Cam Ward

[Bertmega]

It's a big price tag to sit on the bench ....possibly. I do not see him returning to greatness, and basically winning the cup so soon in a goalie's career can be tough to repeat. With that said, he is 30, and has some mileage on him, but is very serviceable. Does anyone see Khudobin taking the starter job and Ward being moved? If so where does Ward fit at his current pricetag?

Sorry for the edits. On the road and doing this on a phone is challenging for my less than tech savvy @$$

Edited August 1, 2014 by Bertmega

[hf101]

I don't see Ward being moved mainly because there isn't a #3 goalie pushing to play in the NHL since Peters wasn't signed.  

 

It could be an interesting year though for both Ward and Khudobin.  Ward has had some injury woes of late, but I think he will have every opportunity to maintain the starting role.  If Khudobin outplays him though the Canes probably wouldn't hesitate to play the hot goalie throughout the season.

[yave1964]

Ward is in serious danger here, a new regime, Rutherford, the GM who has been with him forever is gone. Frankly, Khobodin was the better of the two last year by far. Money talks however, and for what Ward makes he was given the majority of starts based more off of salary and what he did for the team in the past than on actual performance. I think he is going to stay there, simply because his contract is so high. Maybe a team like Winnipeg takes a chance if they ever come to their senses and realize that Pavelec really, really sucks. That is about it, most everyone else who needed a goalie filled the need.

[Bertmega]

@yave1964

 

Frighting that Winnipeg may be his only option at this point. I guess winning the cup in his 1st year is hard to repeat..... Not that I have too much Canadian knowledge outside of Ontario, is Winnipeg all that bad to play in? On or off the ice? 

 

Personally, I'd like to see the Edmonton make a move on him, but I am not too sure how how they'd work that out salary wise. 

 

They have so much firepower on that team that it almost seems like they need to build from the net out going forward.

[yave1964]

@Bertmega

Edomonton patched their goalies with a couple of California rejects (Scrivens and Fasth) who can play a little so they are meh there but not horrible. Winnipeg seems enamored with Pavelec for some reason that nobody can figure out, maybe it is because nobody wants to play in the frozen tundra. Ward might just need a kickstart to his career enough to accept a deal there.

[jammer2]

@yave1964  I actually think Fasth and Scrivens will be a very nice tandem. Probably one of the better tandems the Oil have had in quite some time.

 

  I was thinking along the same lines as you and Bert, Winnipeg seems like a logical landing spot for Cam. Like many other posters, I scratch my head at what the Jets see in Pavlec, a very average wishy washy tender at best. Cam would be a nice upgrade for them.

[jammer2]

@hf101  Just trying to hash out trade scenarios....does Cam Ward, Brock McGinn and a 1st sound like a fair deal for Evander Kane?  Brock is the 3rd McGinn brother, his older siblings being Jamie and Tye. The youngest McGinn brother was one of the bright shining stars for the Guelph Storm, he helped his team win the OHL and go to the championship Memorial Cup game. He graduates this year, so it's overage year at Guelph (unlikely), the AHL or NHL. He scored 40+ goals, the 3rd straight year his offensive game evolved and is a nice skater.

Edited August 5, 2014 by jammer2

[yave1964]

@yave1964  I actually think Fasth and Scrivens will be a very nice tandem. Probably one of the better tandems the Oil have had in quite some time.

 

  I was thinking along the same lines as you and Bert, Winnipeg seems like a logical landing spot for Cam. Like many other posters, I scratch my head at what the Jets see in Pavlec, a very average wishy washy tender at best. Cam would be a nice upgrade for them.

Another goalie I have absolutely no use for is Lehtonen down in Dallas. If you ever read Dryden's book the game to me he epitomizes what Ken referred to as a 'bad team goalie' who can stop a million shots and steal the occasional point but gives up way to many softies way to regularly to be considered a guy to go into the playoffs with. The fact that Nill kicked the tires on Tim Thomas at the deadline and picked him up is a sign that Nill likely feels the same way. Lehtonen is not now and never will be a winning goalie IMHO and Ward might be a decent fit with the Stars.

[hf101]

@hf101  Just trying to hash out trade scenarios....does Cam Ward, Brock McGinn and a 1st sound like a fair deal for Evander Kane?  Brock is the 3rd McGinn brother, his older siblings being Jamie and Tye. The youngest McGinn brother was one of the bright shining stars for the Guelph Storm, he helped his team win the OHL and go to the championship Memorial Cup game. He graduates this year, so it's overage year at Guelph (unlikely), the AHL or NHL. He scored 40+ goals, the 3rd straight year his offensive game evolved and is a nice skater.

 

It might be a fair deal, but then the Canes only have Kudobin as a netminder and nobody pushing to to play in the NHL to replace Ward.  The balance of Forwards Cap hit is then a mess also as they allready have nearly 27M tied up in 4 forwards, Staal, Staal, Semin and Skinner.  

 

I really don't see the problem in keeping Ward, their D is a bit weak so I'd want to keep the goaltending tandem as strong as possible.

[jammer2]

@hf101   The Canes top goalie prospect was the starter for the Oshawa Generals last year....Artschuller, but he is a ways off.

 

 http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/daniel-altshuller/

I really don't see the problem in keeping Ward, their D is a bit weak so I'd want to keep the goaltending tandem as strong as possible.

 

 There is a lot of wisdom there. The Canes have invested heavily in d-men the past 3 or 4 drafts, but again, a way off. I'd be willing to see what I could get for Cam, but it would have to be a solid hockey deal where the Cane's get substantially better.....AND I'd have to see who they acquire to back up Khodobin. Did they sign that Peters kid, or is he gone. Not that Peters is great, but he is serviceable.

[hf101]

Peters signed with the Capitals. The only time I see a potential for Ward to be traded would be the trade deadline in 2016 in a similar scenario to Miller with Buffalo.  Realistically I see the tandem of Ward and Khudobin for the next two years.