Jaroslav Halak established himself as a number one goalie when he carried the Montreal Canadiens all the way to the Eastern conference finals, before they were defeated by the Flyers. In the off season Montreal decided to part ways with their playoff hero in a deal that sent him to the St. Louis Blues, leaving the team’s starting goaltender duties to Carey Price. Price lost the job last season when he was outperformed by backup Halak, but looks to regain his rookie season form this season where he will undeniably be the Canadiens number one goalie.
Early this season it looks as if both teams are happy with the result of the trade, which also sent highly touted prospect Lars Eller to Montreal in return for Halak. Price has looked much more confident in the goal this year, and he recorded his first shutout in almost two years, in a 3-0 win over Ottawa on Saturday. Price’s early season stats , he is 4-2-1 with a 2.27 GAA and a .916 SV%, look more like his rookie season (41-24-12-3, 2.56 GAA, .920 SV%, and 3 SO) then the numbers he put up last season, where he was less than stellar posting a 13-20-5 record with 2.77 GAA and .912 SV% in 41 games. Price has looked considerably more comfortable in goal, attacking shooters much like he did in his first season and as a result is off to a much better start.
Halak has also flourished in the early season for St. Louis, starting 6 games for the Blues and posting a 4-1-1 record , with a 1.81 GAA and .929 SV% and 1 SO. Halak was also named one of the three stars of the week after going 2-0-1. Halak has solidified the goaltending situation for the Blues, who haven’t had a star in net in a long time. With the confidence the team has in Halak they are able to open their game up more, which has benefitted young players such as T.J Oshie (8 points in 7 GP) and David Perron (5 points in 7 GP)
Lars Eller has not had as much success with his new team as Halak, he is pointless in his first 7 GP and is a minus 2. Eller is still young and his early lack of production must be taken with a grain of salt, he is young (only 21) and is averaging only 10 minutes of ice time a night.
It is still early but it looks like both teams will benefit from the off season moves. In dealing Halak to the Blues the Canadiens reaffirmed their belief in Carey Price, and as a result helped the young man get his confidence back, while also getting a great prospect in return. The Blues on the other hand get themselves a legitimate number one goalie with proven playoff results. It is too soon to say if there is a clear winner to this trade or if there ever will be, what is clear however, is that both teams have gotten off to a great start this season and both are looking forward and not back.
Tags: carey price, jaroslav halak, price vs halak
General Manager Bob Gainey raised more than a few eyebrows when he traded away star netminder Cristobal Huet at the trading deadline last season. Montreal was well on their way to the playoffs, and was ready to do some serious damage. Why would they be selling at the deadline?
Price has the skill and the mind to be one of the top goaltenders in the league for years to come, and he may reach that plateau sooner than fans may think. Next year I expect Price to lead the way in many of the stat categories for goaltenders, surpassing perennial all-stars such as Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo. It’s not as far-fetched as it seems. Carey Price is a once-in-a-generation type of goaltender, and I expect big things out of him this year.