Freaky Styley
Registered User
To the Avs fans arguing in this thread, I think both things are true.
Goaltending wasn't the main reason they lost in back to back seasons, Nuke and Landy absences were, and to an extent Cale's suspension.
At the same time, even if those guys are in the lineup it's probably the #1 factor preventing them from them going all the way - case in point, Bob vs. Skinner last year & Hill's performance the year before.
What the Avs did with Kuemper is more the anomaly than the rule these days because of the crazy depth they had at other positions (Yes, I remember Osgood and Det), The lineup is thinner now, and I just think that with expansion and the talent level getting diluted, the speed of the game increasing, along with the goalie equipment changes scoring is up and it allows stars to feast. The talent gap between goalies also seems to be widening as we are in a bit of a lull of goaltending talent (10 guys & then 'the rest').
They need to tighten up defensively, first and foremost. When it goes bad it goes real bad. But they also need a guy to make a save when that happens. I hope this move is a signal that management is realizing with the lack of depth they've had since they won the Cup they can't afford to take half measures in goal and need to prioritize the position. I do think we see a move at some point before the playoffs unless Kahkonen really takes off. I'd have my eye on Gustavsson in Minnesota, depending on how he plays this season.
Goaltending wasn't the main reason they lost in back to back seasons, Nuke and Landy absences were, and to an extent Cale's suspension.
At the same time, even if those guys are in the lineup it's probably the #1 factor preventing them from them going all the way - case in point, Bob vs. Skinner last year & Hill's performance the year before.
What the Avs did with Kuemper is more the anomaly than the rule these days because of the crazy depth they had at other positions (Yes, I remember Osgood and Det), The lineup is thinner now, and I just think that with expansion and the talent level getting diluted, the speed of the game increasing, along with the goalie equipment changes scoring is up and it allows stars to feast. The talent gap between goalies also seems to be widening as we are in a bit of a lull of goaltending talent (10 guys & then 'the rest').
They need to tighten up defensively, first and foremost. When it goes bad it goes real bad. But they also need a guy to make a save when that happens. I hope this move is a signal that management is realizing with the lack of depth they've had since they won the Cup they can't afford to take half measures in goal and need to prioritize the position. I do think we see a move at some point before the playoffs unless Kahkonen really takes off. I'd have my eye on Gustavsson in Minnesota, depending on how he plays this season.
