I've admitted it before I'm a guy who won't let some things go ... But like I've said, when I as part of a fan base, indeed a city's metropolitan area embrace a guy and he spurns us when our team, yes I'm a little bitter. I understand that in the end Christobel Huet ended up with basically $11 million reasons to make the decision he did, so I don't really have any bitterness towards him on a personal level. I mean it's not the Jaromir Jagr thing where the Caps had to pay him to play for the Blueshirts. No at this juncture, I really bring this subject up regularly because there seem to be people here in the DC fan base who still haven't "cottoned" to Theo. I on the other hand have liked and been rooting for him since he arrived. For two reasons I think he's a good player and I think the deal made for him was the absolute right one given the decision confronting Dick Patrick, GMGM, BB and the rest of the Capitals Hockey Operations staff at the time. So I track the results and play of both players since the deal. I've been thinking of adding tracking of Nickolai Khabibulin's performance this season to this whole set of data but since I'm trying to not make this a personal thing, I decided that would just be rubbing it in to Chicago fans. [Khabibulin is in the first year of a 4 year $3.75M/year deal at Edmonton after being basically let go by the Blackhawks in favor of Huet who is now in year 2 of a 4 year $5.625M/year deal in Chicago, last off season.] In any case since some of the Caps fan base continues to wonder if we made the right choice; I continue feel a need to present the facts at hand, and ensure the record on the matter is straight.
Through the first 9 games of the season:
Capitals & Theodore:
Team Record: 5-2-2; GF: 34; GA: 28 (+6)
Jose Theodore's Numbers: GP:6, Record: 1-2-2, 13 GA; GAA: 2.67, SV% 0.910
Salary & Cap Hit 2009-2010:
Next Season: UFA
Theo's Career NHL Regular Season Numbers: 507 GP; GAA: 2.67, SV% 0.908
Blackhawks & Huet:
Team Record: 5-3-1; GF: 31; GA: 26 (+7)
Christobel Huet's Numbers: GP: 6, Record: 2-2-1, 17 GA; GAA: 3.25, SV% 0.844
Salary & Cap Hit 2009-2010: $5.625M
Next Season: $5.625M 2010-2011; $5.625M 2011-2012
Huet's Career NHL Regular Season Numbers: 230 GP; GAA: 2.47, SV% 0.914.
So as relatively quiet as Theo's season start has been the numbers still point to the fact the Caps made the right choice summer before last. Theo, though out for a couple of games with injury and a solid but unspectacular record to date this season, is playing on par with his career numbers and on par or better then the numbers he put up the season before the Caps signed him to his $4.5M/year deal as a free agent. My feeling is the basis for deciding a player was worth the salary you offered them in free agency being three things: 1) their career historical performance; 2) their performance the prior season or two, and 3) the size of the available free agent pool at their position that particular off-season and the comparative numbers of the others in the pool. So I feel that when you look at Theo's or Huet's current performance vs. Salary and Cap hit it's fair to look at those things. Comparatively, Huet at $5.65M per year through 2011-2012 is looking like a worse and worse deal for the Blackhawks. so far this season Huet is playing significantly below his career GAA and SV% numbers, as well as his numbers during 2006-2007 in Montreal and 2007-2008 in Montreal and Washington. Apparently lots of folks around the Blackhawks agree as there is a growing "goalie controversy" there while there seems to be a subsiding one here in DC.
Just my thoughts on the subject - apparently we'll have an additional data point of sort on both these guys after tonight's games though.
I'm not rooting for or against Christobel Huet, unless he's facing off against the Capitals or a couple other teams from around the league I adopt now and then; I am rooting for Jose Theodore to be sure, though...
THE - O! ... THE - O!! ... THE - O!!! [Just Rockin' Some More Red]
LETS GO CAPS!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment