Why do we need a veteran goalie?
 

All off-season I have heard Brian Burke say he needs a veteran goalie to help Reimer and Scrivens. I ask why not a young goaltender instead of a vet?

A young, relatively unproven goaltender would come much cheaper than a veteran would in a trade. A young goalie would also appear to fit in better as the team has mostly younger players. They would also have a lot more to prove in this situation being labelled as a #1 goalie. Tampa Bay and Columbus have gone this root this off-season so why not the Leafs?

Because we need a vetern who can step in and provide some steady goaltending.

Because the team fell apart when the goaltender's we had, who were two young goalies, started to suck. If we had a vet goalie who had been through a slump before, they would have been able to react better and maybe steal a win thus turning our misfortunes around, give the team playing in front of the crease a little more confidence and who knows, maybe we would have made the playoffs.

^does_this[glow]stuff[/glow][shadow]still[/shadow]work?

Because Reimer may have a weak glove.
 

It may be injury or everyone figured him out.We don't know....

We have enough young and unproven goalies, why get another?

So hypothetically speaking let's say Florida ends up getting Lou and he's appointed the starter for the next few years. Jacob Markstrom demands a trade because he believes he is ready so the Panthers shop him. Would you not want the leafs to pick him up at a similar price to what Lindback went for?

scrivens went through that last year in the AHL. Not saying that the skill between NHL and AHL is similar but the experience and mental fortitude of overcomming the slump is similar. Reimer and Scrivens is definitely not as risky as reimer and gustavsson, because Scriven's mental fortitude is known while gustavsson is consistently shaky/nervous. I think we'd want a vet as insurance, but it isn't a "need". What we need is a Number one goalie.

Help mentor and take pressure off Reimer.

Two reasons:

Firstly, because last year we went with 2 'relatively' unproven goalies and it was arguably the single biggest cause of our Feburary and March plunge.

Secondly and most importantly, even though Riemer's trouble's last year were probably for the better, and while Scrivens has potential to easily do better than the Monster, Burke cant afford to gamble on going into this season like we did last. If we dont make the playoffs next year, most (include Burke himself) would assume he is gone.

(re)watch 2011-2012 season

how long till somebody makes a "Why Do We have To Win More Games?" thread?

you know its coming

It came out a week ago or something. Would you draft Mackinnon first overall or get in to playoffs and lose in 6 games?

If Luongo or Backstrom doesn't happen this summer I can see them signing a guy like Auld or Conklin to have a veteran presence at training camp and creating more competition. Not that either of those guys would give the Leafs a better chance of winning, but it might push the kids a little more.

The "MUST ACQUIRE VET GOALIE" attitude is overblown. Vet goalies can fail just as hard as young ones. Young tandems can work, it IS a risk. But not as big a risk as people make it out to be.

True but most vets can stand up and say "Listen I have been here before and he is what we got to do to try and get out of this". That is what the big problem was last season we went into a downward spiral and it was like no one stood up and tried to coax the team they just sat back and watched it crash and burn. Now all of this is based on my observations looking in so I can't speak for what was said behind doors but look at St.Louis a vet coach like Ken Hitchcock comes in with the added bonus of guys like Arnott and Langenbrunner along with Macdonald. All of those guys have experience in high pressure situations and they can help coax a team. That is why we need some vet experience. It does not have to be a goalie but I for one would of preferred it.

Exactly.

do we really need anything? According to this board we don't need anything.

The funny thing is, when Gustavsson first came to Toronto, everyone was saying he'd do great here because he was so calm and confident, and after his great run in the SEL he'd easily be able to handle the pressures of being a Leaf. (The same sort of stuff was said about Reimer when he first came on the scene.)

I wouldn't be surprised if playing a full year behind the Leafs' defence- without some sort of legit veteran/starter to take the heat- turns Scrivens into a nervous wreck by the end of the season.

We already have a couple of young relatively unproven goalies so why bother giving up an asset (or more than one asset) just to take on another one? Get a veteran who can provide a solid, stabilizing presence and who can mentor the young guys we do have for a couple of years until one of them is ready to step into the #1 role.

Bottom line is Burke realizes this upcoming seasons results will play heavily in his own future as Leafs GM.

why get a veteran goalie for a non-veteran team?

I think you answered your own question.

Do you think the goalies we have are going to do anything different than they did last year? Reimer and Scrivens were both mediocre at best. Gustavsson was hot and cold. We need a goalie who can step in and stop the bleeding when our young guys choke. Which happened more often than not. That's where a veteran goalie may come in and help. But since most of them are gone I don't think it's gonna happen right now. Maybe later on in the year when we realize we need help in that area.

Because we're stacked with young goalies. We need experience.