Irving, level of progress at 24?

[LockedOut]

It's a small sample size but so far this season Irving has a better GAA and Save% than Kipper. Probably says more about how poor Kipper was playing than how good Irving is playing but I don't think we're worse off so far with Irving in net.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by LockedOut

It's a small sample size but so far this season Irving has a better GAA and Save% than Kipper. Probably says more about how poor Kipper was playing than how good Irving is playing but I don't think we're worse off so far with Irving in net.

exactly this and without the Boston game last year the same could be said about last year too.

Through the first 11 games of his career Irving has a record of 2-4-4, GAA of 3.00 and SV% of .909 which while not great is not too bad either especially when you consider the way he was hung out to try in Vancouver this year and Boston last year. It's also interesting that Irving has lost as many games in overtime as in regulation, that tells me he gives the team a chance to win games.

[vilzeh]

Although I agree Kipper pretty much sucked at the start, but the thing that concerns me is that he was just getting his groove again (Against Detroit and the game before against Chicago) and then he gets injured, though Irving's been alright, not great, but good, though those softies can't go in, also one thing I've noticed on Irving's play, as soon as he lets in a goal, he looks so shaky on the next shot he gets.

[CSharp]

Irving reminds me too much of McBackup - goes down basically on every shot, lets out huge rebounds, and don't have control of the puck a lot of the times which have resulted in bad goals. Some of you may say Irving gives the Flames a chance to win every game, but it seems more like he gives more of a chance for the other team to get two points.

As for the original post, you can't even compare Irving to any of those players at 24 except for Dubnyk. That shootout with Minny the other night, I don't think I've seen an NHL goalie looked so bad since 1986 or '87 when Fleury turned Ranford inside out with that awesome deke. And Irving had it done on him 3 times that game!

[Husky]

Ive actually thought Irving has performed better than expecting.

Biggest thing I have noticed is that he seems to be getting better at things each game. Ive noticed his rebound control was shaky to start. Now the pucks are hitting him and hes sucking them in. Only time hes had bad rebound are from angle shots.

[Trojan97]

His positioning has impressed me. He gets square to the shooter and plays his posts well. Tons of his saves are hitting him square in the chest or the belly which is a good sign.

On the flip side, he seems to be really struggling finding the puck in tight, the Morrow goal just cannot happened at the NHL level. I was also questioning where his head was at right after that goal when he almost came way out in front of his net to try and play the puck for no reason. Looked like his thought process was a little out of control there. His five-hole is also beginning to look like it might be a weak spot when it comes to getting it closed off of bang-bang shots.

All in all, I think he's been fine. He's made some huge saves in every game he's started which is a great sign. I'm a believer that some of his "wild" play at times has been due to nerves and I wouldn't be surprised if this begins to fade in his next few starts.

I see no reason not to continue with him as the backup for the rest of the season. I think he's on his way to being a solid backup/fringe starter.

[indes]

I think he's where he should be right now, lots of room to improve but hell be alright.

[gargamel]

The three big problems with his play right now are that he falls apart when he loses confidence, his rebound control isn't great, and his lateral movement is terrible. The first two problems are to be expected of a young goalie. The third one will keep him out of the NHL unless he improves drastically.

I do like his positioning, though, as a ton of shots through traffic hit him right in the chest despite there being no way to see the puck, and he's quick enough to make some spectacular saves.

[SuperMatt18]

I think the lateral movement issues have a lot to do with Irving being nervous.

I don't remember seeing those issues in his games last year or his AHl games.

He is almost trying too hard to get across quickly to make the big save but in doing so puts himself out of position. Plus this really is only his 8th game in the last year due to the limited playing time in the AHL.

[Red]

Possibly the worst backup in the NHL right now.

Technical mess. Loses the net, overcommits, pucks go through him like butter.

Hopefully it's just lack of play time. If he is still like that when Kipper gets back, we won't see him back in the NHL.

[hixxes]

Originally Posted by Red

Possibly the worst backup in the NHL right now.

Technical mess. Loses the net, overcommits, pucks go through him like butter.

Hopefully it's just lack of play time. If he is still like that when Kipper gets back, we won't see him back in the NHL.

I'm not sure what Kipper coming back has to do with Bachman's job security...

[Red]

Originally Posted by hixxes

I'm not sure what Kipper coming back has to do with Bachman's job security...

Bachman wouldn't have let 4 goals if he was in the Flames last night. Irving was a mess.

[King Theo]

I think Irving has played good so far this year. I also think that he will get better with more playing time. I can see him as the Flames starting goalie when Kipper is gone.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Red

Possibly the worst backup in the NHL right now.

Technical mess. Loses the net, overcommits, pucks go through him like butter.

Hopefully it's just lack of play time. If he is still like that when Kipper gets back, we won't see him back in the NHL.

Overreact much?

[vilzeh]

Originally Posted by Red

Possibly the worst backup in the NHL right now.

Technical mess. Loses the net, overcommits, pucks go through him like butter.

Hopefully it's just lack of play time. If he is still like that when Kipper gets back, we won't see him back in the NHL.

Well that's a bit overreacting right there. _He's not THAT bad.

I'd say he's even better than Holtby, and that kid is a mess.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

I think Mike Rogers said he looked like he was fighting the puck all night last night, and I feel this is a good description. He's looked that way in all his starts this season, incredibly uncomfortable and shakey, regardless of results, I get nervous every time the puck is sent in his direction

[OutOfTheCube]

Basically, he's pretty bad, and this team won't be scoring 7 goals a night to make up for it every night.

[foshizzle11]

Originally Posted by indes

I think he's where he should be right now, lots of room to improve but hell be alright.

I love how everyone here is an expert on goalie development. According to the information provided by the OP, it looks pretty promising for Irving. I think the Flames will keep him around because he will get better. I could very well see Kipper getting dealt at the deadline (if he is healthy) for some picks/prospects if Irving can win us some games and keep us in there.

Kipper has had a slow start and hasn't done any better than Irving in keeping us in games. Saying that flames have no plans on keeping him around is foolish. Why give up now? He is only 24. Loads of goalies aren't great until they develop a little more. How is he supposed to develop in practice? He needs to play and that is the coaching staffs problem for not playing him more often.

I hope he gets to play for 2 to 4 weeks so we can see what he is really about and he gets a chance to develop now, not in 2 or 3 years.

[Bertuzzied]

I will be happy if he can maintain .500 hockey until Kipper gets back.

[Fire in the disco]

I dont think he makes himself look very big in the net, every time he faces a shot from the hash to the point I get worried. Though hopefully some of that is attributable to watching god himself play in net for us for so many years