One year ago, this would seem absurd. One year ago, my thoughts were different. An injured Hasek gave way to an impressive rookie run by Emery, leading Ottawa into the playoffs with only his status as a rookie the lone question. The following year, enter Gerber, who struggled to deal with the heavy pressure placed on him by the 11 million dollar contract. No sweat. Emery comes into the game in early December, and leaves Gerber eating cheese on the sidelines indefinitely.
So this year starts like the last couple for Emery, losing his top spot (not outright, but certainly potentially) to another goalie who the organization is sold on. There is no question that Elliott is not quite the goalie Ottawa is looking for, and he will return to Binghamton to continue in his progression towards the big squad. Emery has a giant question mark over his head as to whether he can return to top form, and Gerber just continues to work hard for a spot on the roster.
This much is clear, Ray Emery will have to work hard if he wants to replace Gerber this year. They both struggle on the rebound, and it will only take a small amount of games for teams to catch on. You can also expect there to be two goalies to begin the 2008-2009 season, and you can bet Elliott will be one of them. His contract is under a million dollars, and he is young. There really is not a better situation than that for a hockey team. Like Price and Huet in Montreal, Whoever Elliott backs up next year will be likely exiting sooner rather than later to make room for him.
I personally expect Murray and Paddock to hang on to both Emery and Gerber this year. There is nothing better than having two goalies fight it out for the top spot. Considering Toskala and Nabokov in San Jose, or Mason and Vokoun in Nashville, or even Bryzgalov and Giguere in Anaheim, it is clear that teams are far better off with that kind of competition.
