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Originally Posted by Cheesesteak Invictus
80 of his 104 NHL starts come in 3 seasons, one of which (Philly) is most certainly an outlier; it depended on very unique circumstances that no longer exist. That leaves what, 7 seasons where he averages a little over 3 starts a year? How does that indicate "backup goalie?" That indicates "third stringer." 31 year old 3rd string goalies aren't really renowned for having an athletic renaissance that boosts them into a higher role, and Leighton has given zero indication that has happened. It has been over 4 years since the one year where Leighton had a true NHL backup season. There's a reason he hasn't stuck in a backup role, ever.
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His numbers in the NHL indicate that he is a back up goalie. I guess don't understand your argument. If you are saying he isn't a backup goalie because there were years he was not in the NHL, and because of that he is not an NHL caliber goalie, then I would say your argument is flawed considering he is currently the backup goalie on this team. If that is not your argument, then my argument is further bolstered by the fact that his stats while in the NHL average out to be stats that are in line with many of the backup goalies in the league.
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You still haven't explained why he has spent the the vast majority of his career as an AHL player or third string callup. NHL caliber goalies tend to stay in the NHL. A reliable backup is a worthwhile commodity. If he had backup abilities, he wouldn't be a career minor league player who's lucky to see 5 NHL games a year...or even just 1, several times.
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I don't know the circumstances of his entire career. Was he injured? Who else was on the roster? There could be a number of reasons behind this. My only argument is that when in the NHL, his stats are that of a backup goalie. I therefore am predicting that his stats this year will be on par with that. Certainly it is possible he ***** the bed and gets sent down, never to be heard of again. On the hand, it is certainly possible that his numbers are the same as they have been throughout his career. Somewhere in the balpark of .900 SV% and 2.95 GAA. Not impressive, but good enough to be a backup.
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It's also worth noting how drastically Leighton's stats changed coming from Carolina to Philly...it's almost like his numbers during that stint were a product of the team, not him. Since that team no longer exists, how do you think he'll do? How has he performed coming in cold, like he'll be expected to do behind Bryz?
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As noted above, I think his numbers will be just like they have been over the course of his career. I am basing this on his career numbers. I know that basing future performance based on past performance is unrealistic, but I will stick with it. Once again, I could be wrong, but I think stats taken from a majority of a player's career are a better indicator than stats taken from a small portion of the same player's career.