Leighton vs Boucher: why is that 'bad'?
by Hawerchuk on Mar 21, 2010 2:21 PM EDT
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PrintFrom the ESPN trade rumors, on the subject of Philadelphia acquiring Tim Thomas:
"The Flyers lost Ray Emery to a potentially career-threatening injury and, now, they're without Michael Leighton for the season. So it's Brian Boucher all the way. That's bad."
Really? Is Michael Leighton *that* much better than Brian Boucher?
| Leighton | SH | SV | SV% |
| Pre-Lockout | 1228 | 1108 | 902 |
| Post-Lockout | 1586 | 1430 | 902 |
| Boucher | SH | SV | SV% |
| Pre-Lockout | 4766 | 4293 | 901 |
| Post-Lockout | 2017 | 1807 | 896 |
Let's assume that their respective save percentages since the lockout are accurate reflections of their true talent. Then the difference between them is one goal every five games or so, or approximately one win every 30. The difference in skill between the two goalies is so small that it will be swamped by luck, and Boucher could very well rattle off a .917 save percentage like he did last year. Let's not overstate the difference between two below-average goaltenders.
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Well, and let’s be reasonable on another point…Leighton and Boucher are really not much worse than Emery.
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by Bettman's Nightmare on Mar 21, 2010 10:01 PM EDT reply actions
To be fair, the comparison was “Leighton+Boucher vs Boucher” and you were comparing “Leighton vs Boucher”.
Having Leighton instead of Boucher may be 1 win in 30 games, but if you have both and one is struggling you can switch to the other. Now it’s Boucher or not, struggles or no.
But what’s an AHL goalie’s skill level? .890? Leighton and Boucher are both pretty bad; the gap between them is small; and the gap between them and replacement isn’t much bigger. Plus, Boucher is just as likely as any other goalie to get “hot”
Well, right now their backup is an ECHL goalie, not an AHL one, so it really is Leighton and Boucher vs. just Boucher. It’s generally good practice to have better options at your disposal. Boucher is just as likely to get ‘hot’ as any other goalie, but is Jeremy Duchesne or Johan Backlund?
Maybe Backlund does, he was an Elitseren starter for several years and probably comparable to career NHL backups like Boucher and Leighton. But even he’s injured right now from what I understand.
Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.
It completely astounds me that Philly hasn’t come close to addressing their hole in goal for as long as I can remember.
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Jibblescribbits: C'mon over and waste some time
by Jibblescribbits on Mar 22, 2010 11:04 AM EDT reply actions
Perhaps the Flyers should attempt the “Surprise Rookie Goaltender” if they make the playoffs. It’d get the entire Flyers management fired if it didn’t work, but who says that’d be a bad thing?
Bettman's Nightmare: A Blog Where Hockey Aficionados Dismantle That Mighty Empire, One Balsillie at a Time
http://bettmansnightmare.blogspot.com/
by Bettman's Nightmare on Mar 22, 2010 3:05 PM EDT reply actions
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