Martin Brodeur probably isnt a very good goalie anymore.
Yes, the 42-year-old veteran is having a nice start to his season with the Blues, . The key word there is six.
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A six-game sample is about as insignificant as you can have when evaluating a goalies long -term prospects. NHL history is littered with borderline talents who managed good to great seasons, let alone a nice handful of games.
Odds are, based on his body of work in New Jersey the past few years, where he ranged fr om below-average to one of the worst goalies in the league, Brodeurs numbers will dip as he gets more playing time. If hes as bad as he was with the Devils last year, that would bite the Blues at some point.
But ideally, he wont get a whole lot more playing time. The whole reason the Blues brought in Brodeur was because they didnt trustJake Allen after starter Brian Elliott, who had been playing out of his mind with a .952 even-strength save percentage, went down with a lower-body injury nearly a month ago.
Elliott will . He will resume his starting duties as well, unle s the Blues have lost their minds. That will mean the position open in St. Louis is for backup goalie, and for that role, a placeholder like Brodeur serves the team better than Allen.
Allen has been unimpre sive in his limited NHL action. In addition to in 19 games this year, he posted just a .911 percentage in 15 games in '12-13 before spending last season in the minors.
There Allen posted an impre sive .928 save percentage in all situations, a substantial increase from what he had done in multiple previous AHL seasons.
In short, we don't know if Allen is any good at the NHL level. At 24, he has plenty of time to turn things around, but little opportunity to show he's capable if hes playing just once a week.
The best option is to send him back to the AHL.There, the Blues can let Allen prove that last season was no flukeand he is too good for the minors. And if Allens best place right now is in the minors, someone has to back up Elliott. At this point, Brodeur is already under contract, so why not?
As long, of course, as the Blues also realize that should Elliott falter or get hurt again, Brodeur is not a starting option. Allen may not be, either , but by letting him play somewh ere, theyll be better positioned to find out.
Yes, the 42-year-old veteran is having a nice start to his season with the Blues, . The key word there is six.
MORE:
A six-game sample is about as insignificant as you can have when evaluating a goalies long -term prospects. NHL history is littered with borderline talents who managed good to great seasons, let alone a nice handful of games.
Odds are, based on his body of work in New Jersey the past few years, where he ranged fr om below-average to one of the worst goalies in the league, Brodeurs numbers will dip as he gets more playing time. If hes as bad as he was with the Devils last year, that would bite the Blues at some point.
But ideally, he wont get a whole lot more playing time. The whole reason the Blues brought in Brodeur was because they didnt trustJake Allen after starter Brian Elliott, who had been playing out of his mind with a .952 even-strength save percentage, went down with a lower-body injury nearly a month ago.
Elliott will . He will resume his starting duties as well, unle s the Blues have lost their minds. That will mean the position open in St. Louis is for backup goalie, and for that role, a placeholder like Brodeur serves the team better than Allen.
Allen has been unimpre sive in his limited NHL action. In addition to in 19 games this year, he posted just a .911 percentage in 15 games in '12-13 before spending last season in the minors.
There Allen posted an impre sive .928 save percentage in all situations, a substantial increase from what he had done in multiple previous AHL seasons.
In short, we don't know if Allen is any good at the NHL level. At 24, he has plenty of time to turn things around, but little opportunity to show he's capable if hes playing just once a week.
The best option is to send him back to the AHL.There, the Blues can let Allen prove that last season was no flukeand he is too good for the minors. And if Allens best place right now is in the minors, someone has to back up Elliott. At this point, Brodeur is already under contract, so why not?
As long, of course, as the Blues also realize that should Elliott falter or get hurt again, Brodeur is not a starting option. Allen may not be, either , but by letting him play somewh ere, theyll be better positioned to find out.