March 6, he was again reclaimed by the Sharks, and eventually cleared waivers and made it to their farm team.

This sort of thing can happen mid-season, when it is one player that is moving around. A scenario like this, at the end of training camp, is highly unlikely, as every team has full rosters, and players they want to send down.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

They are likely wrong.

But goalies can develop late and are voodoo, so who knows?

MOST players do not achieve their potential. That does not mean it is wrong to think they have it.

Vladar has plenty of potential - he has never been given a full workload before, and he was struggling with a hip injury for the last 2 years. He certainly has potential to take another step, just as Cooley - and almost every other 26 year old goalie - has. Most won't take that step. But saying they don't have the potential is just being pointlessly negative.

[Enoch Root]

I just think it's great that we have all these goalies to talk about.

Vladar - we'll see what he looks like after hip surgery
Wolf - unlimited potential, if he can overcome the size issue
Cooley - the scouts are very high on him
Ignatjew - very interesting, lots of potential
Sergeev - progressing
Yegorov - intriguing
Zarubin - intriguing

Wouldn't it be nice if, after decades of never being able to produce any goalies, the Flames suddenly turn into a giant goalie factory?

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

No team is going to claim him, just to waive him again. Not at this point in the season, as every team is long bodies, and trying to get some guys down to the AHL.

And the net effect of your scenario is exactly the same - the Flames re-claim him and send him down. So...

All good points. I was merely responding to your assertion that any team that claims him has to keep him on the roster. They do not.


And there are all sorts of reasons teams might make a claim, although I don't think he would be. Last minute injury or short-term replacement, or maybe a team just wants to see if there is anything there, although that is much less likely with a goalie.

Last season, Lassi Thomson was claimed on waivers by the Ducks, and re-claimed by the Sens just 8 days later. Samuel Fagemo was claimed on waivers by the Preds and again by the Kings a month later. Spencer Martin was claimed by Columbus at the end of September, and then by Carolina in January.


The season before, the Flames claimed Radim Zohorna on October 2, and put him back on waivers October 9.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

MOST players do not achieve their potential. That does not mean it is wrong to think they have it.

Vladar has plenty of potential - he has never been given a full workload before, and he was struggling with a hip injury for the last 2 years. He certainly has potential to take another step, just as Cooley - and almost every other 26 year old goalie - has. Most won't take that step. But saying they don't have the potential is just being pointlessly negative.

I agree that I'd like to see what he does post injury.

But he's never got a full workload because he never deserved a full work load.

I expect this is Vladar's last year with Calgary.

But as I've said, you just never know about goalies, and they can certainly develop late.

But this is an important year for him, as he'll get his chances.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

I agree that I'd like to see what he does post injury.

But he's never got a full workload because he never deserved a full work load.

I expect this is Vladar's last year with Calgary.

But as I've said, you just never know about goalies, and they can certainly develop late.

But this is an important year for him, as he'll get his chances.

I think it's hard for goalies coming in cold all the time to show what they are really made of, and when you are back up to a work horse like Markstrom, it's hard not to be coming in cold all the time. Plus a "win now" attitude doesn't allow for much rope.

He has shown flashes of being a good goalie and I think to see if he really deserves it, you need to play him for a decent stretch of games. If you want to develop a #1 goalies, sometimes you need to play them as one. Given where the Flames are in the competitive window, they have the luxury to finally let him sink or swim. Hopefully that surgery holds up though.

[EVERLAST]

I wish we had better goalie coaches TBQH . I don't think what we have Fits the bill. Kinesiology, stretching. Core strengthening have come a long long long way since Kipper was our goalie .

He stretched and stretched and was in the ZONE and it's no wonder he had ice in his veins and you couldn't rattle him.

He'd never lose back to backs . He'd shut you the F down after a loss serving up the W and a shut out to shut you up.

DAVID Marcoux should have never been let go IMHO . We've had some seriously incredible prospects here in the past that went flat and stagnated here and Wolf could be next if he didn't already possess a champions mindset .

Who ever heard a goalie say you win or you learn?. Not LOSE !!! Learn!

If the flames don't make this a mantra , a culture or vision statement it makes me wonder how this got lost in all the shuffle of player's, coaches , EGOS , misinterpreted mission statements, etc etc ....no wonder no one could Cash cheques written with mouths that asses couldn't cash.

Craig's the man.

It's like watching what Bill Zito did sitting down with Paul Maurice . I hated Maurice as a Jets coach.
He's a different animal now . His players have thrived under him. 2 cup finals and 1 won under him.

We can easily replicate that here . Easily ...I hope Huberdeau has a fire lit within him like Weegar does and now with Lomberg back I hope a panthers infection takes hold and we kick some ass in the underdog role and win win win.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by getbak

They're also the same age that Kipper was when he was traded to Calgary.

I know , there is a kipper every year in the last 20 yrs

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

I don’t know how a 27 yrs old with mediocre minor league record has big potential

Originally Posted by getbak

They're also the same age that Kipper was when he was traded to Calgary.

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

I know , there is a kipper every year in the last 20 yrs

um, ok

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

I know , there is a kipper every year in the last 20 yrs

Of course you can't expect a Kiprusoff to emerge all the time, but he really is a perfect example.

He showed a few flashes in San Jose, but never had sustained playing time. He wasn't a goalie that was great coming in cold and San Jose didn't have the patience at the time to work through it.

As soon as he got to Calgary and was given the reins, he settled in with consistency. Some goalies just need to play a lot. And as amazing as Kiprusoff was in Calgary, he would still have the occasional bad goal or even bad game, but if instead of resting him the next game, you knew if you put him right back in, he'd come back gang busters.

Vladar is here now and is at the age where a lot of goalies emerge, so we might as well see what's there. What's the worst that happen... the team loses and we get a high draft pick? Or maybe he does emerge and we have a tradeable asset?

[Calgary]

Fingers crossed Wolf is the guy.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Of course you can't expect a Kiprusoff to emerge all the time, but he really is a perfect example.

He showed a few flashes in San Jose, but never had sustained playing time. He wasn't a goalie that was great coming in cold and San Jose didn't have the patience at the time to work through it.

The Sharks didn't have a lot of patience, but Kiprusoff was the starter coming into the season with them because Nabokov was holding out. He lost all three of his starts and had a 5.65 GAA, and the Sharks signed Nabokov. He struggled all season, with an .879 SPCT.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Ped

The Sharks didn't have a lot of patience, but Kiprusoff was the starter coming into the season with them because Nabokov was holding out. He lost all three of his starts and had a 5.65 GAA, and the Sharks signed Nabokov. He struggled all season, with an .879 SPCT.

Kippersoff did have spectacular AHL stats.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

MOST players do not achieve their potential. That does not mean it is wrong to think they have it.

Vladar has plenty of potential - he has never been given a full workload before, and he was struggling with a hip injury for the last 2 years. He certainly has potential to take another step, just as Cooley - and almost every other 26 year old goalie - has. Most won't take that step. But saying they don't have the potential is just being pointlessly negative.

Everyone thought Bernier was going to be LAs star goalie and Quick was just their holding the spot.

I could see Vladar turning into a bonafide starter but that’s up to him, health and luck.

[Geeoff]

I'm pretty sure no one's picking up Cooley or Vladar off waivers