Should we start rooting for Florida to tank?

[YoungGuns1340 1]

This was suggested by someone else around these parts, and at the time, I didn't think it was such a great idea because it was earlier in the season and I didn't see it as an upgrade. But with the way our goaltending has really just continued to embarrass itself, ANYTHING might be an upgrade right now. Or rather, at the deadline.

So I can't take credit for the idea, but I think its time we start hoping Florida drops a little in the standings so we can get our hands on Craig Anderson. He's a UFA at seasons end, makes 550k on the year, has played 22 games, has a GAA of 2.47 and a save percentage of .930. What intrigues me even more is that he could just be a late bloomer. Hes 27 years old - only 3 years older than Howard - yet has had great numbers in limited appearances over the 5 years. And those numbers haven't taken a hit as hes seen more and more games. Hes also never played for particularly great teams. First the Blackhawks before they improved, and now the Cats.

He saw 17 games last season, and posted a .935 save percentage and a 2.25 GAA. He's on pace right now to play about 35 games, although 30 is more likely.

Of course, he hasn't seen any playoff time before, but you have to start somewhere, and if Osgood pulls a Hasek and really stinks it up in the first few games, if we were to go with Conklin, he wouldn't have much more experience than Anderson. He really seems like the ideal candidate for Detroit to look at. He probably wouldn't be cheap to acquire, is a UFA, cheap as hell, and having a great season. Florida and Detroit have also been trade partners in the past.

Also, if Florida wasn't out of the playoff race at the deadline, we might still be able to nab Anderson considering Florida already has their #1 in Vokoun, and we could give them Conklin in addition to a pick or low-level prospect.

Thoughts?

[digitaljohn88 4]

We have 2 really good goalie prospects in the AHL. At some point I'd like to see them get a chance. With all these other teams bringing up their young goalies and having great success I would have rather seen us give Howard a chance this year and see where it got us.

I'm hoping we do that next year.

As for this year, Anderson might be a good pickup, but it could also end up just being a lateral move for Conklin.

[TheOwl 77]

^ The 2 AHL guys are a few years down the line, probably wouldn't even be ready for next season if absolutely needed. Howard is ready to be an NHL goalie, but probably not a very good one. A quick fix for 1-2 more seasons is needed. Conklin could use a back-up, and if Ozzy fails to come around then he'll just be bought-out.

[digitaljohn88 4]

^ The 2 AHL guys are a few years down the line, probably wouldn't even be ready for next season if absolutely needed. Howard is ready to be an NHL goalie, but probably not a very good one. A quick fix for 1-2 more seasons is needed. Conklin could use a back-up, and if Ozzy fails to come around then he'll just be bought-out.

Howard may not even be ready, but I'd still like to see him get a shot before Larsson forces us to choose between them.

I don't see how much of a difference it makes in the end anyway. Our goalie with the .880sv% has a higher points per game percentage than our goalie with the .915sv% :/

[YoungGuns1340 1]

We have 2 really good goalie prospects in the AHL. At some point I'd like to see them get a chance. With all these other teams bringing up their young goalies and having great success I would have rather seen us give Howard a chance this year and see where it got us.

I'm hoping we do that next year.

As for this year, Anderson might be a good pickup, but it could also end up just being a lateral move for Conklin.

It could be a lateral move, but its more likely to be enough of an upgrade to make a difference. Anderson has played in 22 games, facing an average of 30 shots per game, yet he still has a .930 save percentage. Thats a lot of shots to face on average, and the fact that his save percentage statistically says hes on average only going to give up a 2.1 goals for every 30 shots against, I'd say thats pretty good. Conklin, on the other hand, is statistically giving up 2.4 goals for every 27 shots against. Osgood faces an average of 26.5 shots a game, and is statistically giving up 3.0 goals for every 26.5 shots against. Technically, if Anderson were facing 27 shots a game like Osgood and Conklin are, he'd be giving up 1.9 goals for every 27 shots against.

It'd be hard to say that even with the way the Wings defense has been playing, that Anderson is benefiting more from the Cats defense than he would be from the Wings defense. And personally, an upgrade of 0.5 goals over Conklin per game and an upgrade of over 1 goal per game on Osgood is a sizeable difference - enough to make on impact on the outcome of a game for a team that is prone to losing by a goal.

In my mind, Anderson looks like the next Dan Ellis. Nothing special, but enough to steal a few goals when his defense lets him down.

Edited February 1, 2009 by YoungGuns1340

[stormboy 47]

OP, i see your point, and as a fantasy owner i've been keeping my eye on anderson for most of the year. he seems to do pretty well, but seems a bit inconsistent. last several games, goals against (oldest first): 0, 5, 0, 4, 1, 1, 5, 3.

seems a little up and down, yes?

also, maybe it's just me, but i see goalies as playing like s*** as soon as they come to detriot. it doesn't totally make sense to me, as we win way more games than we lose and obviously won the cup last year, and aside from that f***in' edmonton loss have done pretty well all recent years. even still, as long as i've been watching hockey (which hasn't been that long) i never feel safe when any goalie we've had has been playing, other than (mostly) ozzie last playoffs.

i just have a feeling if we were to, say, trade conks and a pick for anderson, i would be really surprised in he came in here and started playing any better than conks or ozzie. i'm not saying it couldn't happen, i'm just saying i would have absolutely no confidence in it until i saw craig steal several games for us. yes, conks lost the last game for us (caps), but he came in and played well against dallas. yeah, he let in the second shot, but he came in after a period and after that goal shut the door. he's been a bit up and down, too, but at this point, as armchair GM, i'm not ready to move conks and hope to god that someone like anderson does better. if we're going to trade a roster player and a pick, we should get a soon-to-be-UFA bone-crusher (e.g. a younger version of last years' drake) to help us through the playoff grind.

i've been as pissed off as anyone about our goaltending, but i don't think that getting another goalie is the best option for us right now. i'd like to believe that a trade for anderson would help us, but i just really don't. that's just me.

[stormboy 47]

I too don't see Holland making any moves this spring - unless of course there's a possibility of picking up a player that'll drastically improve our chances at winning the Cup...Me thinks Holland feels the team is set in net; the team playing in front of our netminders just need to play to their abilities, & the rest will hopefully fall into place.

I would however like to see some"gritty vet" added to our roster - preferably a forward like Chris Neil.

agreed. i think it's hard to place a value on a player like drake from last season. yeah, he had one good run with us and wasn't a part of our core. i think the wings brass hoped kopecky would fill that void...up until this point, he hasn't. downey did impress for the one game he was up, but he really hasn't been given a chance to prove himself this year. we really don't have a hard-ass on our roster right now, and i think i'm beginning to side with the folks who feel that that sort of player would really be a boon to our team.

[stormboy 47]

Gritty character guys that can take a regular shift, make some big hits, & will drop the mitts to defend a teammate are in short supply in the Motor City (at least that's how it appears to me)...I'd gladly give the Sens a guy like Filppula in return for Neil.

Do any of these guys exist in GR? From what I've read they're all kinda the same; 5'10" - 6'0", 180 - 190 lbs, decent skating, & capable of playing a sound "2-way game"...In other words a new/younger batch of Drapers/Maltbys

IMHO our scouts need to find players with the ilk/attitude of Gerard Gallant/Adam Graves/Randy McKay/Bob Probert to play alongside Hank/Dats.

honestly if we had a younger version of draper and maltby, i'd gladly take them. i think we have a new version of drapes--his name is helm. malts, the agitator, i'm not so sure. it seems that downey is the closest thing there is to an agitator in our system, but it has always bothered me that downey will basically play five minutes a game, have one fight, throw one big hit, and then be a waste of a roster spot. if there we could get someone who could actually play a bit (like drapes and malts could in their day) and add that edge...i would love to have that player.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

OP, i see your point, and as a fantasy owner i've been keeping my eye on anderson for most of the year. he seems to do pretty well, but seems a bit inconsistent. last several games, goals against (oldest first): 0, 5, 0, 4, 1, 1, 5, 3.

seems a little up and down, yes?

Its a little up and down because many of the last several "games" you were looking at were partial games. Over the 8 games you listed, Anderson played 4 full games, took over 3 games after Vokoun got pulled, and was pulled in one game, with Vokoun taking over. Sounds more like Vokoun is the inconsistent guy.

The thing with Anderson is, hes 27 years old, and hes posted great numbers the past few years while slowly playing more and more games. Thats what you might call "development." Conklin, on the other hand, is 32. Hes a known commodity - a career backup. Anderson could still turn out to be a 1B kind of guy. Kiprusoff, Ellis, Chris Mason, Fernandez, Bryzgalov, Roloson, Backstrom, and Toskala are all guys that found their NHL stride between 26-29 years of age. Now, there are only one or two goalies in this bunch who are bona fide #1 guys, but the rest are serviceable 1B guys that can split games, or take on 50 games a season and do a perfectly good job of it. Anderson could be that kind of guy for the Wings, and if our goaltending isn't winning us any games right now, theres no better time to find out than around the deadline this year. At worst, our goaltending remains mediocre with no loss in talent, but at best we could not only find ourselves with an upgrade in goaltending that has basically zero effect on our cap space, but also the potential to sign a strong guy capable of splitting or taking on 50 games for Osgood if we find that Howard still isn't good enough.

I mean, is there a more common story in the NHL today than the late blooming goaltender that comes in and saves the day? Roloson with the Oilers, Bryzgalov with the Yotes, Ellis with the Preds in the playoffs, Kipper with the Flames, Backstrom with the Wild. Hell, Mike Smith is turning out to be a god-sent for the Lightning this year, and he'll be 27 in March.

Low risk, high reward. And still plenty of cap space and assets to add a guy like Chris Neil.

Edited February 1, 2009 by YoungGuns1340

[Drake_Marcus 890]

^ The 2 AHL guys are a few years down the line, probably wouldn't even be ready for next season if absolutely needed. Howard is ready to be an NHL goalie, but probably not a very good one. A quick fix for 1-2 more seasons is needed. Conklin could use a back-up, and if Ozzy fails to come around then he'll just be bought-out.

Howard has to be ready for next year- he has no more minors options left. If the Wings don't bring him up to the NHL roster by October he'll be exposed to waivers.

[Hiei 192]

Next year is Oz's last year on his contract, isn't it?

so Oz and Conklin/Howard/Anderson/someone else (a name that hasn't been thrown out there, and I know he's not retired, Jocelyn Thibault???)

[VM1138 1,921]

So, let me get this straight.

You want to abandon our two solid goalies and multiple high level goalie prospects late in the season to take a risk on a mediocre goalie with no long-term proven ability that puts him above any other mediocre goalie in the league?

Sounds like a winning plan to me. :|

Edited February 1, 2009 by VM1138

[xBrave_Heartx 0]

I'd throw Howard into the fire, before i let conklin take starts in the playoffs.

[Mike 0]

Next year is Oz's last year on his contract, isn't it?

so Oz and Conklin/Howard/Anderson/someone else (a name that hasn't been thrown out there, and I know he's not retired, Jocelyn Thibault???)

Ozzie's last season under contract is 10/11. After that he is UFA.

[betterREDthandead 58]

I'd throw Howard into the fire, before i let conklin take starts in the playoffs.

Why?

[#19=Legend 29]

And the OP continues to put all the blame on goaltending...

[#19=Legend 29]

I'd throw Howard into the fire, before i let conklin take starts in the playoffs.

Probably the stupidest thing ive heard on here in a while..

[YoungGuns1340 1]

And the OP continues to put all the blame on goaltending...

Thats YOUR inference, not what I'm saying. Tell me, kind sir, how many options does Detroit have to improve this team? We have goaltending issues, defense issues, and a shoddy 4th line. We can't improve them all, and we sure as hell aren't going to be making big moves like trading off Stuart or Kronwall. We have to make nominal improvements where we can.

If I REALLY thought the goaltending was the be all and end all, I'd be proposing we trade for Backstrom, not Anderson.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

So, let me get this straight.

You want to abandon our two solid goalies and multiple high level goalie prospects late in the season to take a risk on a mediocre goalie with no long-term proven ability that puts him above any other mediocre goalie in the league?

Sounds like a winning plan to me. :|

I don't see how you got anything straight in that post.

1. Anderson is playing better than hockey than both our "solid" goalies - and is, in general, a hair or two better than Conklin and still improving.

2. Who said anything about abandoning goalie prospects? They'll still have a chance to prove themselves before the start of next season. Larsson can sit in GR another year. And if Howard doesn't work out next year, as a 25/26 year old, then he gets traded.

3. You think trading for Anderson is a risk? Our goaltending couldn't be much weaker than it is now.

4. The only reason Anderson doesn't have any "long-term proven ability" at the age of 27 doesn't mean much in this league. Neither did Ellis. Or Chris Mason. Or Bryzgalov. Or a slew of guys I mentioned before. Its hardly crazy to think he has breakthrough potential, especially when hes been able to keep those great stats great despite seeing more and more ice time.

[Blueliner 69]

When was the last time a team picked up a goalie at the deadline and went on to win the cup? Can anyone tell me because I sure as hell can't remember one time that has happened. So history tells us not to get a goalie at the deadline. Better off to find one next year.

[MacK_Attack 108]

You can have Toskala.

Please. Take him.

[MacK_Attack 108]

When was the last time a team picked up a goalie at the deadline and went on to win the cup? Can anyone tell me because I sure as hell can't remember one time that has happened. So history tells us not to get a goalie at the deadline. Better off to find one next year.

A starting goalie?

Wasn't a deadline deal, but there was Patty Roy in '96.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

A starting goalie?

Wasn't a deadline deal, but there was Patty Roy in '96.

Yes, thanks to Detroit.

Saturday, December 2, 1995. 11-1, the final.

[MacK_Attack 108]

Yes, thanks to Detroit.

Saturday, December 2, 1995. 11-1, the final.

That was the breaking point, but it was going to happen that season, regardless.

Ron Corey, Rejean Houle & Mario Tremblay ran the Habs into the ground.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

When was the last time a team picked up a goalie at the deadline and went on to win the cup? Can anyone tell me because I sure as hell can't remember one time that has happened. So history tells us not to get a goalie at the deadline. Better off to find one next year.

So because no one has picked one up and gone on to win the cup means the Wings shouldn't improve on their goaltending? The Wings goaltending has never gone along with what "history tells us" in general. When was the last time a team held the 3rd seed overall, yet had the worst starter in the league?