The # of games Freddie has played the past 3 seasons for the Canes.
What a screw up by DW to sign this guy again this past off season. Having a player esp a goalie on your roster who is more often then not injured really jacks up the entire roster because you always have to have a plan B and plan C in place for when he inevitably gets injured.
Personally, I hope Freddie has a long and healthy and happy life. Professionally, I’ve seen enough.
bk00pi
Great that he’s recovering so well, but I feel like it would be foolish to rely on him to be healthy the rest of the way.
WoodsFinder
It is a tough choice. A lot depends on whether Andersen can come back and be good and that probably won’t be known by the trade deadline, so it’s going to be a gamble no matter what they do and the decision will likely have to be made without the amount of information they like to have.
My guess is that the price for a top tier goalie will be way too high, so it will be down to options 1 or 3. Which it ends up being will probably be based on the cost of a 1B, the estimated likelihood of Freddie being able to contribute at a high level, and how well the three other goalies play between now and the trade deadline.
And of course, another injury before the deadline would significant change the calculations.
MillerBurnsUnit
What’s tricky about it?
If/until Freddy gets healthy, it’ll be Raanta & Kooch as long as they stay healthy. Then, it’ll be Kooch with Freddy backing up until he can get in some reps. Then it’ll be Freddy with Kooch unil Freddy has a bad stretch. Then we’re back in rotation.
Raanta’s time here is done. This has happens with him on basically every team he’s ever played on. He is surprisingly good until he has an absolute breakdown (which is why he was never a starter) until he’s dealt. I like him, and the team plays better in front of him, but this is the life of an NHL goalie, for the most part.
The thing with the Hurricanes is, for anyone who has played the game at a competitive level, guys play harder when they don’t have confidence in their net minder. They know they have to limit opportunities, play more structured, limit PK’s, backcheck, etc. They’ve played the vast majority of this way for the 23/24 season. On one hand Raanta’s performance has always been that of a « backup » and with Kooch, you’ve got a young guy who can’t communicate very well who is learning the speed of the NHL. The Canes goal scoring won’t come until they feel comfortable and stable on the back end. Only then, can they take the kind of chances they’d like to take with the confidence that they will get a big save at the right time.
Not always, but the vast majority of the time, high scoring teams also tend to have quality goal tending. Carolina has had one or the other, but not both. Example – Tampa for the last decade, Boston, the Rangers, the Avs when they won the cup, Detroit with Hasek, hell, even Vegas’s goal tending was a huge factor down the stretch last year.
Buck919
Raanta has looked stiff all season. Personally IMO Martin looked like he was moving way better and I’d prefer to see him even after only one start than Raanta who’s been barely able to move all season and then laboring after ever stoppage. Guy looks like he’s in serious pain.
5 Comments
51, 33, 6
The # of games Freddie has played the past 3 seasons for the Canes.
What a screw up by DW to sign this guy again this past off season. Having a player esp a goalie on your roster who is more often then not injured really jacks up the entire roster because you always have to have a plan B and plan C in place for when he inevitably gets injured.
Personally, I hope Freddie has a long and healthy and happy life. Professionally, I’ve seen enough.
Great that he’s recovering so well, but I feel like it would be foolish to rely on him to be healthy the rest of the way.
It is a tough choice. A lot depends on whether Andersen can come back and be good and that probably won’t be known by the trade deadline, so it’s going to be a gamble no matter what they do and the decision will likely have to be made without the amount of information they like to have.
My guess is that the price for a top tier goalie will be way too high, so it will be down to options 1 or 3. Which it ends up being will probably be based on the cost of a 1B, the estimated likelihood of Freddie being able to contribute at a high level, and how well the three other goalies play between now and the trade deadline.
And of course, another injury before the deadline would significant change the calculations.
What’s tricky about it?
If/until Freddy gets healthy, it’ll be Raanta & Kooch as long as they stay healthy. Then, it’ll be Kooch with Freddy backing up until he can get in some reps. Then it’ll be Freddy with Kooch unil Freddy has a bad stretch. Then we’re back in rotation.
Raanta’s time here is done. This has happens with him on basically every team he’s ever played on. He is surprisingly good until he has an absolute breakdown (which is why he was never a starter) until he’s dealt. I like him, and the team plays better in front of him, but this is the life of an NHL goalie, for the most part.
The thing with the Hurricanes is, for anyone who has played the game at a competitive level, guys play harder when they don’t have confidence in their net minder. They know they have to limit opportunities, play more structured, limit PK’s, backcheck, etc. They’ve played the vast majority of this way for the 23/24 season. On one hand Raanta’s performance has always been that of a « backup » and with Kooch, you’ve got a young guy who can’t communicate very well who is learning the speed of the NHL. The Canes goal scoring won’t come until they feel comfortable and stable on the back end. Only then, can they take the kind of chances they’d like to take with the confidence that they will get a big save at the right time.
Not always, but the vast majority of the time, high scoring teams also tend to have quality goal tending. Carolina has had one or the other, but not both. Example – Tampa for the last decade, Boston, the Rangers, the Avs when they won the cup, Detroit with Hasek, hell, even Vegas’s goal tending was a huge factor down the stretch last year.
Raanta has looked stiff all season. Personally IMO Martin looked like he was moving way better and I’d prefer to see him even after only one start than Raanta who’s been barely able to move all season and then laboring after ever stoppage. Guy looks like he’s in serious pain.