Tale of the tape…thanks PD
Before you read this….consult the Puck Daddy blog on why JS Giguere should be the starter first. The numbers are very crystal clear and the bottom line is how much of Giguere’s woes can you attribute to mental fatigue (stress) and how much of it was declining ability. Preseason is a hard gauge to go by and the numbers are very close.
There may be a time for sentimentality but that time is not now. The Ducks are a young team on the rise and they did lose some but they have a ton of potential in their young studs. One of them is Jonas Hiller. It would be different if Giguere was lighting the world on fire in the preseason but the reality is he is not. One has to earn their job back and Giguere has not quite done that yet even if he has become more focused on his craft which is to stop pucks better.
Add in the new rule changes and Giguere’s five hole will be even wider. Throw out the pad controversy that plagued him from about 2003 to 2006. His five hole was exposed last year and no amount of extra focus and hard work is going to help with the new restrictions on padding in the upper leg. The road right now is more uphill for Giguere than it is for Hiller.
Furthermore there is the issue of father time. Hiller is only 27 while Giguere is already 32. The number 32 does not sound all that old but if you think about what JS has experienced in the last couple years…that number probably goes up a few. Yes the cap hit of 6 million hurts and that certain clause that prevents oh movement but the reality is Anaheim has to go with the best choice in net and right now that is Jonas Hiller.
Ideally a 60/40 split would work best for these two but I have the feeling that the longer Hiller starts is the longer Giguere will sulk silently until it comes to a boil. Giguere could help other teams and it is not like Anaheim does not have goalies in the chamber so to speak. They do. In this what have you done for me lately environment, it is clear that Hiller does more now than Giguere could at least at this moment. That may change but do not bet on it.
So who should start? Clearly Jonas Hiller has waited long enough. Putting Giguere back as the #1 retards that progression that Hiller made during the last part of the season and playoffs. Who knows what damage could be done. Some say this situation is a blessing and it may be later but right now is a muddled mess that needs an answer one way or the other. In the end, youth should win out over an aging veteran.
