Burke the Legend
Registered User
- Feb 22, 2012
- 8,318
- 2,853
It's the team, not the goalies.
Look at how Dubnyk goes from sieve on the Oilers to decent goalie on the Wild/Yotes. How Rask doesn't look so great now that Boston's D is weaker. How Condon can come onto Montreal and posts great #s. How all these LA/NYR backups posting .920+ % go to terrible #s on weak teams. Even if the Leafs acquired an established top 5 in league goalie tomorrow he would not help much.
I believe that teams can take on certain cultures which is why a lot of clubs always seem to have the same character even when the players change, and the Leafs culture for the last 10 years would if described in one word be 'loose' and bordering on 'defeatist'. The good news is this can be changed, and if anyone can change this to 'tight' and 'winning' it would be Babcock and Lamoriello but it can take time. Look at the Washington Capitals, took years and some growing pains to instill more of a defensive minded culture but it seems to have taken hold. Until that happens on the Leafs, there's very little possibility of a goalie to thrive.
Look at how Dubnyk goes from sieve on the Oilers to decent goalie on the Wild/Yotes. How Rask doesn't look so great now that Boston's D is weaker. How Condon can come onto Montreal and posts great #s. How all these LA/NYR backups posting .920+ % go to terrible #s on weak teams. Even if the Leafs acquired an established top 5 in league goalie tomorrow he would not help much.
I believe that teams can take on certain cultures which is why a lot of clubs always seem to have the same character even when the players change, and the Leafs culture for the last 10 years would if described in one word be 'loose' and bordering on 'defeatist'. The good news is this can be changed, and if anyone can change this to 'tight' and 'winning' it would be Babcock and Lamoriello but it can take time. Look at the Washington Capitals, took years and some growing pains to instill more of a defensive minded culture but it seems to have taken hold. Until that happens on the Leafs, there's very little possibility of a goalie to thrive.