Ari Ahonen probably could have been an NHL goalie on any other team. He never got his chance with the Devils, but he's been playing well in Europe since he left Albany. He went 13-4-0 with .934% and 1.94 GAA with Mettalurg Magnitogorsk last year.
Ari Ahonen probably could have been an NHL goalie on any other team. He never got his chance with the Devils, but he's been playing well in Europe since he left Albany. He went 13-4-0 with .934% and 1.94 GAA with Mettalurg Magnitogorsk last year.
Yeah that's probably it. He could have been an NHL goalie somewhere else, and I feel bad for him cause we probably could have traded him after locking up Marty in 06. It would have given him a chance to play elsewhere. I think the only time he saw NHL ice was dressed on the bench as Clemmy's backup when Marty was injured briefly early in the 05/06 season.
We probably drafted him in the first round in case Marty left early last decade. He was the backup plan if we couldn't keep Marty, and we signed Marty to extensions in like 02, and the one right after the last lockout.
Is Wedgewood a good prospect? Yeah, but I don't know why so many Devils fans are treating him like the second-coming. He has yet to play a professional game, and he had a major meltdown in the biggest game of his career (allowing 4 goals on 13 shots and being pulled against Russia in the World Juniors).
What goal should Wedgewood of had? One of the 3 that Murray deflected into his own net? Or the breakaway goal? This is some great analysis.
So what makes Wedgewood better than Frazee? Simply the fact he won't be "stuck" behind Marty? I don't buy it. Frazee was a second-round pick, Wedgewood was a third-round pick. They're comparable players. Just because Frazee is 25 and Wedgewood is 20 doesn't make Wedgewood the better goalie. It gives Wedgewood more of an opportunity because he won't be waiting on Brodeur to retire for as long as Frazee...but for all we know, Wedgewood could put up terrible numbers as a pro.
I mean, Hedberg didn't get his break in the NHL until he was almost 30. It's too early to write off Frazee. I'm not saying he's going to be our future NHL goalie, but it's not entirely out of the question.
Where goalies are picked doesn't make much of a difference when teams these days routinely develop starters that were late round picks. By extension, this also means that two goalies picked around the same place in the draft may not actually have similar levels of skill.
Frazee has been languishing in the minors for three years now, and still has given no sign of blowing the doors off in the AHL and forcing management to give him a shot at the NHL, like goalies have done elsewhere. He might still develop into a capable starter, but I think the chances of that are dwindling for him.
By contrast, Wedgewood has a lot more time in front of him, and management might be willing to give him a fair shake and see if he can impress in a way that Frazee never has. It's time to make room for another promising kid to get an opportunity. If Wedge sucks, then simply move Frazee right back up.
Ari Ahonen probably could have been an NHL goalie on any other team. He never got his chance with the Devils, but he's been playing well in Europe since he left Albany. He went 13-4-0 with .934% and 1.94 GAA with Mettalurg Magnitogorsk last year.
Frazee is a few bad starts away from having Kinkaid be the #1 anyway. I like Jeff but if he had a future here that time has passed. Time to see what Kinkaid and Wedgewood can become.
Frazee is a few bad starts away from having Kinkaid be the #1 anyway. I like Jeff but if he had a future here that time has passed. Time to see what Kinkaid and Wedgewood can become.
he can join (soon enough) corrente elsewhere. sorry frazee, but tick tock....time's a tickin.
I kinda feel bad ripping Tallackson. I think he had some heart issues or something that might have screwed his development up in the NHL. He sure was someone people had high hopes for. Not quite as hyped as Bergfors, but pretty hyped.
I believe David Hale was the same. Personal medical problems or something non hockey related. Wasn't he the next Scott Stevens or something?
I kinda feel bad ripping Tallackson. I think he had some heart issues or something that might have screwed his development up in the NHL. He sure was someone people had high hopes for. Not quite as hyped as Bergfors, but pretty hyped.
I believe David Hale was the same. Personal medical problems or something non hockey related. Wasn't he the next Scott Stevens or something?
i think it was a case of 'acute jannsens syndrome' ....one goal every 5 years is the affliction.
TG once said we don`t iirc. I think earlier this summer.
It makes sense since he`s already 31 and years removed from our roster.
Has nothing to do with age or when he was drafted.
The distinguishing factor there is if we gave him a qualifying offer before he jetted. If that's the case, and Ahonen just decided to ship out to Europe, we would own his NHL rights for perpetuity. Kind of like how we still hold Alexander Korlyuk's rights.
But it wouldn't surprise me if Lou decided to release his rights when Ahonen showed the intention of going overseas.
Has nothing to do with age or when he was drafted.
The distinguishing factor there is if we gave him a qualifying offer before he jetted. If that's the case, and Ahonen just decided to ship out to Europe, we would own his NHL rights for perpetuity. Kind of like how we still hold Alexander Korlyuk's rights.
But it wouldn't surprise me if Lou decided to release his rights when Ahonen showed the intention of going overseas.
I thought once they become older than 27, then we lose his rights. Kind of like the RFA/UFA age.
Korolyuk was one of the victims of the Yaroslav crash, I think. Can't find anything on him on google. Never mind, he played with Lokomotiv the year prior but changed teams, wow, pretty crazy when you think about it.
Whatever, I'm not going to argue about it. All I was trying to say is that I believe Wedgewood is way over-hyped among Devils fans.
Only time will tell.
Can`t argue with that, really. We`ll see how he develops. As for the fans, I don`t know that many of them, so I can`t and wouldn`t even want to judge them as a group. That said, who cares what they think. From what I know I don`t think he`s overhyped among knowledgeable die-hards and that`s all that matters to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feed Me A Stray Cat
Has nothing to do with age or when he was drafted.
The distinguishing factor there is if we gave him a qualifying offer before he jetted. If that's the case, and Ahonen just decided to ship out to Europe, we would own his NHL rights for perpetuity. Kind of like how we still hold Alexander Korlyuk's rights.
But it wouldn't surprise me if Lou decided to release his rights when Ahonen showed the intention of going overseas.
Thanks for clearing that up. Well, whatevs, the most important thing is the answer to your question and that`s a no.
Devils should try to bring Korolyuk overseas, especially if they still hold his rights. Apparently, from what I read was he looked like he was going to be a great player but he butted heads with Darryl Sutter.
