Quote:
Originally Posted by Huntingwhale
Way to early to even ask this question. Ortio is 24. Gillies is 21. Goalies don't usually come into their own until they are in their mid-late 20s. I still think a full-time tandem of Ortio/Gillies is years away. At minimum 3 years away, and that's only if we're lucky and everything pans out perfectly.
By default I think Ortio is closer because of his age. But I can't even recall the last goalie in the NHL who was a clear cut #1 in his early 20s. Bobrovsky? Price? IMO it's just as rare as a defenseman who establishes himself as a top 4 guy in his teens.
Truth be told, I think we'll see Ortio grab the reigns and run with it for at least 2-3 years before Gillies even challenges him for his spot. The Flames will continue to sign/trade for goalies until then. But IMO we're still a long ways away before both are established NHL goalies playing in the league at the same time.
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But what's the fun of trying to predict the future if we wait three years and the question has already been answered? Isn't that why we have 80,000 pages in the Jankowski thread
The point is well taken though -- most goalies do take longer to develop and it's becoming more rare for a guy who's 22-24 to establish himself as an NHLer (and not just a high-end prospect). Three years from now Gillies will still only be 24, so even if he hasn't become a solid NHL goalie by then it doesn't mean he won't by the time he is in his mid to late 20's, if not longer.
It looks like the majority see Gillies as ultimately being a better NHLer once all is said and done, which isn't surprising and seems to be consistent with Ryz's informal survey (thanks for sharing that).
