The backup goalie. Not as important as a starting goalie, but still pretty damn important. Without a backup goalie, would the Penguins make the playoffs, yet alone Stanley Cup Final, without Ty Conklin and Dany Sabourin? Same goes for the Flyers in 2009-2010, where 3 goalies shared the starting rotation in the spring. Without one, an injury to your main guy could be the difference between life and death.
Today’s battle is between newly signed Peter Budaj and former Hab Alex Auld. Lets take a look, shall we?
Peter Budaj
The Good: Many teams look to free agency to lock up a good goaltender, and in this case, Montreal turned to the former Avalanche keeper. He is a reliable backup who has shown he can win games in big situations. He has a large frame (6’1, 200 pounds), which allows him to take up a big chunk of the net, and limiting what the opposing players can do. You will almost never get a puck past him in the shootout, where he is virtually unbeatable. He doesn’t know why hes unstoppable in shootouts, but if a game came down to a one on one breakaway to see who wins the Cup, Budaj is the guy you want in net. He’s got a great attitude and will do whatever it takes to win. His game total likely was one of the main reasons Pierre Gauthier wanted to bring him to the Habs as he has averaged just over 40 appearances per season in the NHL, providing them with a bit more of a safety blanket if Price were to go down with an injury. Price isn’t bulletproof, and Budaj has starting experience if needed.
The Bad: In 45 games for Colorado last season, Budaj posted what he admitted were weak numbers – a 15-21-4 record- for a terrible Colorado team. He showed promise in his career, but backing up is what looks like his specialty as he is not a starter whatsoever. He possesses the frame and talent of a starting netminder at the NHL level, but often let’s in shaky goals. Consistency has been an issue since junior, and with Montreal’s offensively challenged team, they need their goaltenders to perform. His positioning needs some work, but can be refined with Montreal’s goalie coach Pierre Groulx, who was a big part in making Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price very successful.
Alex Auld
The Good: Auld is one of the biggest goalies in the NHL, standing at 6’4, 223 pounds. There is no denying his size and the advantages that come with being so huge. Due to his size, he covers his angles well and usually lets the puck hit him. Auld can be a good starter in stretches, but isn’t reliable for an entire season. As a backup to Price last season, Auld went 6-2, with a 2.64GAA and .914SP, not bad for arguably the best goaltender in the NHL last season. Auld has played on weak teams in the past, like Florida, Phoenix, Ottawa and Dallas. His real chance to shine was with the Vancouver Canucks in his first full season in 2005-2006, where he had 33 wins and 26 losses in 67 games. He has never played that amount since, but when used, he brings a lot to the table.
The Bad: He can win, but hes inconsistent. Hes had as many years with more losses as he had with more wins, which could easily scare off most teams. He flops around too much, trying to make a big save, but lets in bad goals as a result. He can’t play in many games in a row, as he lacks agility, and gets tired way too easily. Like Budaj, you don’t put this guy as your starter unless your mentally insane (and even then, there are way better guys out there. But you could do worse, too.)
The Winner: Peter Budaj- This one was a tough one. Budaj has more wins and more losses, while Auld’s overall play seems better. But because Auld is so big, if he isn’t playing like superman, he’s a bust. Budaj is big, but a little bit smaller than Auld. Budaj is more reliable when the game is on the line, but Auld is more likely to get you wins on a bad team, as Budaj never showed much of a glimmer of hope with the Avs. I think the real winner will be decided this year, when Budaj gets to show what he can do with Montreal, and Auld backs up a good friend and former teammate (Florida, Colorado) Craig Anderson.
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