Salary Cap Winter does Bryzgalov no favors with his comments

[rickmac19]

I don't know what kind of hearing Ritch Winter thought he would get for his client Bryzgalov by doing this, but complaining that the team in front of you tries to block too many shots probably won't get the crease-roaming cosmonaut invited to too many camps.

Bryzgalov's statistics tell everyone that of every 10 shots the Flyers blocked, they certainly stopped one goal. That seems like as good of an investment of effort on the rink as any.

We just watched a Stanley Cup Final where players from both teams jammed the lanes and blocked shot after shot. I watched Crawford and Rask bend low to see through legs and sticks. Somehow they did this quite well.

Did Winter mean to telegraph to the NHL that his client doesn't do very well if the defense in front of him tries to block shots? Isn't that like saying, "My pitcher's ERA goes up when his team scores a lot of runs for him?"

I think we can all fairly say that Bryzgalov is a good goaltender. When he's "in the zone," he can play very well. I think the fact that he rarely "stood on his head," or "stole games" factored most heavily into the Flyers thinking to consume his contract. I don't think they asked themselves whether Bryzgalov were a good goalie, but rather, "Is he worth the money we're investing in him at his position?"

I'm glad to defend Bryzgalov as a goaltender, and the Flyers' move to sign him, but I took issue most with how many shots he SAW (point-blank) that didn't end up in the webbing of his trapper, but rather in the netting between the goalposts. Winter did not mention in his comments, however, Bryzgalov's colossal and legendary struggle in shootouts (the time at which a standings point certainly sits on the table for the taking).

I do not think Winter acted wisely in throwing Laviolette and Reese under the bus. In the same breath, he criticized Laviolette's system for clogging the lanes, but for not backchecking? Help me understand here, please.

Truthfully, Bryzgalov is who he is. In a nod to Bill Parcells, "You are who your record says you are." Bryzgalov's record says he's a .905 goalie, basically, maybe .910 on a sunny day with slushy ice. If he wants confetti thrown on his head, he'll need to raise that to the .920-.930 region. Until then, Winter should lay low and Bryzgalov should work on his history degree before teaching classes.

[radoran]

Winter's going to be pulling down some percentage of Bryz's $1.4M for the next 12 years so he really should consider just shutting the hell up.

He's probably upset because I don't think he gets a piece of Bryz's next KHL deal...