NHL Free Agents: 10 Teams That Would Love to Land Jose Theodore

Goaltender Jose Theodore is one of the NHL free agents who is still without a home after free agency started two weeks ago. Theodore has had a lengthy career playing for the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, and the Washington Capitals. Theodore is now looking for his fourth home as he looks to continue his career. In spite of the fact that many NHL teams have their goaltending duos in place for next year, there are still teams that could benefit from having Theodore on their roster. This list was based on teams who could still stand to improve their goaltending, even if they already have a pair in place. If you think of any other teams that could use Theodore, please let me know in the comments.

About Jose Theodore

2009-2010 Statistics:
47 games played
Record: 30-7-7
Goals Against Average: 2.81
Save Percentage: .911

Playoffs:
Two games played
Record: 0-1
Goals Against Average: 3.70
Save Percentage: .885

What You’ll Get:
Theodore is capable of carrying the load as a backup. He can play roughly half the season in place of the team’s starting goaltender. As he has gained longevity in the NHL, he can work in a backup role to a team with a young and inexperienced goaltender.

However, Theodore’s downside is that he is unlikely to be the star of a playoff team.

Theodore did a solid job with the Capitals, but with Semyon Varlamov as the starter and Michael Neuvirth ready to join the NHL full time, he is forced to find a new team.

Anaheim Ducks

With 2007 Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere off to Toronto, Jonas Hiller has taken the reins in goal for the Ducks. He finished 2009-2010 with a record of 30-23-4-2 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.73 GAA.

However, Hiller has not yet been able to come up in big games. He played in the 2010 Olympics for Switzerland, but the Swiss team did not get far.

The Ducks also have Curtis McElhinney, but he is only under contract for one more season. McElhinney only played 10 games in 2009-2010 and is also not playoff experienced.

A Hiller-Theodore tandem would work because Theodore can be used more than 10 times per year. Theodore would also be able to mentor Hiller and play a role in getting the Ducks back to the playoffs.

Without strong goaltending prospects in the Ducks system, Theodore would have a secure spot, and it’s not likely he would have to battle a rookie in training camp.

Calgary Flames

The Flames recently acquired Swedish goaltender Henrik Karlsson. Karlsson had a 2.45 GAA and a .914 save percentage while playing with Farjestad in Sweden.

However, Karlsson does not have enough experience against stronger competition to stick in the NHL, and it is possible he may not join Calgary in 2010-2011, but rather play with their AHL team in Abbottsford.

Aside from Karlsson, the Flames still have franchise goalie Mikka Kiprusoff.

Kiprusoff has done a respectable job for the Flames, but he usually fizzles out come playoff time. This could be due to the fact that he has played an average of 75 games every year for the last five years.

If Theodore came to the Flames, Karlsson would not only have time to develop in the AHL, but Kiprusoff could be stronger come playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers

Nikolai Khabibulin is locked up with Edmonton through 2013, but he had a back injury which caused him to miss most of the second half of the 2009-2010 season. He also got a DUI charge in February, which tarnished his reputation in the eyes of some NHL fans and experts. Khabibulin also had a hand injury in 2009 and missed three games in the playoffs when he was with Chicago. Jeff Deslauriers was dubbed as Khabibulin’s replacement, but after starting off strong, he went downhill and finished the season with a 3.15 GAA and .902 save percentage. The Oilers also have Devan Dubnyk, a strong goaltending prospect who backed up Deslauriers. He played 19 games and had a 3.57 GAA and a .889 save percentage. With Edmonton in a rebuild and a shaky goaltending situation, Theodore could come in and replace any of the above three goalies. Deslauriers is currently an unsigned RFA, so the Oilers could always trade him and bring in Theodore.

Montreal Canadiens

One of Theodore’s options is to seek out a contract with one his former clubs.

Montreal shocked the NHL world when they traded away Jarsolav Halak, who played hero during the Canadiens’ 2010 playoff run.

They replaced him by signing Alex Auld, who has mostly been a career backup. Auld has played a limited role over the years on different teams and may not be fresh enough to play consistently well. He is usually second fiddle to a franchise goaltender such as Marty Turco or Henrik Lundqvist.

The Canadiens still have Carey Price, a young goaltender who they remain high on despite his struggles in the NHL. Price was spectacular in the AHL, but has not been able to find his form since joining the Canadiens.

Theodore will be able to stay fresh, and he put up respectable numbers with the Habs, so there should still be some interest there.

In five seasons with Montreal, Theodore averaged a 2.66 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have not made the playoffs since the 2007-2008 season.

They have promising goaltenders in Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding. However, both regressed last season.

Backstrom posted a 2.72 GAA and a .903 save percentage, while Harding had a 3.05 GAA and a .905 save percentage.

With a solid coach in Todd Richards and an offense-first system in place, the Wild will continue to come back in 2010-2011, and Theodore would be a good goalie to sign.

Theodore knows what it is like to be on a rebuilding team. Not that long ago, the Capitals were in the same position and began to break out as a legitimate threat with Theodore as part of their goaltending tandem.

Nashville Predators

The Predators do not yet have a backup for starting goaltender Pekka Rinne.

Rinne averaged 55 games played in his first two seasons with the Predators. This past season, he was third among NHL goaltenders with seven shutouts and put up a respectable 32-16-5 record.

With no backup plan in place for the Predators, Theodore could easily come in and play at least 25-30 games.

New York Islanders

As most of us know, Rick DiPietro was supposed to be the Islanders key goaltender at this time. However, he has suffered from injuries through most of his career, and his contract is looking more like an ongoing April Fool’s joke than a wise investment. Dwyane Roloson was the starting goaltender for the Islanders this year, but he is pushing 40, and who knows how much longer he can go. Let’s be honest. Roloson is not on the same page as Martin Brodeur and probably can’t play superhuman well past his prime. But despite his age, Roloson is still doing a decent job for the Isles. A duo of Roloson and Theodore would give the Isles experience in goal to work with upcoming young players such as John Tavares and Nino Niederreiter.

Colorado Avalanche

Why not throw another one of Theodore’s former teams into the running?

Craig Anderson has been steady for Colorado. He tied for third in the NHL with seven shutouts, including one in the playoffs.

Despite the Avs’ first-round elimination, Anderson still posted a .933 save percentage in six games of action.

Peter Budaj has been mostly mediocre in five seasons with Colorado, and it seems like he will not be a goaltender of the future with the Avs.

Theodore, despite his own limited postseason success, is a safer bet than Budaj.

San Jose Sharks

After franchise goaltender Evgeni Nabokov bolted for the KHL, the Sharks went out and signed Antero Nittymaki.

Nittymaki had a strong second half with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He led the Lightning to their first four-game winning streak since the 2007-2008 season and was the winning goalie for Tampa Bay’s 500th franchise victory on March 25.

Sharks backup goaltender Thomas Greiss had a solid record last year, going 7-4-1 in 16 games, but if Nittymaki continues his strong play, Greiss may have an even harder battle to get playing time.

Nittymaki is likely to be the Sharks starter this season, and if San Jose grabbed Theodore, he would be more capable of challenging Nittymaki for a starting job than Greiss.

Atlanta Thrashers

The Atlanta Thrashers will have a new starting goalie this year in Chris Mason, who comes over from the St. Louis Blues. Despite playing for a struggling Blues team, Mason was able to stay steady, posting a record of 30-22-8 in 2009-2010, along with a .913 save percentage and 2.53 GAA. Ondrej Pavelec is a prospect the Thrashers are high on, but he has yet to have a GAA below 3.00. He has also posted two losing records, going 3-7 in 2008-2009 and 14-18-7 in 2009-2010. With the Thrashers in a rebuild mode, Theodore would be a better bet for a playoff run than Pavelec.