This will be the first of my 30 overviews of the goaltending situation of every team in the NHL going into 07-08. I'll cover everything from the starting position, to prospects. So we start with Anaheim. Last year JS Giguere proved that he was the starter after entering the season in competition with Ilya Bryzgalov. Although Giguere may not be the most athletic goaltender in the league, he has experience that not many goaltenders have. He is very professional about his job and h
as a knack to come through in the clutch. Bryzgalov is nothing to sneeze at either. He played well when he did play last season, Giguere just outperformed him. That's not a bad thing for Ducks, it's a good kind of problem to have. Giguere received a long term contract from the Ducks, so look for Bryzgalov to find his way out of Anaheim sometime in 07-08 (He just hopes it's not Edmonton). The Ducks may wait until an injury, then teams will be more interested in him, thus the price goes up, and they can sell high. Bryzgalov deserves to be a starter, he is good enough, he is just not in the right situation as of now.
The Ducks signed prospect goaltender Jonas Hiller from Switzerla
nd in the off-season, and he is ready to step in as a backup if Bryzgalov were to leave. As for the goaltenders on the bubble, they also signed a goalie by the name of Gerald Coleman who actually played a little bit for Tampa Bay and has some NHL experience. He will most likely be the AHL goalie for Portland. They also have a 20-year-old prospect by the name of JP Levasseur who played for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies last season and saw plenty of shots. His goals against wasn't too good as a result, but this kid is good, ignore his stats. The Ducks are very well off in the goaltending position for years to come, Ducks fans have nothing to worry about.
6 comments:
I think if and when Bryzgalov gets traded, Levasseur will give Hiller a run for his money for that backup spot.
Hiller is older and has pro experience, so I think he would get the job hands down, for those reasons only. Levasseur is a great goalie though, he will be in the NHL in no time, whether if it's with the Ducks or somewhere else.
He may have more experience, but I think I read that Levasseur is NHL ready, he's just waiting for the oppurtunity. Who's to say that Hiller will get the spot if Levasseur outplays him? :P
Although he could stay back just to get more experience as a starter... Oh well. :P
Egg... Thanks, I think I'll be able to learn a bit more about the goalies around the NHL thru your blogs; something that I can surely use.
Nice job.
Thank you so much for this blog. What an interesting read. The Ducks definitely do have a lot of goaltending depth. I'm just so amped up to find out who's going to fill Jiggy's shoes in the future. Nice job and continue the good work. GO DUCKS AND DEVILS!
Thanks Ducks!
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