As we continue patiently waiting for hockey to come back, at least we have some time to have longer discussions about some bigger thoughts/concerns in the game. And there’s been a lot of talk about goaltenders in the game lately, so let’s spend a little time discussing the guys who work between the pipes.
Travis Yost at TSN posted another interesting piece, this time looking at where goaltenders have been drafted and how the impact of netminders has become far from first-round dependent. Here’s part of what he had to say:
Qualified goaltenders selected in the first round and still active in the NHL were playing under 15 per cent of available minutes in the 2021-22 season, that number cut in half from where it was during the 2007-08 regular season… And goaltenders selected in those middle rounds? They saw an explosive move to the upside last season, playing nearly 60 per cent of available minutes – triple where they were during the 2007-08 season.
This fits the Blackhawks’ plan for their future in net with Drew Commesso being the future (in the eyes of most, including me). The Blackhawks drafted Commesso in the second round (No. 46 overall) in 2020. The Blackhawks also still own the rights of Dominic Basse, a sixth-round pick (No. 167) in the 2019 NHL Draft who is headed to St. Cloud State (NCHC) this season after two years at Colorado College.
It’s worth noting the best Blackhawks goaltender of the past 25 years, Corey Crawford, was a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) in 2003.
Speaking of first-round goaltenders, it sadly appears we may have seen the last of Carey Price.
We broke down the careers of Crawford and Price this morning. Their numbers are actually incredibly comparable, both during their best 10-year windows and in the postseason. While one is considered a lock for the Hall of Fame, the other is not.
Our Twitter Poll(s) of the Day is active and you can still vote. We asked a couple questions. First: did you watch any of the World Juniors action? So far, it isn’t looking like Blackhawks fans were tuned into puck in August.
The follow-up asks if you watched or if you’ve read anything about how the Blackhawks’ prospects performed in the tournament, how did it impact your perspective on the future of the organization?
The Athletic is rolling out their organizational rankings for prospect depth/quality this week. They continued on Tuesday, revealing up to No. 17 overall in their rankings. And still no Blackhawks, which means Chicago is at least in the top half of the league (hooray for upward movement!).
Here’s where the other teams in the Central Division rank thus far:
17. Dallas Stars
22. Nashville Predators
23. Colorado Avalanche
29. St. Louis Blues
While it’s nice to see four teams in the bottom half of the league, those four teams are usually playoff teams so we should expect them to be lower; they usually don’t have top-ten picks in the draft (at least not recently).
As a reminder, the Blackhawks ranked 22nd last year in these rankings.
ICYMI, the Big Ten finally dropped their conference hockey schedule for the 2022-23 season yesterday. The Blackhawks will have four prospects skating in the B1G this year, so these games will be worth watching.
Finally, we’re all in for the GOAT making an appearance in a video game. But… golf? They better get his Cohibas right at least!
NEWSLETTER
