Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Wild Goalie Moves & if I'm Khudobin

The problem with Twitter is that all those random thoughts that I used to save up and expound on in the blog just get tossed there and forgotten about (unless I'm really on more than a 280 character rant about something).

So, I'm saving this one specifically for the blog:

I am ruined for other goalies. I am spoiled rotten and all the fresh goalie meat, no matter how cute or charming or German or rosy cheeked the new kid between the pipes is, he may never be good enough.

I'd been thinking that with Brusty elsewhere, I could finally approach the Aeros goaltending with objectivity (relatively), but with the "signing" of En-Er-um, that new German kid who I keep trying to call Enroth or Ersberg, I realize, the problem isn't them. It's me.

What do I do now? Just become some kind of goalie spinster? Or do I like a skater? Eww, nooooo.

Of course, it doesn't matter now as the team has made it clear he won't be coming to Houston. It's Wild or Germany. Which is fine, as it gives them some flexibility to deal Harding or not deal Harding. Unlike with Dubie last season, who signed expecting Harding to get traded and be the back-up in Minnesota, but Harding is apparently one bad Yugioh card and just can't be traded. So Dubie was stuck and we were stuck with Dubie.

Which segues me right into the thought that's making me more twitchy than my apparent inability to love another goalie...

If you're Anton Khudobin, you have to be looking at this situation and simultaneously banging the speed dial for your agent asking him to stir up the European market for interest in your services.

Basically, the Wild have said,

  • We've signed this German guy. If Harding gets traded, we'll make the German guy break his German contract and bring him over to back up Backstrom. You, Anton, will babysit Hackett in Houston. 
  • IF, however, we don't trade Harding, German guy will bide his time in Germany, and then when Harding leaves as a UFA next summer, German guy will come over and be Backstrom's backup. You, Anton, will continue to babysit Hackett in Houston and maybe even have to compete with Hackett AND Kuemper! Yaaaay! Thanks for being so patient. We love your great attitude and your dimples!
So, either way, the organization has said, "You're. Not. Next." to Anton. And I think Anton was expecting, nay, insisting on, being next. This can't sit well. 

The only reason I could see him staying is because he doesn't want to burn bridges or look petulant or greedy if he decides to pursue a better paying opportunity (MUCH better, rest assured) in Europe.

Or, if he wants to gamble that injuries will sideline Backs or Hards enough to give him significant NHL playing time. That's an expensive gamble.

I don't claim to have any inside knowledge here, but I do have plenty of experience looking down a career path that has all kinds of "we're just not that into you" signs. And that's certainly how I'd interpret this one.

3 comments:

greygirl  July 7, 2010 at 6:48 PM  

I just hope Dimples stays somewhere I can keep watching him.

Goody  July 8, 2010 at 7:03 AM  

I think both Dubie and Dimples did nothing too impressive when they were up last season. Don't get me wrong, I think Dimples did an impressive job, just nothing to make them go "Wow, we need this kid up here."

Maybe if the Wild had some dominant offense or dominant defense they might be OK with running with a not quite ready backup, but as they are, they rely on the goalie to come up big a few times every game.

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