Manny Legace or Justin Peters - You Make The Call
by Bob Wage on Mar 26, 2010 12:01 PM EDT
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PrintChip Alexander recently posted a short article on Canes Now regarding the goalie situation for the Carolina Hurricanes. Jim Rutherford has to make a tough decision this summer. The team needs a backup for Cam Ward next season and a choice has to be made between Manny Legace and Justin Peters.
Both goalies have performed very well over the past month while Ward has been resting a wonky back. Legace is the experienced veteran who has been around the block. He brings an outgoing personality with him in the dressing room as well as during practice. The 37 year old is a free agent this summer.
At 23 years old, Peters has much less experience and is a bit more quiet, but he has great size and a ton of potential. He's been playing at the AHL level now for three years. The youngster is an RFA this summer and will remain property of the Hurricanes.
Last night on 99.9 The Fan's Aftermath, John Forslund and Mike Maniscalco were discussing this same topic and Forslund said that he felt it might be good to bring both goalies back again in training camp and let them fight it out for a job. He feels that players usually perform better if they are pushed.
If Legace does not get another offer, perhaps he would come in as a tryout?
And let's not forget newly acquired Justin Pogge.
You make the call. Who would you choose and why?
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Legace over Peters
Keeping Peters would, I think, be similar to the situation we had with Leighton. Peters needs to play more than 15-20% of the games in order to be reliable. Legace looks like he can fill that spot better than Justin, who, I think, will get a one-way deal with an NHL team next season. He may have to fight for the starter’s position, but he’ll have a better chance elsewhere than he would here with Wardo as our #1.
I voted “undecided” because IMO there are way too many variables to make that call.
IF Justin won’t languish on the bench behind Cam all season…
IF he doesn’t turn into the next generation Leighton….
IF they don’t ride Cam into the ground…
IF Justin’s play is what we’ll get all the time…
IF Manny will take little money….
IF Manny keeps up his play….
IF Cam is healthy all season….
There are too many if’s at this point. I kind of like the idea of letting them both fight it out in training camp, but I keep going back to the “it won’t even matter” thought because I am still not entirely convinced the team will change the way they use their goalies, especially if Cam is as good as we all know he can be.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
This is why it is so hard to GM in the NHL. JR has to make the decision in spite of all these ifs.
It is a tough call. I like Manny, and I really like what he does to the locker room. I think Peters is an equally adpet goalie who could be capable of being a number one if Ward’s back goes on the fritz again.
I think you go with the younger guy on his way up, rather than the vet who is on the way down. Good as Manny has been, you can’t guarantee he will be that sharp next year.
Also, I think this organizations epic struggles with the backup position, (Storr, Grahame, Leighton) all stem from the same thing, a reluctance to allow your number two enough starts to keep sharp. I think Leighton is a very good Goalie, and with playing time gets better. Grahame is a former starter and was once a very good backup guy. You wonder if after his breaking at the hands of Torts he just doesn’t need a solid dance card to get rolling again.
Storr, well he was…. I mean he really could, ….. well I mean, he had a cool mask.
Anyway, I think if you give your number two guys some starts they can be more reliable, and with Cam’s back, I think we should be trying to foster that, instead of seeing if he can be the next Broduer style workhorse.
by wylde4canes on Mar 26, 2010 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I think we should be trying to foster that, instead of seeing if he can be the next Broduer style workhorse.
Agreed 100%. Call me skeptical, but unfortunately, I don’t think that the coaching staff will roll with that idea. And that is why I’m reluctant to keep Justin as the hat model…errrr…backup. It won’t do him any good to watch games from the bench.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
I would think you keep Peters because of his age and untapped potential. If he turns out to be good enough to be a number one, they can deal him.
by Killswitch on Mar 26, 2010 12:44 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Pete-Dawg has been sent back to Albany. Cam will back up Legace tomorrow night.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
Source:
nhl_canes: Justin Peters has been assigned to Albany. Cam Ward will back up Legace tomorrow.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
by Jamie Kellner on Mar 26, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Jeff Daniels must be dancing in the streets right now.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
“Olly olly oxen free”, says he.
While I once thought we would see some of our borrowed Rats drift back homeward as the reality of the playoff “chase” became apparent and the Rats began to ready for their playoff run, now I’m not so sure that will occur.
With both Gleason and Ruutu out for the season, only Picard’s “upper body injury” could now offer possible roster relief for Rodney or someone else on the D-corps to return.
Otherwise, we pretty much need everyone that’s here just to field a team for the remainder of the season.
This is really a testament to what Daniels can do as a coach IMO. He has had some rough times in his relatively short tenure as a coach, but had come through them all and the team is stronger for it. The organization is lucky to have him.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
by caniacgirl on Mar 26, 2010 1:06 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Daniels is gaining a wealth of experience in coaching through trails and tribulations, from last years bus crash, to the mass rats exodus to cover for our injured, to the spate of injuries in goal he has experienced. Yet still the Rats remain competitive. It is a testament to both him and the farm system.
I always have to read people in my job and I guess we all do to a certain degree just to get by in life. One thing I have learned is that the person with the most talent is not always the best person for the job. You have to look deeper and see what else people are bringing to the table, you look at work ethic, personality and just plain old heart. There is something about Manny that speaks to the total package. He seems very comfortable with where he is in the NHL right now and will make for a better backup than Peters who has his whole career in front of him and is looking for a top spot.
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting"..........holy cow.......what a ride!"
To me, Peters is a near lock over Legace. The fact that Murphy and Pogge are in the fold means they need the two spots in Charlotte for them. Peters will be cheaper and, if he falters, can be moved back to the AHL w/o issue.
You don’t think Legace would accept league minimum? I’m almost positive he would and I’m sure Peters will require more (probably $750k – 1mill). I was thinking Legace would be the cheaper option.
Plus I think Pogge is a bust. He has been shaky everywhere he has been traded and hasn’t even looked good for the Rats this year. I’d rather see Mike Murphy get the development time as the starter in Charlotte next year though.
Overall I think they will probably keep Peters over Legace but he will just end up going the same route Leighton did.
Is Pogge a bust the same way Samsonov, Ruutu and Jokinen were busts?
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
Peters will be on a two-way deal. So that’s good. Secondly, no way he should even get $750K. If he does, it’s a huge mistake.
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 26, 2010 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I was just estimating by what Leighton was making (I’m pretty sure he mad $750k as our backup when he was here). Granted Leighton was a higher projected goalie than Peters at the time and had won AHL goaltender of the year I think…
I’d be very surprised if Legace didn’t accept a league minimum 2-way contract. I think he’d sign anything to stay in the NHL.
Peters won’t demand that much money. No way, not at all. He hasn’t gotten in to enough games in the NHL to demand that nor will he be part of a bidding war as he’s an RFA. Plus, as Cory mentions, Peters will be on a two-way deal and be able to be sent down to the AHL without having to go through waivers.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
Completely agree that Peters is a near lock. This is an easy decision for JR. Peters numbers aren’t that far behind Legace. Peters has also shown that he doesn’t have to play every game to be effective, which is the mark of a great back up.
With any luck Peters turns in to a Scott Clemenson, Petr Budaj or a Wade Dubliewicz. Having a back up of that caliber will help this team out immensely. Legace is a good guy and a good player, but he’s not part of the long term plans and based on their numbers this years he’s not a significant improvement over Peters.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
Or a Craig Anderson
Peters has fought his way up through the ranks of this organization and to award him with the backup position at the start of 2010-2011 would send a very positive message to the rest of our young players. Also, Ray Whitney mentioned in an interview with Tripp & John that Peters is the hardest working goalie he’s seen since Hasek. That alone ought to carry enough weight to get him the nod.
Manny has done well with his opportunity and should get a chance with an organization with less goaltender depth than the Hurricanes. I wish him well.
Keep them both
I think we should keep both of them around, at least until we definitely know Ward’s back problems are fully solved, they seem to be making a good tandem and would be a good option to go with if Ward sees considerable time on the IR again next season. If Ward stays healthy then we send Peters back down to the A to get a decent amount of starts instead of languishing on the bench and wasting his growing and learning time.
This then presents a problem of having 3 goalies down with the Rats/Checkers… A few months back I posted a fanpost saying we could trade one of our goalies for other considerations and this is even more true now – I don’t really see the need for Pogge (nothing personal) apart from to fill in when we had all our various goalie injuries this season, and perhaps, more to the point, as future trade bait or a trade sweetener. So trade Pogge and let our two home grown products Peters and Murphy share the starts in goal.
Legace:
Unless you’re ready to write off Cam, Legace would be a better backup. Remember the fun we had with Irbe and Weekes? An older and steady netminder who is in “the twilight of his career” is not a “threat” to Cam and Cam can listen to him instead of ignoring the guy that is trying to take his place.
With Peters, you have the 23 year old vs the 25 year old. Now, where does Peters go with Cam playing 90% of the games?
Now, if Cam is hurt beyond what we know, then we keep both.
If the guys and gals who brought you the financial meltdown deserve big bonuses, where do I sign up?
Perhaps Cam's injury is:
A: More serious than we thought
B: Believed to have been more serious than was thought
If the guys and gals who brought you the financial meltdown deserve big bonuses, where do I sign up?
Why acquire Pogge?
Because we sent them Aaron Ward… They had to send us their dead weight.
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Mar 26, 2010 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Cam’s injury is the thing isn’t it? Supposedly it started acting up last season in the ECF, but still has bothered him. I think it would be a good idea to bring both Peters and Legace back at least for training camp next season, until we can be sure that Cam’s back is 100%. I’m really hoping this season has at least taught Coach Mo that you don’t have to grind a guy into the ground to win. Until Cam’s back on his feet, what’s wrong with keeping 3 goalies in the system, especially when 2 of them are at less than 1 mil for contracts?
There is a lot to consider when making this choice. Is Cam going to be back to the Cam we know? Will his back problems limit him, so 2 true backups are needed? Will Manny expect a higher salary than we are able to pay? Will another team be willing to offer Manny more money and a better opportunity than the Canes? Will another team be willing to extend an offer sheet to Peters?
A lot of questions with no answers as of now. I think it would be wise to offer both players two-way contracts in the $600K NHL range. If Cam’s back goes again (backs are unpredictable), then both players would be needed. The Canes and Mo must also limit Cam’s workload during the regular season. I think Cam needs to work at most 50 games, have Manny start around 15, and have Peters start around 15 with him floating between leagues. If I had to choose 1, I would choose Peters to back-up Cam. I would also force Coach Moron to start Peters at least every 4 or 5 games, just to make sure Cam is not overworked.
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by PackPride17 on Mar 26, 2010 5:54 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
There wasn’t an option for “Keep both of them and get rid of Ward.” I feel disenfranchised….. (what gives?)
Let me say first that Justin Peters is awesome! He has been absolutely great when we needed him to be. I can’t wait to see what he develops into… his future is bright.
That being said. Justin Peters does not need to be Cam Ward’s backup (stay with me here) It is not fair to him. He needs to be somewhere where he will be playing at least half (if not more) of the games. Which is not on the Carolina Hurricanes.
On the other hand… When Manny Legace retires… I think people will look back on him as one of the best BACKUP goaltenders ever. He knows the ins-and-outs of the league and every team. He has spent most of his NHL Career as a backup and has a nice winning record (a rarity for a backup). I honestly believe that if Cam Ward is the #1 guy next year then Manny Legace is one of just a small group of guys around the league who are a perfect fit to back him up…. It takes a special talent to be the #2 guy and Manny has got it down to an art form.
Bottom line is that w/ Cam playing the majority of the games (months-at-a-time) he really needs a veteran goaltender backing him up… not a rookie who needs to be playing full time.
Good luck to Justin Peters… he really deserves to be the #1 guy somewhere someday.
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Mar 26, 2010 10:38 PM EDT reply actions
I agree with a lot of this. Manny’s interview after the SO win vs the Caps Thursday night showed why he is invaluable and a perfect fit as a backup. And he’s a hoot, chirping at practice to make things interesting and keep the shooters on their toes.
Olympian Tim Gleason in Vancouver: "I don’t care what anybody says, to watch an exciting hockey game, there’s nothing like it."
by Carolyn Christians on Mar 27, 2010 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Manny was signed here on 11/9/09. At that time we were on a 12-game winless streak. He was at practice an hour after the signing was announced. I was fortunate to be at the practice that day and you’d think he’d been here forever. He came in smiling and relaxed, and was stick-tapping and talking up to everyone on the team and he’s been that way ever since. You could just tell from that first meeting that he’d be a fit here. It took us two more losses before we started things moving in the right direction with his shootout win over the Wild, but I’ll contend that he was a BIG catalyst in our turnaround this season. There may not be a place for him here after this season, but I’ll remember him always as someone who made a very positive impact on our organization in a very short period of time, and I’m awfully proud that he’s played here.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
by Jamie Kellner on Mar 27, 2010 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Manny in the house
That’s an interesting observation, and dovetails with a theory that I have had for quite some time.
Knowing how JR repeatedly chants his mantra of “we acquire character”, I trusted that Manny was a thoughtful acquisition from the character side, or JR would never have crooked his pimp finger.
Certainly a well-known commodity from the goalie performance side of things to the org, but probably also equally well-known on the personality/character side of the equation. Yes, he’s a good locker room fit, which no doubt was a big consideration, as well.
Maybe the decision to go with Manny over Michael had even more to do with stabilizing what was most likely a fragile room at the time than it had to do with goalie development and/or who’s the best back-up.
My thought at the time was the JR was making a statement to the locker room: “Look what I got you, boys.”
It seemed to me to have a subtext of validation to it. A statement that management still believed in them.
Perhaps Chicago?
Seriously though it’s a tall task to be a #1 in the NHL. Only 30 get that designation so he would obviously need to play his way into that spot through an opportunity from injury or playoffs or something.
For what its worth I like Manny a lot and I think he would be a great asset in showing the younger guys a thing or two.
by Gunning For The Cup on Mar 27, 2010 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Antti Niemi is a far better prospect than Peters, they probably don’t have a need him. Unfortunately for Peters there are lots of far more talented, young goalies that are available on the market if a team was looking for a future starter.
There really is a glut right now of decent goaltenders. Not great ones. If anything there is a lack of great goaltenders right now. That glut of decent goaltenders makes it difficult for guys to stay around. Legace is known, so if a team can get the same or similar play out of a young guy at a cheaper rate and have a chance to catch lightning in a bottle they’re going to go with the youngster over Legace. No GM wants to be known for making the deal that send the next Dominic Hasek out to bring the next Stephane Beauregard in.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
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