Of note from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff and Kevin Allen:
Duff posted a list of three goaltending moves that paid off in spades for the Red Wings, and three that bombed:
Dominink Hasek: There’s a famous story about a highly-sought after UFA forward turning the Wings down to sign elsewhere in 2001, allegedly because he didn’t like their goaltending. The next day, Detroit traded to acquire six-time Vezina Trophy winner and two-time Hart winner Hasek from the Buffalo.
…
Curtis Joseph: Hasek’s initial retirement in 2002 saw the Wings opting to spend $24 million to get UFA Joseph’s name on a three-year contract. On the surface, Joseph’s addition seemed to be an astute choice. Much like Hasek’s arrival in 2001, Joseph was felt to be the best NHL goalie who’d never won a Cup.
Unfortunately, he’d stay that guy. Whether it was the pressure of living with expectations, something just didn’t click for Joseph as a Red Wing. He didn’t play poorly for Detroit but Joseph wasn’t able to deliver the caliber of netminding required to carry the team to glory. Ultimately, he lost his job to journeyman Manny Legace.
Continued (Joseph had a nagging ankle injury that required surgery)…
2. And Kevin Allen listed his top 10 goaltending pairings in the Atlantic Division, in a subscriber-only article:
4. Alex Nedeljkovic/Thomas Greiss, Detroit Red Wings
The fourth, fifth and sixth spots could be considered a toss-up. The Red Wings, Maple Leafs and Bruins have tandems they really like. But there’s some uncertainty layered into all three of these teams. The Red Wings get the nod at No. 4 because Nedeljkovic (15-5-3, 1.90 goals-against average, .932 save percentage) is coming off an exceptional season. But he only played 23 games. Greiss (2.70, .912) was solid in the second half last season.
Continued (paywall)
