[News] Flames recall Gillies. Rittich assigned to Stockton.

[rain_e]

So many key players not playing right now and you bring in Gillies to be beat up on? Great for the confidence. They really know how to develop players. Move Bennett to the fourth line for a little boost too.

[ah123]

I think this is a move to evaluate if Gillies has what it takes to be a backup next year. Goaltending is really a sink-or-swim type role: you don’t know if a guy is ready until you throw him in. It is not like a position player, who you can ease into the role

[Strange Brew]

Will both Gillies and Rittich need to clear waivers next season in order to be sent down?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by ah123

I think this is a move to evaluate if Gillies has what it takes to be a backup next year. Goaltending is really a sink-or-swim type role: you don’t know if a guy is ready until you throw him in. It is not like a position player, who you can ease into the role

The team is getting absolutely shelled at the moment. Hardly the time to throw the kid to the wolves.

Since our 1-0 win over the Oilers this team has lost:

7 - 4 Sharks
4 - 0 Vegas
5 - 2 Coyotes
4 - 0 Ducks
5 - 1 Sharks

Its not just the goals that we're not scoring, its the shocking number of goals that we're allowing.

[ComixZone]

I like it. Developing goalies is tough, just ask Jets fans. Hellebuyck has struggled mightily at the NHL level at times, but has really rounded out into a starting goalie. You gotta take your lumps, and you can't judge a goalie off a few goofy goals against.

I've liked Gillies at the NHL level, and think he has more to offer than Rittich does - but Rittich still looks like he could be a good back-up goalie.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I like it. Developing goalies is tough, just ask Jets fans. Hellebuyck has struggled mightily at the NHL level at times, but has really rounded out into a starting goalie. You gotta take your lumps, and you can't judge a goalie off a few goofy goals against.

I've liked Gillies at the NHL level, and think he has more to offer than Rittich does - but Rittich still looks like he could be a good back-up goalie.

Yeah you need to have some patience with goaltenders and Hellebuyck is a good example of a guy that took 82 games to get to the level he played at this season.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I hope the Flames keep both Rittich and Gillies next season - goalies don't usually hold much value in a trade unless they are young (which both are) and show themselves to be 'awesome' in the NHL (neither one did this so far, but I argue they haven't been bad either - both have looked really good and really mediocre, which is fine for their experience level, and either one can be a decent back-up right now).

At any rate, I was hoping to see both Kylington and Foo up. Foo because he has been performing lately and basically deserves that 'carrot', and Kylington because I thought he looked better than any other of the defensive prospects during training camp/preseason. If this team wants to get faster and play faster, getting Kylington into the NHL would help, especially since these games basically mean nothing and can help him get acclimated.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Barring any offseason trades it should be an interesting competition next fall between Rittich and Gillies for the backup job.

It'll be Rittich and Gillies "competing" with a 35 year old third string goalie with former ties to the Coyotes organization that Treliving trades a 5th round pick for in the off season. While Gillies and Rittich will play well in preseason, the above mentioned goalie will probably go off and get the job anyways. Treliving will tell us about "over ripening" and "the process" and how this goalie has shown an ability to carry significant workload this season. He'll get 5 starts in the first 30 games allowing 27 goals, posting a 3.50 save percentage, and prompting the organization to call up one of the guys from the farm and putting him on waivers. By that time we would have already registered losses to the Oilers, Coyotes and Sabres and we'll be on the outside of the playoff bubble, looking to make up ground.

Rinse repeat for for the following season.

[TheScorpion]

A 3.50 save percentage? Don't sell him too short.

[EVERLAST]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Barring any offseason trades it should be an interesting competition next fall between Rittich and Gillies for the backup job.

Pushed by Tyler Parsons hopefully as well. He's Had some issues this year with injury so I hope he is healthy all year next year and I hope the same for Smith.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Will both Gillies and Rittich need to clear waivers next season in order to be sent down?

No, only Rittich. Gillies is waiver exempt for one more season.

[CliffFletcher]

Not concerned about Gillies. Yo-yoing between the AHL and NHL for a couple seasons is the standard development path of most NHL goaltenders. It can take 50 or 60 NHL games over two or three seasons before a goalie sticks in the NHL.

[shadowlord]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

A 3.50 save percentage? Don't sell him too short.

If a 1.0 save percentage is a shutout, does a 3.5 mean that for every puck he stops, 250% more shots also don't go in the net somewhere else? Maybe at the other end of the ice?

No wonder our forwards' shooting percentage is so low.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by HUSKER4FLAMES

With all the injuries couldn't they also do several more emergency recalls?

They have Glass and Stewart as the 13th and 14th forwards. Any more forwards get injured and Johnny is still on personal leave with his family, we'd use an emergency callup as the team would be rendered incapable of dressing 12 healthy forwards to play.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by getbak

No, only Rittich. Gillies is waiver exempt for one more season.

Thanks. A minor sub plot going into next year is whether BT brings in a veteran back up.