Monday, June 30, 2014

Brodeur: Where Will He Fit, Where Should He Go?

So Marty Brodeur is the NHL's all-time leader in games played (1259), wins (688), losses (394), shutouts (124), you-name-it-he's-got it. He's also an free agent July 1st.

Now what about the teams he could go to? It's been narrowed down to about five or six teams by insiders. Can Marty go to any of them? Where will he fit best? Where would it not work?

Boston has recently joined in the fray. Following their loss to Montreal, my guess is the Bruins feel that Brodeur could spell Tuuka Rask for some short or long stretches. Hey, wait a minute! Didn't Tuuk just win the Vezina? Sure bet Rask took 'er home. So why would the Bruins want an aged veteran? Well, they did sign Niklas Svedberg to a one-year deal, but they lost Chad Johnson, who looked like one fine backup! Rask was not the reason the Bruins lost to the Habs last season, but he needs better insurance behind him. Read this one.

Svedberg played just one game for Boston and isn't ready to step-in. Brodeur could sure provide a step-in. Plus, Rask wouldn't have to feel any pressure if first place or game seven is around the corner. Brodeur is still a winner, you know: (19-14-6)

And the system Boston plays could make things a lot like they were in New Jersey for Marty. He could find the situation helpful. And with the Bruins a likely contender next season, Marty could go out in style. It would be a good fit, and Brodeur could see a lot of playing time to let Rask get some well-deserved rest.

Pittsburgh lost to the Rangers, and it wasn't their goalie's fault. Actually, I thought Marc-Andre Fleury played quite well. Two shutouts against New York! Why that's more blankings than Crosby had goals! Fleury doesn't have the ready backup yet. Jeff Zatkoff did look strong at times. He gave a credible performance, but I'm not sold yet, are you? The Pens always treat Fleury as the fall guy when the team losses. It's amazing how many times Pittsburgh just forgets about the play in their own end and poor Marc has to takes the heat. Brodeur coming in can sure be a help, as Marty could be a great mentor to Marc and young Jeff, but I'm not sure he'd want to play in a place where the defence is undisciplined.

Not that Marty couldn't help. Much like he could spell Rask for stretches, he could for Fleury. Fleury's confidence sometimes dips, but playing beside Brodeur could give him an inspiration. Who knows, maybe Sid and his mates will see The Higher Power in net and play better defence for him, and then do the same for Fleury? That would help this franchise!

Toronto has a good starter in Jonathan Bernier, but James Reimer is on the trading block and I don't think Drew MacIntyre is quite NHL-ready yet. So there is an opening. If Brodeur comes to TO and gets the Leafs back to the playoffs, why he'd be a hero! Not that it's going to be easy. One thing is for sure, the Leafs are the team he'd see the most action with if he signs. The Leafs have the Pens same problem but are also minus some offence as well. Marty would see a lot of 3-2, 4-3, and 5-4 games in the Leaf net. Can he still win them? Being out-shot, ala Bernier and Reimer all last season? Perhaps.

I'm not sure Toronto would want a goalie for one year, because regardless of how Marty does, where are the Buds a year from now? Back to square one (or maybe square zero) in the backup role. The Leafs need a long term answer there, not a short-term one.

Chicago is certainly an interesting fit for Marty. Just look at the legends that have played there. Gardner, Hall, Esposito, Belfour. Why not add another legend? Sounds good to me. But in reality, Corey Crawford has the number one job down and Antti Raanta is there in the second spot in the pipes. Where would that leave Marty? Really, no place for him to play. The Hawks challenge is going to be staying under the cap and staying younger. Could they sign Marty for little? Or fork out the dough and not play him? Seems like a waste of time to me. I mean, he could go there and help, no doubt.

But the Hawks don't seem like a good fit. And the fan in me doesn't want to see Brodeur spend all the time riding the pine. The Hawks, for those not old enough, played Tony-O a grand total of 18 games his last season (1983/84), which was an insult. You gotta let the Proud Old Man get his way, no matter what happens. Same thing with Brodeur. Gotta play him, use him, and make him part of the team. Looking at the Hawks right now, that's not going to happen.

Montreal would welcome the hometown kid with open arms. Only now, the kid is 42. But the Habs have some serious things to do first. With an unexpected great performance from Dustin Tokarski (one of the best postseason stories last year), this could be it for Peter Budaj, who was good as the backup to Carey Price. But I don't know if the Habs want to get older in nets, give up on two guys (not to mention kill their confidence by being sent down) and let Price know that they need a legend to back him up. Hey, didn't the guy just win a gold medal and play better than Brodeur ever did in the Olympics? Well, actually, Marty posted a .981 S% in 2002 and Price's was .972 in 2014. A pair of gold medallist, but Marty got another in 2010 for good measure.

No, that's not going to create a rift. But Carey needs to ride the way of his confidence into next year. Don't forget, this guy played in 72 games back in 2010/11 and led the NHL with 38 wins that year. And he's been with the Canadians since 2007/08 and won the Calder Cup in the AHL with the Bulldogs. I'm not sure Brodeur would see much playing time. And again, is Montreal just going to shove Tokarski to the minors after all that playoff fun? No, that kid deserves a 20-30 game look-see this upcoming season. Good old shot-in-the-arm. There would be no place for Brodeur for that to happen!

Anywhere else? I've seem Tampa Bay mentioned. But Ben Bishop is proving to be one goalie that the Ottawa Senators should have kept. Anders Lindback is set to be a free agent, however. Marty might see a lot of playing time there, as Bishop is not quite a goalie that logs a lot of time and still has much to prove, at least come playoffs. Vancouver could be a good fit, with Luongo gone. But the Canucks are taking a look at a starter first, then perhaps a backup. Plus they have Eddie Lack there, and he was pretty good last year behind Luongo until Roberto's trade to Florida. Speaking of which, how about a nice time in the sun a little further south for Marty. Hmmm? You thinking?


References

"Official Site of the National Hockey League” | NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. 30 Jun. 2014. <https://www.nhl.com>

Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. Web. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 30 Jun. 2014.

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