So pumped!! I was calling for Desjardins for a week now. He's an NHL caliber guy, IMO.
Blunden is great depth too. I liked him a lot last season.
That he couldn't stick with Tampa despite their complete lack of goalie depth makes me skeptical Desjardins is NHL calibur. He's a good AHL goalie though, and I'm happy to have him back.
Gives us quality depth in Hamilton. With Conboy not coming back, Blunden will take that physical role to the Bulldogs. He's also insurance if Armstrong gets injured.
Desjardins is a great pick-up. Much better having him as our #3 guy over Mayer.
That he couldn't stick with Tampa despite their complete lack of goalie depth makes me skeptical Desjardins is NHL calibur. He's a good AHL goalie though, and I'm happy to have him back.
Tampa had Smith and Ellis that year and he played well in his two games around Christmas. But Yzerman didn't want to rely on him (as a rookie) to battle for a division title so they traded for Roloson. Even as the trade was made, Yzerman said they considered CD an NHL goalie and hoped he'd be around the following year. Then they signed Garon and he went to LE.
It would be nice if he had a real opportunity at unseating Budaj for the backup job, but they probably have little concern about waiving him to Hamilton since so few teams need a goalie around the league.
Tampa had Smith and Ellis that year and he played well in his two games around Christmas. But Yzerman didn't want to rely on him (as a rookie) to battle for a division title so they traded for Roloson. Even as the trade was made, Yzerman said they considered CD an NHL goalie and hoped he'd be around the following year. Then they signed Garon and he went to LE.
It would be nice if he had a real opportunity at unseating Budaj for the backup job, but they probably have little concern about waiving him to Hamilton since so few teams need a goalie around the league.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think the first thing is for CD to solidify the net in Hamilton. I want the Bulldogs to be good next year to help all the talent coming in. Budaj did a good job last year.
Blunden is a good emergency call-up if you run into a lot of injury issues (which is possible given some of the guys on our team now). He's also somewhat helpful to the Bulldogs.
Desjardins is a fantastic AHL goalie that could become a good backup for us. Worst case scenario is that he really helps out the Bulldogs.
That he couldn't stick with Tampa despite their complete lack of goalie depth makes me skeptical Desjardins is NHL calibur. He's a good AHL goalie though, and I'm happy to have him back.
Well I'm not sure what else he could have done. He got called up, got 2 wins, only gave up 2 goals while with the big club.
Very nice additions for Hamilton. Now I hope they find a way to get rid of Mayer, and sign a 5th goalie for the ECHL. Blunden is a solid vet for the young kids in Hamilton to be around, he worked hard when he was down there this past season.
