Jean Sebastien Giguere: Careful Not to Overlook JSG

Minding the goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs is no easy feat. One must be able stop the puck with the best of them and more importantly; have a thick enough skin to be able to play in front of the Air Canada Center faithful on a nightly basis. So you can only imagine the sense of relief Vesa Toskala felt when GM Brian Burke shipped him out of town and sent him to the Anaheim Ducks last year. Ironically, Maple Leaf fans everywhere shared that very same sense of relief that Vesa was feeling. The piece coming back in the deal that sent both Toskala and fellow fan favourite Jason Blake, was non other than J.S. Giguere. Maple Leaf fans were overwhelmingly contrite with the deal and were delighted with the fact that the Toskala/Blake era had come to an end. Leaf fans were also elated with another trade that their GM had just made, acquiring Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames for a package of players. In the midst of all the commotion Leaf fans may have overlooked the significance of the goaltender coming back the other way.

There remains a consensus amongst the nay–sayers that J.S. Giguere is an over the hill washed up goalie on the down slope of his career. There are however, many that disagree with that notion. His first year as a Toronto Maple Leaf was admirable, going 6 wins 7 losses and 2 otl`s in 15 games played, with a .916 sv% and 2.49 GAA. Decent numbers for a guy coming to a new team, new city and after losing the starting role with the club he played with for close to a decade. He made an immediate impression on Leaf fans by earning shutouts in his first two games as a Toronto Maple Leaf. Cries of ``Giggy`` had already begun to amplify around the ACC. As the season dwindled down to a close and Leaf fans came to the realization that the playoffs were not to be, the spotlight on Giguere faded. Instead of recognizing some of the great starts J.S. was putting together, including a mesmerizing 34 save performance against the Habs on the last game of the season. Leaf fans set their sights on their other favourite teams and also began to ponder some of the potential off season moves that Brian Burke could make during the summer. During the off season, while fans and media will be reading and writing rumour blogs and getting their fantasy pool picks ready, J.S. Giguere will be preparing himself. He will be shedding his old Ducks feathers and will be forming his new thick blue and white skin. No doubt Giguere has an agenda; he wants to prove to the NHL world that he can return to form. That Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe winning goaltenders do not just fade into dust at the tender age of 33. One would have to admit that Giguere sits with some pretty smooth company in that regard. Names like Ken Dryden, Bernie Parent, Patrick Roy, Bill Ranford, Mike Vernon and more recently Cam Ward have all been inscribed on the trophies silver plating.

At the end of this season, Giguere`s contract will expire and it will be up to GM Brian Burke and J.S. himself on whether or not an extension is in order. Of course this will depend on the quality of play and the kind of numbers Giguere is able to put up for the 2010-11 season. The emergence of Jonas Gustavsson will also play a huge part in this, that which could cause a bit of an issue. Giguere is too strong willed and has too much pride to sit on the bench and he made this evident when he stated, “I’d rather retire than be a back up goalie in the NHL”. Make no mistake, whether he plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs next season or not, J.S. Giguere will get back to a starters job in the NHL and retain his status as one of the top goalies in the league.