2009-10 Canes Country Exit Analysis: Manny Legace
by Carolyn Christians on May 17, 2010 12:34 PM EDT
in 2009-10 Exit Analysis
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Here's a hockey player no one ever saw coming to Carolina when the season started in October.
At thirty-six-years-old and maybe 5-9 in skates, Manny Legace was playing on a "try-out" contract for the Thrashers AHL Team in Chicago when the NHL season started last fall. As Legace described it, on Saturday night November 7, he was attending a rookie event with his Chicago teammates when he received an urgent text from his agent, this coming within 24 hours after the devastating cut suffered by the Hurricanes' #1 netminder Cam Ward in Columbus. Another day and a half later and Legace's gear was in the dressing room at the RBC Center when the Canes regular back-up goalie for almost two seasons, Michael Leighton, (I know, I know) arrived at practice Monday morning. The announcement of Legace's contract was made an hour later.
By December, Ward was back in action, Leighton was gone and Legace had a regular gig in the NHL.
After the jump, take a look at the stats and the story before you grade the player.
Last month, when we looked at three very different Hurricanes who manned the pipes this season, Legace, Ward, and Justin Peters, our readers chose Legace as the teams' best of the three. His veteran presence in practice was noted for being as much his contribution to the team as were his scrappy saves when his game was on. As Chip Alexander wrote in a feature on Legace for the N&O in March:
Legace always talks - in practice, in the locker room, on the plane, at the hotel, during meals on the road. He's the kind of guy who keeps things light and breezy in a sport that all too often can be a tough, silent grind.
"He's a real good team player. Funny, loose," the Canes' Rod Brind`Amour said. "Even when he's not playing he still has a good attitude and is real positive. That's what you need. He's been through a lot. He's gotten his chance this year and he's played great."
The Good: Legace was parachuted from the AHL into a snakepit of trouble in November and quickly helped out the Hurricanes with both his steady (and even, on occasion, spectacular) work in goal and his self-deprecating demeanor. Beating out Michael Leighton to get the back-up position when Ward returned a month later, Legace went on to be a reliable presence when Ward was again sidelined with back problems in February. The veteran's play was in fact a key to the impressive run of wins by the Canes as they attempted a comeback in the second half of the season. He put together a remarkable stretch of five consecutive wins defined by a 1.59 GAA, .941 save percentage, and Carolina's first and only shutout of the season.
The Bad: Like any goalie with a struggling team, Legace did give up some inopportune goals when the Canes needed the big save - the late one in Ottawa on April 1st stands out as the dream-killer. His save % of .907 over 28 games on the season was good enough to be tied at 28th in the NHL. (Cam Ward's .916 over 47 games ranked at 14th). His 2.81 Goals Allowed Average put him at 33rd. Adequate stats, but no where near enough to be considered elite.
The Money: You don't find NHL players any cheaper than this. At $500,000 for the NHL-portion of a two-way contract, Legace was easy on the Hurricanes' budget this year. For comparison's sake, the Islanders' Martin Biron (9-14-4, 3.27 GAA, .896%) put up worse stats for $1.4mil this year, and the Blues' paid their backup Ty Conklin ( 10-10-2, 2.48GAA, .921%) $1.3mil.
In March, we discussed here whether Legace should be re-signed or if Justin Peters is ready to play at the NHL level full-time, and the only thing that was clear was that there is no consensus on this choice. Yet another interesting story for this off-season in Raleigh.
What say you?
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Keep LeGace under terms as Wards backup. Keep Peters as tip top and practiced as can be. Why? Ward’s health concerns me greatly. Youth, attitude and drive don’t mean shit when you have a bad back. I think Ward may be in serious trouble. If he can’t stay healthy he’s gotta be dealt with. The skate cut was a fluke, but kept him down, the back, though…Then having the Hobbit and Peters is a good idea. If Ward is able to heal and come back as the Cerberus of the Twine, than having a good back up and a killer AHL’er ain’t a bad thing.
I like the Hobbit and don’t think he will get much of a raise so he is cheap and Peters doesn’t have to be dealt with yet. Kick this one down the pike until we know we have the net minder of choice or we have a real big problem.
A
'09-'10 needed more than a spoonful of sugar, felt like a broken glass and battery acid suppository.
Young hockey players, the future, the answer. Learn it, then live it.
I know first hand how a bad back can change a life in an instant.. once you have one it is always there, just waiting for the wrong twist, turn, bend to rear its ugly head again.. I know Fans love Ward but not to sure the future of the team should rest on his shoulders anymore… Sign Manny to a one year, keep Peters in Charlotte to start the season. Without a doubt he will see time in Raleigh..I like him but Wardo’s back will not last.
B-
Played admirably on a couple occasions I can think of in 09-10. One or two games I think he really stole the game from the opponent. Nothing flashy or Vezina trophy-esque, but he got the job done often. IMO Manny saved us a lot of losses and humiliation. If not for Manny, Pete Dawg would probably have been forced to play well over 20 games, and who knows who would have been backing him up, Murphy? But he battled injuries too. He filled in well constantly, I felt confident when he was in net. If the offense scored 3+ goals, I felt he could pick up the win.
A solid year for Manny that I feel warrants one more year in the Canes uniform. Like Paladin said, you never know how Ward will start the year. He said he’s feeling better and he’s gotten lots of rest, but there’s never a guarantee when talking health issues. Better safe than sorry IMO, sign him to a 1 year, however low he will go, deal. I don’t think he’s in a position to negotiate a super high price contract anyway, but I did hear there’s a spot in Pittsburgh. ;) All jest aside I think his performance is enough for a re-sign this offseason, and with no disrespect to Manny, we hopefully won’t have to see more than 10-20 games from him next year.
-Cory- LETS GO CANES, #13 forever young.
B
Manny did very well, almost great, especially considering the locker room and team status when he came in. I hope we keep him as a back-up to Ward, for next season and then see where we are with Peters. Peters showed great promise, but I think Legace still has an edge on him, though I doubt that will be the case 18 months from now.
From his first practice you felt like he’d been here forever. He brought experience, credibility, accountability, humor. I think he was a mentor and a calming influence in the locker room, and I contend that his coming here when he did was a significant factor in getting the team back on course. He seems to be as great a team guy as you could ever find. And irrespective of his stats , his interview comments alone are probably worth high marks. I loved having him on my hockey team. Hope we get to keep him a while longer.
Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
SISU
He did everything that was asked of him and then some. There’s no telling what would have happened if we had stuck with Leights and Pete Dawg, but I really believe Manny contributed significantly to saving what was left of our season, not once but twice. Put aside the fact that he came in and was immediately part of the team. He brought something this team was desperately in need of when Cam went down the first time-hope. For that, he gets the A.
"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."
B++
I know I’ve been grading players based on past performance and “as advertised”, but here I was harder. Legace didn’t wow me but he did what he was intended to do, and I think that’s what the canes management had in mind when they brought him here. I would have given him an A had he helped us into the playoffs.
Keep him around – I agree with Pally on this point. Seems like he’d like to stay and he’ll be a good influence on the youngin’s.
B
Did a great job in a tough situation (starting his first game here with the “backup” on the bench). Stats weren’t great but he brought a lot to this team and contributed to the Run for History that Wasn’t.
I have said before that I favor the Canes resigning him for a year and giving Pete-dawg a ton of time in the AHL. I agree with Paladin that Ward’s hinky back is worrisome; having Legace and Peters in the organization gives the Canes depth at the goalie position just in case.
B++
I think Manny is just what the Canes needed when he came in. I have been a fan of Leights and was upset when we cut him loose but I now think that was the right choice for him. He has received what he needed in a defense that helped him. We did not have that in Raleigh at that time. Pete Dawg is going to be really good if given the right conditions and I do not think riding the bench in Raleigh will help him move improve.
he will play until they say the little fat goalie can't play anymore
I gave him an A. I wanna know the reasons behind the C votes…
He came in and did what was asked of him, knew is role as a back up and played solid. Sure a few weak goals here and there but heck all goalies have some they wish they could get back. Manny was a great (and hilarious) interview and always put the team first in praise and the first one to take the blame during a loss – class act guy!
While I think Pete-dawg was great, I think he is too young and talented to ride the pine for most of the season. It would be a shame if he could not continue to develop. I don’t want him to be Leighton 2.0 (while this is more a poor coaching decision IMHO). I would like to see Manny back 1 more year, make sure Cam is healthy, and let PD play in AHL. Manny is a great back to have and I would take him in a shoot out any day over Cam.
RAKASTAN SUOMEN!!
Reason for a C vote:
I know a lot of people around here love Manny. He’s a nice guy. He’s kind of an underdog and that makes him fun to pull for. I also hear he is good in the locker room. But I just don’t see anything from his performance that warrants anything higher than a C. Even his legendary 5 game win streak – which featured two games in which he gave up 3 even strength goals – was followed up immediately by a 4 goal OT loss to Washington and a 5 goal regulation loss to Boston. His numbers weren’t that good either: .907 SV% and a 2.81 GAA. On what planet do those numbers deserve an A? Peters had a .905% and a 2.83 GAA. Does he also get an A?
This.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on May 18, 2010 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn’t grade him (or the other players that we’ve done this for) based strictly on their numbers. Some people may have and that’s totally fine, but it’s not the way I am.
With him specifically, I took into account the way he came into Raleigh (ready to win, hold himself accountable, keep practice light during a period of time when no one wanted to come to the rink, etc). He walked into a complete disaster and inherited a team that had 0 confidence. But yet he still managed to win games and some big games at that.
He exceeded my expectations and he helped put the Canes on a (relatively speaking of course) big run, especially when Cam went down for the second time. He was one of the bright spots during a pretty dim part of the year. That’s why I gave him an A.
"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 gave him an A for basically the same reasons as caniacgirl and danicanes. If you think about how he came in mid-season playing in top form and joining a team that really was in dire straits I think he performed way beyond expectations given the conditions. He basically gave us a chance and then some and I think that was beyond his initial role when signed. If you want to compare him to other elite goalies and being our saviour then yea he is probably a B- or a C+.
(And a comment about Leighton — I think he needed a number of consecutive starts to get going and he didn’t have that nor the confidence of the coaches here. He is getting both in Philly and I think he is taking advantage of his opportunity. He may very well be a starting goalie and although he played the part he more than likely doesn’t not have the attributes to be a back up.)
Is it October yet?
by hotchipsnsalsa on May 18, 2010 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
B+
while i am a huge Petey fan and when i lok at his stats.Petey’s and Ward’s …Manny will have to be the man…unless he cuts his own throat…
When The People Fear Their Government,There is Tyranny;
When The Government fears The People, There Is Liberty
this is a no brainer
sign him for another 1 year contract and first string back up for cam and bump up his salary to $750,000 (?) for his outstanding play. he’s earned it. we didn’t need so many vets on the ice, but we did need a vet in the goal. he delivered and his stats show it. sign him up again! or i’ll miss his red mop top.
Are there 2 of you or did you just change your avatar?
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 May 18, 2010 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions
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