(Photo Credit: Hockeyanalyzer.com)
Well when we put our mind to it and want to rip something wide open for debate, we go full steam ahead. Today is no exception as people will start to see some rankings list slowly coming out as the summer goes on (it passes the time in the dog days, right?) Here is the link to the goalies article first and foremost on their site. Keep in mind this is just part one of two. Part two should be up over the weekend or Monday.
Now anyone that undertakes such an endeavor does get a good deal of respect. It takes a lot of time and effort to do a comprehensive top 30 list with graphics and profiles for each player. Then you have to stand behind what you wrote. That is indeed the toughest part of all.
Again these rankings from what I have seen take a base of the 2010-11 season and look ahead to the 2011-12 season as well. There is no clear dispute about who is currently #1 as Tim Thomas won the Vezina, the Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe and an ESPY last night. Going into the upcoming season which is still over two months away, Thomas is an undisputed #1. After that it starts to get a bit dicey and that is where the full blown debates begin.
Also on the list, Cam Ward is #2 and at first glance this is the first head scratcher but is it really? Consider Ward played in 74 games, had a defense that was in the bottom third in the NHL, and faced the most shots and scoring chances. Now that #2 ranking does not look quite so shocking, does it? Sure Ward did not have the gaudy numbers but imagine what he would have put up on a more sound team. That one I can see. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Jonas Hiller is #3 on the list and the only thing I can think of saying is “how?”. Yes his career numbers are quite good on a team where he faces a high volume of shots and scoring chances. How good? Try a .921 save percentage career including a .929 save percentage in the third period and OT. That latter stat is very likeable when it comes to fantasy fans. There is one nagging problem for fantasy hockey junkies especially and fans of the Anaheim Ducks. Now GM Bob Murray and Coach Randy Carlyle have said Hiller is healthy but until he plays in meaningful pre-season or regular season action, can anyone be sure? The answer is no. When one has vertigo and misses a substantial chunk of the season, questions will arise. If we had to rank him, he would be out of the top 10 until he showed his old form from last season.
Somehow Vezina nominee Pekka Rinne is dumped to 7th on this list and even Roberto Luongo is only 12th. Remember for fantasy purposes, we only care about what the athlete does during the regular season and not the postseason. Rinne and Luongo were excellent during the regular season and while they struggled in their own respects during the playoffs, they probably should have been ranked higher than Carey Price , Ilya Bryzgalov, and Tomas Vokoun. Luongo being ranked lower than Craig Anderson may be one of the biggest crime on this list. However, a bigger crime is one who was left off completely.
Do you see Martin Brodeur on this list anywhere? Yes he had an awful season and yes his numbers were not that good but over the second half name a goal that was hotter and the answer is there were only a handful. Doing a little digging around last night and early this morning plus a bit of consulting with good friend Alex Monaghan of NHL Hot Stove and The Daily Faceoff, we came up with something very simple to illustrate #10 Craig Anderson and unranked Martin Brodeur.
“The second half he was dominant again, but playing well for half the
season does not land you in the top 10″
Craig Anderson Pre-ASG : 13-12-2 | 3.12 GAA | .903 SV%
Craig Anderson Post-ASG : 11-8-1 | 2.44 GAA | .926 SV%
“Brodeur had an abysmal first half of the season.”
Martin Brodeur Pre-ASG: 10-19-2 | 2.84 GAA | .895 SV%
Martin Brodeur Post-ASG: 13-7-1 | 1.84 GAA | .919 SV%
That as we would like to say speaks some considerable volumes. Just think we have barely scratched the surface on this list and have already come up with several very troubling inaccuracies or disagreements depending on your viewpoint.
The question becomes what will we uncover in Part 2 because there is a feeling that some of the evidence there will be even more damning. Again we respect the effort but read some of the profiles and you be the judge. Have at it ladies and gentlemen.
