Huet putting it together

Wow I gotta say, that is not at all what I see when I watch Huet. From 20 years' experience playing the game plus who knows how many hours watching NHL goalies, Huet consistently strikes me as having erratic mechanics (including positioning) but excellent athleticism. Well not his glove which is mediocre, but more his lateral movement and quickness of reactions. He seems to me rather like Craig Anderson when he was with the Hawks (except that Anderson has meanwhile improved his positioning which is why he is now a better goalie).

Regardless of that, it does seem clear to everyone that Huet's most important weakness is his erratic focus or concentration, "being on" or whatever we want to call it. He's probably been that kind of tease his whole career, having great games or stretches that make a coach think "this kid's really got it"....and then comes something like game 4 against the Wings this past spring. Or a game I attended last month when he might as well have been sitting in the stands with us for all the energy and intensity he showed. If he was a young player we might reasonably hope for some learning and change on that, like say with Versteeg's decisionmaking, but...at this point Huet is what he is.

Maybe chicohawk or someone familiar with the Canadiens can help me out. I know of a young, tough blueliner who had started out well last year, then was humiliated once and hasn't regained a regular turn this year. Is he mobile enough for today's NHL..I mean, if he is a good enough talent, does his skating allow him to project to a third pair? Not suggesting we go after him. Just an inquiry. The Canadiens are going with a fast, skating blueline crew so far this season, and or due to INJ O"Byrne isn't dressing but two gp. And BTW, where is section 313 in the goalie discussion on these blogs? Chicohawk: I say Pacioretty will be the next big time player for Montreal? But I'm wondering if Backlund can come up and play well again with Inginla. They were impressive in two training camps, according to what I've read. How about Columbus, sixhandeigth poster. Is the lack of a a veteran star type leader and good puck movers/carrying puck among blueliners still going to be the Jackets downfall. How does a Hitchcock coached team surrender nine goals, albeit Detroit? Is it unlikely Filatov will emerge this year, given the roster and how he would be able to thrive.

One of my pet peeves is when a fan or media person refers to hitting the post or crossbar in hockey or soccer as bad luck for the shooter and/or good luck for the goalie. Hitting the post or crossbar is a miss and only that. Admittedly a very close miss but a miss no different than one that misses the net by a wide margin.

Since everyone is a fantasy GM of sorts, rank your top ten goalie choices. In other words, if you could pick any goalie regardless of cost or cap who would be your 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc... pick if you were trying to win a Cup?

You need not explain your reasoning.

He reminds me a lot of Steve Sullivan in his first couple years here w/ the Hawks.
The flashy play, stick-handling, puck carrying ability, speed, able to get open by anticipating the play...Steve is smaller than Versteeg, if I recall and was a better passer, I thought. If Versteeg becomes the player that Sullivan was during his tenure here when he played on a line w/ Nylander and Daze - then we'll have ourselves a heck of a player that can truly help this team.

N0 comment.

The first goal vs the Avs was a terrible goal and is typical Huet. He is a goaltender who can maybe survive only because of the strong team in front of him. He can be rattled pretty easy and to make my point I will use Dan Cloutier the former Canuck who had a few 30+ win seasons on a good team and wet the bed when the playoffs started. Whe he was good he was really good but overall was very inconsistent and could not handle the heat when the pressure was on. He could not steal a game from the Wings if his life depended on it. That is how I classify Huet but I realize our options are limited and we must hope for the best even though it probably means no grand prize.

...which is an extreme case of a "reaction" goaltender. He's very quick and athletic even by NHL-goalie standards, hence when he can see the puck he's quite difficult to beat cleanly. But by pro standards his positioning is often weak and his concentration seems erratic. He's going to steal some games and give away some games and that's probably always been the deal with him, and his age it's not going to change.

Hawk fans need to get over, however, the myth that a genuinely great goalie is needed in order to win the Cup. Obviously it's _easier_ to win it all with a Hall of Famer between the pipes (duh); but there's no actual evidence for the idea that goaltender is some sort of unique team-sport position in that regard. Look at the list of Cup-winning teams: is Huet obviously inferior overall to Osgood? DiPietro? Martin Gerber? And sometimes we seem to be assigning "stud" status to a goalie who simply got hot at the right time one season, such as Khabibulin whose NHL record has never justified status as _elite_ goaltender except for the one great playoff run to the Cup. A solid starting netminder, sure, but not elite.

It would be great to have a truly elite goalie, which Huet never has been and isn't about to become. But the lack of one is not in reality any sort of veto on a team's chance to win it all, and on balance he's no worse than the middle of the NHL pack.

after hossa gets back and the circus trip is over, we should have a better read on what this team is really made of.

the fact they have a 10 shot advantage over their opponent is outstanding!

i'm still trying to figure out who hossa will play with... i'd like to see him with toews, but kane is such a good passer... maybe he should be with hossa?

i'm not for making a big change now... we're in decent shape in the standings, and yes, improvements could be made, but this team should be different with hossa playing big minutes... i can't wait to see what that brings!

In order to take that next step, Bowman has to improve the quality and depth. Don't think we can beat a better Calgary, better SanJose, and it's a 50/50 battle to the end against the other teams. Calgary will not be so banged up; Kiprusoff will be solid again; the blueline is very good and deep; and this team is growing in confidance. Sure hope a Backlund doesn't come up and make them even more dangerous. The Sharks, now here's a team that added Heatley an d has more defined roles for players on bottom lines. Setoguchi, Pavelski, Thorton cannot be discounted -- well, who knows if Thorton will be a force -- but this team is out to prove something. You can bet D Wilson and D Sutter will consider a trade deadline pick up to make their respective team's even better! BECAUSE they are under pressure to win NOW after past failure. It could mean Sutter's job, you think? As for how we compare:

We need more than just an aroused Bufuglien and Brouwer hitting and annoying the opponent. We need someone at center beside Toewes to step up, and Madden is great but not as a big time scorer/threat to score. We need a consistent d-man to play on the third pair(helpful if a crease- clearing, big and mean). Or switch that d-man with Hjalmarsson ...the idea being so that we have three solid pairing. Barker can stay and if not consistent solid play, at least spot him and use him on PP. And Campbell, what he can do offensively -- he needs to convert more. This means the other players on the ice with him...they need to as a group make Campbell a real threat. Too often his forays don't result in even a serious scoring attempt. That threat from the blueline -- any pair out on the ice could jump into play, plus and an upgrade over a Bolland..... we have Hossa and Kane able to be on different lines. We need some edge offensively, or at least as good or better a scoring team SINCE the other teams are getting better.

WE do NOT have a goaltender who can steal a series. That is our biggest concern. While Huet may make a lot of tough saves, he lets in too many weak ones, or with his technique/style lets too many goals in. On the other hand, Luongo is capable of winning a series, and the Canucks will hang with anyone if they are healthy. Kiprusoff should be fresg and better, too. The Stars and Avalanche are "potentially" as good as us. Both teams need their goaltenders to play well and both have a blueline that might be suspect. Yet both of those teams are hungry, have young players and a first year coach -- that's a recipe that is difficult to beat. We have enough ability to go far, but realisticly we could also be one and out. It would be asking a lot to expect and UPGRADE in goal; what price do we pay for that upgrade? Watch other NHL games, like some post people do (Canadiensportsfan, Jacukel,southpaw and I'm sure many others) and tell me, is Chicago really better other playoff teams? Not that we are worse, but we aren't better. Huet in goal is probably our achilles heel. The only wild card is this problem with concussions as far as determining what teams will succeed. Oh, and by season's end the LA Kings with a top offensive line and size up front....no pushover...they could even beat us. St Louis and Columbus can be beat, but we cannot allow them to play with us and minimize their weaknesses (Columbus blueline and Blues goalie and defense tends to let team down sometimes).

Lastly, who would trade a Beach or Aliu for Brind'Amour? Not sure I would; just tossing it out as possibility.

I must admit, I have been very impressed with Kane. He looks 100 times better then he did last year, and I even saw him back-checking last night on an odd man rush. He is fighting through checks, he's creating, he's dominating, and he's been the Hawks most consistent forward every night, which they need. Teams just can't throw a body at him, and knock him off the puck anymore. This could be the beginning of this kid taking the next step with his game.

Huet won them that game last night. He made some ridiculous saves and the hawks easily could have lost by 3-4 goals. Give him credit. Yeah, the Avs hit a couple of posts, but you know what??? HUet was owed that. He had some bad bounces go past him, and it evens out. I'm not saying he's the second coming of Roy, and will lead us to the promised land, but he's playing very well right now just in time for the circus trip.

I know Keith has become sort of a defensive icon around here, and rightfully so, but he needs to pick it up a bit. He made some horrible turnovers last night, and was caught in the wrong position a few times where Huet bailed him out. He's very good at stick checking, but if the Hawks can get him back in the groove he was in late last year.....watch out. At this point, I would think that Seabrook is more deserving of that Canadian Olympic bid then Keith.

On the other, the Hammer has been outstanding. This kid is something else. Very sound defensively, and he really picks his spots well and punishes people.

Lastly, the Hawks really need to stop coming out flat. They traded shots in the first, and got absolutely dominated in the second period. That has to stop. They should be coming out and using the home ice advantage and be buzzing for the first period. THey need to change their approach to start games.

I'm not nor will i ever be a fan of Huet.....just don't like his style at all. But i will give him full props for regaining his confidence, staying strong and rebounding of late. However, to say he hasn't let in any soft goals is wrong. The first goal vs the Avs was a terrible goal and is typical Huey at his worst. Bad positioning...slow reaction...beaten to his near post off a carom off the back boards. These are just the type of goals that are going to kill the Hawks when the stakes are highest.

I hope i'm wrong and like i say i give Huet a ton of credit for rejuvenating himself. A lot lesser man would have mentally imploded but he dug deep to find his game. And he did play very well last night making several clutch saves so his fingerprints were all over this big W.

It sure is great to have Tazer back as he played a whale of a game as did Kaner and so many others. We got lucky a few times though...a few defensive breakdowns led to some hit posts, especially one late in regulation so it's not all wine and roses.

Tim, thanks for the shootout breakdown...i notice John Madden has yet to attempt a shot. His omission is striking since he's a very crafty veteran, who despite being a noted defensive specialist, can put the biscuit in the basket if given a chance. Hopefully Q will give him a shot one of these nights.

Lastly, a word about the Avs. They are the 2009 incarnation of the Hawks. They are also one of the tighest checking young teams i've seen in a long time and that's a huge credit to their first year coach Joe Sacco. They matched us pretty much chance for chance and have definitely announced themselves as a serious threat in the Western Conference this year.

Agreed.... Huet is turning his season around and I'm happy to see it after calling for his head.

Although, I'm still convinced that he's not seeing the puck as good as he should be just yet. I always thought his problem was keeping an eye on the puck. He loses sight of it and commits too early. That's why he had problems covering/clearing the puck in the crease. But it seems to be getting better. I tell you though...the post has been his best friend lately. But no soft goals, and that's huge for him!

I do want to add that when he does see the puck well, it's almost impossible to score on Huet (evident last night in a few crease scrambles).

Hopefully he continues to improve. I am eating crow today Cris....You are playing better.

Credit to The Frenchman and Waite for turning it around.