Jonas Gustavsson

[Detman 0]

Anyone heard about this guy? Apparently he's considered "one of the best goaltendersin the world not playing in the NHL"... 24 yrs old...swedish.. Looks like he will be choosing between Colorado, San Jose, Dallas, and Toronto. I'd think the Wings would be interested but apparently not. Probably with the hype around him he is looking for gauranteed playing time..much like Brunnstrom.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?...entryID=4205377

On a similar note, does anyone know what the deal was with Larsson. I remember him impressing but not sure what the plans were for him.

[xBrave_Heartx 0]

Pearce, Will be in the ECHL i'd think, With spot AHL duty.

Larsson and McColumn will be manning GR next year.

Howard will be in Detroit, Or playing for another NHL team next year, since he is out of options.

Conklin will either force Howard out of town, Or sign for a better contract

Ozzie will be our starter.

[Guest mindfly]

Get in the game braaa

[Coolio Mendez 7]

This year's overpaid bust that will demand a silly contract?

Not much International experience and poor rebound control and was on a good team from what I read a few weeks ago.......perhaps he is a late bloomer a la Lundqvist, Kipper or Backstrom and turns into that caliber of goalie.

If I am the GM....he gets a TWO WAY CONTRACT!

[NGKEIB 32]

He was an absolute beast in the Elitserien playoffs. He beat Lundqvist's record for longest post-season shutout, and then eventually beat the longest shutout streak in regular season too.

[mjlegend 155]

He was an absolute beast in the Elitserien playoffs. He beat Lundqvist's record for longest post-season shutout, and then eventually beat the longest shutout streak in regular season too.

So you mean he might be the second coming of Brian Boucher?

[NGKEIB 32]

So you mean he might be the second coming of Brian Boucher?

I'm saying he's good in the Swedish League, which doesn't mean that much. He might be able to do something after a year or two in GR, but we've got a fair amount of goaltending prospects. He played on a decent team, but they faced a much better team in the finals, and he was a monster throughout the playoffs. His performance at the Worlds wasn't great, but if I recall correctly he only played a few games as he returned home to be with an ill family member - clearly had more important things on his mind.

[VM1138 1,921]

I'm saying he's good in the Swedish League, which doesn't mean that much. He might be able to do something after a year or two in GR, but we've got a fair amount of goaltending prospects. He played on a decent team, but they faced a much better team in the finals, and he was a monster throughout the playoffs. His performance at the Worlds wasn't great, but if I recall correctly he only played a few games as he returned home to be with an ill family member - clearly had more important things on his mind.

Goalie's are so hard to predict. One year they can be amazing, the next, they're bums. If anyone can name me more than three NHL goalies who are consistently great year in, year out, you'll be stretching it a bit. If I were a GM, I would be very reluctant to go out of my way to draft a certain goalie. Obviously some are better than others, but I would never go out of my way or risk anything to get an unproven goalie.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Anyone heard about this guy? Apparently he's considered "one of the best goaltendersin the world not playing in the NHL"... 24 yrs old...swedish.. Looks like he will be choosing between Colorado, San Jose, Dallas, and Toronto. I'd think the Wings would be interested but apparently not. Probably with the hype around him he is looking for gauranteed playing time..much like Brunnstrom.

Red Wing Goaltending depth chart:

Osgood [36] (Guaranteed Starter next season)

Conklin [33] (Leaving as a FA unless Wings trade Howard)

Howard [25] (Has to start on NHL roster or the is exposed to waivers, will only be traded if amazing offer comes up)

Larsson [23] (Impressive in Sweden, amazing first half in GR, came down to earth in second half, still highly regarded)

McCollum [19] ('08 1st rounder, considered the top goalie in OHL by some, rough WJC, had a strong 08 training camp)

Pearce [22] (Just signed, All American, led NCAA in wins, shutouts, 2nd in GAA, 4th in SV%, playoff MVP this year)

Let's say they release Conklin (as expected). Here's the line-up:

Detroit (NHL):

Osgood

Howard (back-up, likely 20-30 starts)

Grand Rapids (AHL):

Larsson

McCollum (back-up, may split starts or even take over starting job depending on his play)

Not Sure:

Pearce (unknown where he'll play right now, may challenge McCollum or Larsson for starts in GR if he impresses at their training camp or gets a shot due to an injury and runs with it)

Where could Gustavsson possibly fit in? Since the end of the '08 season the Wings have done the following:

-- Draft a goalie in the 1st round (McCollum)

-- Signed an NCAA goaltending prospect (Pearce)

-- Brought a Swedish prospect to the AHL (Larsson, who had a very impressive transition to NA play)

I doubt Gustavsson would see this as a team where he'd get a good shot at some NHL starts any time soon.

On a similar note, does anyone know what the deal was with Larsson. I remember him impressing but not sure what the plans were for him.

He's considered the starter for the 09-10 Griffins. After his great training camp he went on to be a leader in almost every stat in the AHL through the 1st half. Was chosen to play for the world team at the AHL All-Star game. Along with the rest of the Griffins, he struggled after the All-Star break (probably due to the increased physical demand of the longer AHL seasons compared to European leagues). As the year came to a close he suffered a concussion which he tried to play through but definitely hurt his play. Howard and Larsson were ranked by www.griffinscentral.com for their first and second half play as quoted below:

First Half: 1st Half Report Card (Article)

Larsson-- A (They don't seem to believe in the A+, it's not ever given or even an option)

To say that the first year netminder has made a successful jump to North America is an understatement. All Larsson has done is win in convincing fashion, outplaying battery mate Jimmy Howard, by notching 14 wins and 5 shutouts in 19 decisions. Extremely confident and seemingly unflappable, Daniel ranks among the league leaders in wins, goals against average, shutouts and save percentage. Named to the PlanetUSA all-star team, Larsson would have to be a strong candidate for Griffins first half MVP.

Howard-- C-

Howard was supposed to come in this season, fresh on the heels of the disappointment of losing the back job in Detroit to Ty Conklin, start 65-70 games and once and for all prove he is the man for the job. Things haven't gone according to plan for Jimmy as inconsistent play and a phenomenal start by backup Daniel Larsson have cast his future in doubt. Howard has played well in stretches this season, but has not been able to put a solid run together to quiet the growing number of nay-sayers. The team appears to play better for Larsson, leading to the observation that the fourth year goaltender needs to have a strong second half to win his team back over and keep his Detroit hopes alive.

Second Half: 2nd Half Report Card (Article)

Larsson-- B

Larsson followed up a monster first half with a good second. His numbers dipped the latter part of the season, mostly attributed to the decimated lineup he played behind. He was laid low by a concussion and tried to struggle through it before being shut down. He was eventually cleared by the medical staff to back-up Howard, but was still not quite ready to play. He is expected to take the starter's role in Grand Rapids next season.

Howard-- C+

The second half was more of the same for Howard as he ran hot and cold to finish out the schedule. He managed to hit the 20 win mark for the 4th time, but dropped four out of five decisions to end the season with home ice advantage on the line. He raised his game for the playoffs, winning his first series as a pro, and got his team to the second round. Howard has been told to come to camp ready to take the NHL backup job. He is out of AHL eligibility, meaning he has probably played his last game in Grand Rapids.

So, overall, they seem to rate the GR goalies as:

Larsson: A-

Howard: C

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From tsn dot com:

The North American agent for Swedish free-agent netminder Jonas (Monster) Gustavsson says his client will not make a decision on which team he'll sign with until sometime after July 1. A decision was originally expected by today.