Jimmy Howard

[Heaton]

Yet he got pulled like six times in a stretch of a dozen games. At least it felt like that.

His stats are deceiving.

Henrik Lundqvist got pulled the most of any goalie last year. Blashill had a happy trigger finger last season when the team was struggling.

 

[obey86]

I love Mrazek and think he's great/going to be great....but let's be real people. He was terrible for the last 1/4 of the season.

 

[Bench]

Henrik Lundqvist got pulled the most of any goalie last year. Blashill had a happy trigger finger last season when the team was struggling.

Sure, but Lundqvist has years and years of data that show that's not normal for him. Consistency matters with goalies more than anything. The reason Lundqvist is the best in the league isn't because he's always better than other goalies, but because he so rarely has stretches of games that hurt the team. The vast majority if his career has been being the best player on his team.

When Mrazek was on his game at the start of last year, he was fantastic. He DID look like a top 5 goalie. He carried the team for periods and it was awesome. But to be a franchise goalie he's going to have to do that for a full season at least. If you want to compare him to Lundqvist, he needs to do it for an entire decade.

And if Mrazek doesn't perform to that level, it's fine. He can still be a good goalie. The league is full of Howard's and Lehtonen's. There's no shame in it. But don't give him a long-term deal at that point or lump him into the core of the roster.

Next year is a big year for Mrazek. He's shown flashes of being everything we could hope for. And flashes of hurting the team. I'm more positive about him than any player on the roster not named Larkin, but given the contracts handed out the last year, I really hope the Wings exercise caution with his deal.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

He is a below average backup goalie making 5.3 million a year for the next three years.

What else is there to say?

 

[chances14]

1. It was a platoon because it was always going to be a platoon. Howard was given the opportunity to grab the job, Mrazek was going to be given the opportunity to grab the job. Mrazek was the starter for the playoffs. It was a new season. Both were starting fresh with a new coach. You were wrong. Just admit it. Stop dancing.

2. The whole first half was a platoon by design. Mrazek took the job in December and didn't give it up until March when he got sick. Howard's play at the end was no better statistically and his record was identical 3-7 during the same stretch.

3. If you don't think Howard is better then stop making up lies about it. You're being argumentative about nothing then. Go take a shower. Your arguments are nonsensical and are not supported by basic facts. You're repeatedly wrong about everything.

You don't have to make up a bunch of lies to say you don't think Mrazek will be an elite goalie. That's your opinion. Some will agree, others won't. At this point it's conjecture. There's no right or wrong answer. The point I WAS MAKING originally was that Mrazek is ALREADY a better goalie than Howard right now. He doesn't have to be an elite goalie to be the starter here. He just has to be the best goalie in our system. Which he already is.

so anyone that disagrees with you is lying? got it

no point in carrying on this discussion with you any longer

 

[Heaton]

I love Mrazek and think he's great/going to be great....but let's be real people. He was terrible for the last 1/4 of the season.

Huh? When? He had a few bad games in March, but his lowest month's sv% outside of that was .910 and during that month when he had a .910 sv% he still went 6-2-2.

 

[Heaton]

Sure, but Lundqvist has years and years of data that show that's not normal for him. Consistency matters with goalies more than anything. The reason Lundqvist is the best in the league isn't because he's always better than other goalies, but because he so rarely has stretches of games that hurt the team. The vast majority if his career has been being the best player on his team.

When Mrazek was on his game at the start of last year, he was fantastic. He DID look like a top 5 goalie. He carried the team for periods and it was awesome. But to be a franchise goalie he's going to have to do that for a full season at least. If you want to compare him to Lundqvist, he needs to do it for an entire decade.

And if Mrazek doesn't perform to that level, it's fine. He can still be a good goalie. The league is full of Howard's and Lehtonen's. There's no shame in it. But don't give him a long-term deal at that point or lump him into the core of the roster.

Next year is a big year for Mrazek. He's shown flashes of being everything we could hope for. And flashes of hurting the team. I'm more positive about him than any player on the roster not named Larkin, but given the contracts handed out the last year, I really hope the Wings exercise caution with his deal.

I'm big on the eye test, but the statistics show that Mrazek was an upper echelon goalie for more than half the season and during the months when he was just 'average', he still went 11-6-2. I get what you guys are saying, but I think we're getting a little nutty over his poor stretch during March when Blashill got nervous and started pulling him too quickly. It worked out for the best since Howard found his game, but Mrazek wasn't bad for a long period of time.

 

[Classicnamesup]

His 863s% from Feb on is probably what they are talking about

 

[Shaman464]

Howard went on a run and people forgot about the one thing they shouldn't have forgotten: He has been an extremely inconsistent goalie his whole career. It's why a way over the hill Hasek and Osgood were the starters over him. Howard seems to be a bit of a head case and when he's not in his Jimmy Howard Happy Place he starts to play poorly. It is what it is, the only truly amazing part is that after how little faith the team had in him they committed so much money and term to him in the first place.

 

[PetrPumpknEatr]

Huh? When? He had a few bad games in March, but his lowest month's sv% outside of that was .910 and during that month when he had a .910 sv% he still went 6-2-2.

These are simply the Howard supporters looking for anything to hold on to unfortunately. They're grasping at straws.

1. He was .910 in February. If you take away the Boston game, WHICH WE WON, I think he'd be something like .920 or .921. 5-2-2 (he was 6-2-2 with the Boston win). Which is strong anyway you look at it. But haters got to hate.

2. He played 10 games total in March. He lost against Chicago, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, twice; he lost to Pittsburg, the current Stanley Cup champions, once. He was pulled 4 times. TWICE after giving up two goals. He was forced to play 4 games in 6 days, for whatever reason, including a back to back followed by a travel day. After losing to Chicago, he played 4 games in a row where he was .927 in those 4 games (vs. Winnipeg; NYRangers; Toronto; Philly). It was only the 4 games after that, when he became ill, that his game really suffered and he still won one of those games.

I don't think some people are interested in what the truth really is. They're just spinning things because they want Jimmy to play and can't justify it without spinning.

Petr may or may not become an elite goalie. But Jimmy definitely isn't one. Petr is the best goalie on our team. Period. NEXT MAN IN.

 

[gretskidoo]

Mrazek:

Regular Season:
94GP- .920SV%, 2.29GAA, 9SO (AKA he averages a SO every 10 games)

Playoffs:
10GP- .931SV%, 1.88GAA, 3 SO

"Mrazek isn't that great or consistent"- **** off FFS!

If Howard had those numbers, you'd have a few people here angry that he didn't win the Vezina this year. Every goal against last season was the fault of the team and not Howard, after all.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

If Howard had those numbers, you'd have a few people here angry that he didn't win the Vezina this year. Every goal against last season was the fault of the team and not Howard, after all.

If mrazek didn't play injured and ruin his stats. And you swap those with Howard. I would be mad. Holtby didn't deserve it at all

 

[Pavels Dog]

Howard went on a run and people forgot about the one thing they shouldn't have forgotten: He has been an extremely inconsistent goalie his whole career. It's why a way over the hill Hasek and Osgood were the starters over him. Howard seems to be a bit of a head case and when he's not in his Jimmy Howard Happy Place he starts to play poorly. It is what it is, the only truly amazing part is that after how little faith the team had in him they committed so much money and term to him in the first place.

Couldn't disagree more. Howard wasn't great in the AHL and 'over-the-hill' Osgood played out of his mind in two consecutive playoff runs in 08 and 09 which is why Howard wasn't brough up sooner. But when he got the opportunity in 09-10 he took it and for the most has been very consistent in his NHL career. Complaints about Howard have usually been that he doesn't steal any games and that he's not the most 'clutch' goalie. But he played a high volume of games with very few stinkers.

Even the two seasons before this he was very steady up until the point he got injured, then he was unable to find his game again.

I question either your memory or how much hockey you actually watched between 09 and 13 if you thought Howard had a problem with consistency those years. Let's see Mrazek play 60+ games next season and maintain a consistent level. So far he has done nothing close to that in his career. He is amazing when he only has to play <50 games or so though.

 

[PetrPumpknEatr]

Couldn't disagree more. Howard wasn't great in the AHL and 'over-the-hill' Osgood played out of his mind in two consecutive playoff runs in 08 and 09 which is why Howard wasn't brough up sooner. But when he got the opportunity in 09-10 he took it and for the most has been very consistent in his NHL career. Complaints about Howard have usually been that he doesn't steal any games and that he's not the most 'clutch' goalie. But he played a high volume of games with very few stinkers.

Even the two seasons before this he was very steady up until the point he got injured, then he was unable to find his game again.

I question either your memory or how much hockey you actually watched between 09 and 13 if you thought Howard had a problem with consistency those years. Let's see Mrazek play 60+ games next season and maintain a consistent level. So far he has done nothing close to that in his career. He is amazing when he only has to play <50 games or so though.

Howard hasn't posted a .910+ in season in THREE YEARS. That's pretty consistent. He was .910 .910 and .906.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Howard hasn't posted a .910+ in season in THREE YEARS. That's pretty consistent. He was .910 .910 and .906.

That guy was saying he's been inconsistant his whole career, which is blatantly false. And again, his numbers were way better both seasons prior to this one up until his injury. If people can blame Mrazek's late season struggles on injury, how can it not be a valid excuse for Howard?

 

[PetrPumpknEatr]

That guy was saying he's been inconsistant his whole career, which is blatantly false. And again, his numbers were way better both seasons prior to this one up until his injury. If people can blame Mrazek's late season struggles on injury, how can it not be a valid excuse for Howard?

Oh okay gotcha. But cherry picking aside, Mrazek only really struggled for four games. You take away that Boston game, which we won, Mrazek's numbers were solid in Feb. Howard has been struggling for three years.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Its too bad he dosent have a competitive bone in his body and have asked for a trade

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Is anyone arguing Howard over Mrazek at this point?

 

[Retire91]

I like Mrazek's compete level he strikes me as the kind of player to come back from a bad stretch. Howard has been expendable for years Holland has just made him too expensive to expend. If Mrazek doesn't become a franchise goalie in the next few seasons this team's near future is pretty bleak.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Is anyone arguing Howard over Mrazek at this point?

No. We are only arguing to not simply toss Howard into the trash heap and damn the consequences. You gain nothing by dumping Howard if you have to give up a good asset to do it. You really aren't better off to pay Mrazek 6M, retaining 2+ or paying a 1.8M buy out on Howard and paying a different backup 1-1.5M than if you just signed Mrazek to a 4M bridge and burn another year or so off Howard's deal.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Its too bad he dosent have a competitive bone in his body and have asked for a trade

Jimmy Howard made it pretty clear in exit interviews that he understood the business and was willing to waive. Why publicly demand a trade if both the GM in front of you and your agent are telling you that is an extremely unlikely outcome this season. What he went on record with is exactly what he should have he isn't going to block a trade and would like to be a #1.

I expect they will start with the same rotation they did last year, hopefully Howard has a much better year and we have a true 1A and 1B situation for longer than the couple of months we got it for this year.

 

[PetrPumpknEatr]

Jimmy Howard made it pretty clear in exit interviews that he understood the business and was willing to waive. Why publicly demand a trade if both the GM in front of you and your agent are telling you that is an extremely unlikely outcome this season. What he went on record with is exactly what he should have he isn't going to block a trade and would like to be a #1.

I expect they will start with the same rotation they did last year, hopefully Howard has a much better year and we have a true 1A and 1B situation for longer than the couple of months we got it for this year.

If we have another rotation because Jimmy wants to be a starter my view of this team will hit the crapper. Jimmy lost the job. You don't get a rotation because you want one. Literally no other team in the NHL wants him and you want to make him the co-starter.

.921 to .906. That's why he doesn't get a rotation.

The devotion to Howard by some people is unbelievable. No other team would have done this. None.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

If we have another rotation because Jimmy wants to be a starter my view of this team will hit the crapper. Jimmy lost the job. You don't get a rotation because you want one. Literally no other team in the NHL wants him and you want to make him the co-starter.

.921 to .906. That's why he doesn't get a rotation.

The devotion to Howard by some people is unbelievable. No other team would have done this. None.

I still don't know where you are getting this devotion from.

 

[PetrPumpknEatr]

I still don't know where you are getting this devotion from.

I'm not "devoted" I'm ready to move on. Some people aren't for whatever reason. Expect a Jimmy renaissance at 34 or something. We already have a good goalie. Let's go.

.921 to .906. Not hard to figure out.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

I'm not "devoted" I'm ready to move on. Some people aren't for whatever reason. Expect a Jimmy renaissance at 34 or something. We already have a good goalie. Let's go.

.921 to .906. Not hard to figure out.

No, where you think people are being devoted to Howard. Not you being devoted to something or other.

The cap space right now doesn't help us, so right now the only incentive to move him short term is if we have a better option for backup. And that justifies giving up assets to a team to get Howard off our hands. There isn't as much of a need to drop him currently.