Monday 28 February 2011

Bud's Goaltending Woes Continue. Where do we go from here?

The goalie situation in Toronto has been a question for some time. Some would argue correctly that Curtis Joseph, Ed Belfour, Felix Potvin and Grant Fuhr had their career seasons with the Leafs. You could even convince me that it made sense to bring some of them back after they were long past their prime, if not for their ability to stop rubber but for the leadership capabilities in the dressing room and the ticket seat sales at the box office. What we have had is our share of streaky underachievers like Andrew Raycroft, Vessa Toskala, Jean Sebastien Aubin, Scott Clemmensen and Jonas Gustavsson.  Young future stars which never took flight like, Trevor Kidd, Justin Pogge, Joey Macdonald and Corey Schwab. We are also well versed on over priced hasbeens, insert; Glen Healy, Justin Gigure and Martin Gerber. I think we can all agree that Giggy has not been worth the 6million plus salary and Jason Blake + Vessa Toskala trade. What about the aquisition of Olaf Kolzig who never actually managed to play a game in a Leafs jersey.
The Leafs have not made the playoffs in over five years. Coincidentaly they have not had a solid starter in that time frame either. Yes goaltending is not the only problem plaguing the team and may not even be the worst but, it is one that lingers and has yet to be dealt with properly.
As it stands right now the Leafs have Jonas Gustavsson a chronically ill underachiever with a serious problem when moving laterally. I do not see Gustavsson remaining in the North American hockey system certainly not as an NHL starter.  The Leafs also have Jean Sebastien Gigure. The Stanley Cup winner brings with him a chronic groin injury and a bloated contract. Giggy will retire at the end of this year. This leaves James Reimer, a lesser known minor league prospect from a small community in Manitoba not far from where I myself grew up. He has shown some promise earlier on and has the ability to remain calm when playing at the NHL level. I personally watched Reimer play and noted a very good technical butterfly style. He is disciplined and determined. One concern is his glove side which he gets beaten on consistently. This seems to be becoming common knowledge as I have noticed more snipers shooting top shelf. The other more recent concern is the injury which Reimer received last night to the head. There are reports that he has suffered headaches and stiffness as a result. Rounding out the grouping are Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas. Both are undrafted Free Agent Signings whom are more suited for a back up or AHL role.

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