As of right now, it is tough to say who will be the starting goalie for the Colorado Avalanche when the puck drops in Denver on October.9th against Boston. But if I was giving a guess, i would take Petr Budaj. Nothing against Andrew Raycroft, but I do not believe he will ever be a starting goaltender again.
Although, with the help of Av's goaltending coach, Jeff Hackett, anything is possible. This is the guy who was credited with the resurection of Jose Theodore's career last year and will more than likely be expected to take a shot at doing the same with Andrew Raycroft.
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But who's to say these two will even be tending goal for the Avalanche when the season starts? I've recently read some rumours that the Av's are interested in Nikolai Khabulin. What he'd cost to get in Colorado I don't know, but if they can get him for a 2nd-3rd round pick and a promising prospect, id recommend they take it.
Also, I dont doubt that GM Francois Giguere would like to give Billy Sauer a shot in net. I've heard some good things about him and if he's as good as he sounds, give him a try!
But if the season were to start tomorrow, should we be confident in Petr Budaj starting? I think so. Last time he was considered the starting goalie for Colorado was the end of the 06-07 season.
The Av's were 13 points out of a playoff spot and had 21 games left, Petr Budaj stood on his head and posted a 19-1-1 record. Even though the Av's ended up missing the playoffs Budaj was phenomenal during the stretch, and if that is the Petr Budaj that's going to tend goal for us this year, I'm more than pleased!
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about 1 month ago
I agree with you, Jordan. I think Hack will be able to get Raycroft a little bit back on track, because let's face it, if he wasn't capable of it, he wouldn't have had that great year in Boston
about 1 month ago
Starting Raycroft would be a one-way ticket to the league basement.
So, if you want to make the playoffs... :)
about 1 month ago
The goaltending situation does not look good in the mountains. Seems like only yesterday when Roy was starting and Marc Denis was waiting in the wings.
about 1 month ago
ya. i think its gonna be interesting to see how this pans out. lots of pressure on Budaj this year
about 1 month ago
I believe the avs should devote the first half of the season on re-developing raycroft, then if he shows promise, have him as their #1 goalie for the rest of the season. I think Budaj would make a legit back-up goalie, but i dont believe he has the skills to be a rock solid starting goalie.
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