Frankenheimer
Sir, this is an Arber
One thing that seems clear is that goalies have a different development curve than both defensemen and forwards (maybe more like defensemen, but still different). It's actually possible for a goalie to have a HOF career starting at the age of 30. No other position would allow this.
In a way, drafting goalies makes little sense. You assume a responsibility for a player who may develop into an NHL player, or not. And just as likely is that you'll find a goalie on waivers, or in Europe, in the 28-30 age range that perform better than draftees.
It could very well happen, as it did with Lindgren, that Primeau begins playing steadily at 30, but the drafting team cannot benefit from it. I think that's the shift we're seeing away from drafting, and towards recruiting from Europe, KHL, and free agents when goalies are reaching peak performance.
In a way, drafting goalies makes little sense. You assume a responsibility for a player who may develop into an NHL player, or not. And just as likely is that you'll find a goalie on waivers, or in Europe, in the 28-30 age range that perform better than draftees.
It could very well happen, as it did with Lindgren, that Primeau begins playing steadily at 30, but the drafting team cannot benefit from it. I think that's the shift we're seeing away from drafting, and towards recruiting from Europe, KHL, and free agents when goalies are reaching peak performance.
