Unfortunately, some more bad news in Devils-land / Marty

[DevsMan84]

In fairness, you really want those guys getting work, if you think there's a chance they're going to amount to anything.  Like I said, unfortunately in Ahonen's case, he played on bad team after bad team in getting his work...hard for a goalie to do that without getting his confidence shaken after a while.  It was like everything was lined up for him to fail, though with scouts everywhere looking for goaltending, if he was really that impressive and looked like a guy who just needed to get a real shot, someone likely would've seen that, and traded for him (especially since the cost wouldn't have been that high).   

 

That is true prior to 2009, but since then Marty has been out quite a bit.  Why not bring up one of the goalies we have in the system to be the backup instead of some aging veteran who we won't see again in a couple years?

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Ahonen has put up solid numbers in the KHL the last few years:

 

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=45127

 

I did see that...don't know what to make of it, but I've gotta think he's gotta be happy to be winning SOMEWHERE at this point.  That Albany run was rough.

[Triumph]

Is it really fair to say they didn't pan out? It's not like any goalies the team has drafted since Brodeur were ever given an NHL opportunity.

 

Yes, none of them were ever NHL regulars.  So none of them panned out.  Clemmensen became an NHL backup 12 years after having been drafted.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

That is true prior to 2009, but since then Marty has been out quite a bit.  Why not bring up one of the goalies we have in the system to be the backup instead of some aging veteran who we won't see again in a couple years?

 

They've gotten good play from their backups since 2008-09...Clemmer, Weekes, Danis, Hedberg...this is really the only year the backup hasn't been good, and with Hedberg, the plan clearly called for him to spell Marty, and not be the game-in game-out guy.  The fact that he's starting AGAIN seems to say more about how the team feels about Kinkaid and Frazee than it does about Hedberg.   

 

I'm guessing the Devils simply don't think the guys in the system are ready, and feel more comfortable with guys who at least have some NHL experience. 

[squishyx]

.I mean Florida had their goalie coach suit up for a game. I don't think it's THAT far-fetched to suggest we get Terreri to come out of retirement and do the same.

I don't care how far fetched the idea is, words can not express how awesome this would be. I would drive 2 hours through this stupid blizzard and break my 2013 boycott to see Terreri play another game.

[JWomp]

Yes, none of them were ever NHL regulars.  So none of them panned out.  Clemmensen became an NHL backup 12 years after having been drafted.

 

It wasn't possible for them to pan out in New Jersey....

[95Crash]

Did you read at least Triumph's post?  We have drafted goalies in the first round, so why not give them a few games a year and Marty can play the other 75-78 games he usually played.  Besides I was mostly talking about since 2010 and not before that.

 

Marty has also been getting injured more often since the 2008-09 season for decent stretches so why not break in some of the goalies then?  Instead we signed veteran backups who stick with the team for a couple of years before leaving when they really start dropping off or want a little more work than 5-7 games a year.

 

I have often wondered that myself.

 

Sometimes I wonder if it never happens because the team is so afraid of losing even one game because of a young goalie that they'd ALWAYS rather go with an experienced backup instead.

[NJDevs4978]

I have often wondered that myself.

 

Sometimes I wonder if it never happens because the team is so afraid of losing even one game because of a young goalie that they'd ALWAYS rather go with an experienced backup instead.

 

That was definitely part of it.  There've been a number of years where it seemed as if the Devils were more concerned with maxing out regular season position as opposed to getting ready for the playoffs.

[Triumph]

It wasn't possible for them to pan out in New Jersey....

 

They weren't good enough to be signed by other teams.  Damphousse's numbers actually don't look half-bad but for whatever reason he was done after 2004.  Not all talent eventually makes it to the NHL, but plenty of goalies have stuck around for years and years until they got their shot.  Just look at Hedberg - 94 draft pick (overage at that point too, he was eligible for the draft in 1991), doesn't make the NHL until 2001.  Chris Mason was a Devils' draft pick in 1995.  They didn't sign him - it took until 2003-04 for him to get his foot in the door as an NHL backup.

[maxpower]

Well, to be fair, overseas goalies don't show up immediately.   Lundqvist was a throwaway pick and took 5 years to show up.    Which is why those lunkhead Rangers fans that think he's going to break records are sorely mistaken.

[JWomp]

They weren't good enough to be signed by other teams.  Damphousse's numbers actually don't look half-bad but for whatever reason he was done after 2004.  Not all talent eventually makes it to the NHL, but plenty of goalies have stuck around for years and years until they got their shot.  Just look at Hedberg - 94 draft pick (overage at that point too, he was eligible for the draft in 1991), doesn't make the NHL until 2001.  Chris Mason was a Devils' draft pick in 1995.  They didn't sign him - it took until 2003-04 for him to get his foot in the door as an NHL backup.

 

All I'm trying to say is that the Devils have drafted quality goaltenders, but those goalies simply haven't had an opportunity here in NJ because of Brodeur and the organization's preference to have a backup with NHL experience.

 

Ahonen played on a terrible Albany team and never played any NHL minutes. He never had a real chance to show other NHL organizations that he may have been NHL-worthy, but now he is showing he can play with quality stats in the KHL.

 

Clemmensen toiled in the AHL and it wasn't until 08-09 that he got his first true NHL opportunity, and he excelled. He put up very impressive numbers and earned another NHL deal. Unfortunately for him, no team was truly in need of a starter that offseason so he ended up on a weak Panthers team. I believe if a better team than Florida signed him, he could have solidified himself as a starting-quality goalie.

 

Frazee has performed well in the AHL since being drafted but hasn't ever been given a chance to play in the NHL. Maybe he will get that chance this weekend.

 

Wedgewood and Clermont are the first Devils goalies to be drafted since Brodeur who will actually be given an opportunity for a full-time NHL starting job one day. The other goalies had the deck stacked against them from the start. Their failure to make it to/stay in the NHL or earn a starting goaltending job had more to do with the situation of already having strong goaltending in New Jersey than it did with their talent level, in my opinion.

Edited March 7, 2013 by JWomp

[Devil Dan 56]

I don't care how far fetched the idea is, words can not express how awesome this would be. I would drive 2 hours through this stupid blizzard and break my 2013 boycott to see Terreri play another game.

 

He had to to an emergency fill in once in the AHL for Albany in 2005, possibly when Ahonen got called up as CR1976 mentioned. I could only find one picture:

 

[Devil Dan 56]

All I'm trying to say is that the Devils have drafted quality goaltenders, but those goalies simply haven't had an opportunity here in NJ because of Brodeur and the organization's preference to have a backup with NHL experience.

 

Ahonen played on a terrible Albany team and never played any NHL minutes. He never had a real chance to show other NHL organizations that he may have been NHL-worthy, but now he is showing he can play with quality stats in the KHL.

 

Clemmensen toiled in the AHL and it wasn't until 08-09 that he got his first true NHL opportunity, and he excelled. He put up very impressive numbers and earned another NHL deal. Unfortunately for him, no team was truly in need of a starter that offseason so he ended up on a weak Panthers team. I believe if a better team than Florida signed him, he could have solidified himself as a starting-quality goalie.

 

Frazee has performed well in the AHL since being drafted but hasn't ever been given a chance to play in the NHL. Maybe he will get that chance this weekend.

 

Wedgewood and Clermont are the first Devils goalies to be drafted since Brodeur who will actually be given an opportunity for a full-time NHL starting job one day. The other goalies had the deck stacked against them from the start. Their failure to make it to/stay in the NHL or earn a starting goaltending job had more to do with the situation of already having strong goaltending in New Jersey than it did with their talent level, in my opinion.

 

There were some other circumstances for some of those goalies...

 

Ahonen was behind Clemmensen, so it really wasn't Marty holding him back.

 

Clemmensen didn't do much to impress anyone. He played 13 games in 05-06 and his numbers were terrible. He played a season for the Marlies, but his callups for the Leafs that year were bad. I remember specifically watching him in a 6-5 loss. He had the great run in 08-09, but since then, he hasn't even been able to take Florida's starting job in the last 4 seasons. 

 

Frazee definitely performed well his first season in the AHL. He made the allstar game and everything. His problem has been inconsistency and a lot of injuries. 

 

That being said, I'd like to see Kinkaid or Frazee get an actual start.