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Is Evgeni Nabokov heading to Columbus? It may not be that far fetched.
The Blue Jackets have had tremendous problems with consistent goaltending for years now. Steve Mason has turned out to be a Pascal Leclair clone. After having a tremendous rookie season, winning the Calder Trophy, he’s had difficulty proving he’s any thing other then a replacement level goalie. After posting 33 W, with solid 2.29 GAA, .916 SV%, he’s posted consecutive seasons with fewer than 25 W (20-24) and abysmal peripherals. With a 3+ GAA (3.05, 3.03) and a terrible save percentage (.901) that would make a backup house league goalie embarassed.
Statistically he appears to be fighting the puck, alot. He has fewer shutouts the past two seasons COMBINED then he posted as a rookie (8-10), his positioning is poor and the team defense hasn’t helped tremendously, but it doesn’t explain how he’s performed so miserably. I’m not a goalie coach, even if my business card says other wise. The easy answer is it’s a “Mental Issue.” But my theory is easier to diagnose. Simply put, Steve Mason sucks.
As for Nabokov, he would be a tremendous asset to the Blue Jackets organization. He would provide some veteran leadership and guidance to Mason, oh and he’s still a good goaltender. The Jackets -should they acquire him- would be best suited to relagate Mason to a back up role, and let Nabokov handle the starters load. Who knows, Mason may perform at a higher level, with sharper focus and actually stop more pucks if he knows that he’s an expendable asset. It could work, or it could fail miserably. If I were Blue Jackets Scott Howson the reward in making this move happen, definately outweighs the risk.
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Some more news on the Kyle Turris front. He’s still unsigned, and my Ottawa Senators have expressed some interest in him! Yeah!
Nothing official, but I can’t begin to explain how much I would love for this happen. I’ve had my say on Turris in the past. But this time it’s personal. Adding a player with Turris’ skill set would give the Senators added depth at center another offensive threat to pair with Jason Spezza , Eric Karlsson, Milan Michalek, Colin Greening and Peter Regin.
It’s hard for me to remain objective when it comes to rumours surrounding my favourite team, especially when it involves a player that I like.
As mentioned before, acquiring Turris would likely require surrendering a prospect of equal talent, and/or potential. For the Senators this would be a tremendous positive, but given the Coyotes current situation they’re not likely to take on any high priced, older veterans. So a move to acquire him would likely need a third team involved- a playoff bound team most likely, to make a deal even a remote possibility.
As it stands now it appears to be a pipe dream for the Sens, but I’ll keep waiting, and try to temper my excitement.
Fantasy Hockey Gods
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