Earlier this week, I posited that the Red Wings had constructed a new kind of Stanley Cup winner: a team that had great defense, good two-way forwards and a mediocre goaltender.
In the modern NHL, great goalies have a save % of approximately .920. The last three Stanley Cup winning goaltenders were Ward, Giguere, Osgood and Fleury.
Giguere has an albatross of a contract, lost his starting job and is in Toronto.
Cam Ward has a massive contract and has played remarkably inneffectually since his one Stanley Cup.
Osgood, well Osgood did what was asked of him for very little money.
Fleury allowed the Montreal Canadiens to walk away with a series the Pens should have won.
If you look at the two teams about to play in the finals, we have Leightonen and Antti. They are not exactly household names. But beyond the lack of brand recognition, what is way more important is that they are cheap. I mean dirt cheap. And in the new NHL where capology is as important as drafting, that is not being lost on the GM's of this world.
The big name goaltenders (the guys who played in the Olympics), got eliminated in the first or second round in embarassing fashion.
The reality is that an NHL GM would be stupid to pay a goalie big dollars. Stupid because in the NHL doing what the other guy is doing is seen as the only intelligent thing to do. In fact, the right thing to do in the NHL will be to get the worst goalie you can, and surround him with a good team.
Although I have posited that Corsi numbers are just a reflection of how specific teams are built and not necessarily indicative of how a team must be built, the fact is that three of the four teams that did well in Corsi are in the semi finals, and the other kinds of teams are one game away from being eliminated from the finals.
Which brings me to goalie salaries.
Right now Halak is thinking he is looking at a huge pay day. But if I am Gauthier, I am thinking that a great goalie is an unnecessary luxury.
Winning the cup does not require one.
Having one does not guarantee success (Mr Vokun).
And because cap dollars are a precious resource, I am thinking Halak may get a raise, but he's not going to get super star money, because that money is better spent elsewhere.
It may turn out that the worst decision Gainey made was drafting Price. Not because Price is a bad player, or may not dominate in the NHL, but because a great goalie is completely unnecessary to compete for the cup.
For a guy who loves goalies, this is an ironic moment.
