Earlier today goalie Joacim Eriksson and his team, Skellefteå, won the championship in the Elitserien the top league in Sweden and one of the top leagues in Europe. Eriksson was the Flyers 7th round draft pick back in 2008. A little further south of Sweden the Flyers' 2006 4th round pick goaltender Jakub Kovar led the Czech Extraliga in Save percentage and GAA. Kovar also has a pair World Championship Bronze medals on his shelf.
The Flyers have been much maligned for being terrible at drafting goaltenders. Between 2001 and 2010 the Flyers drafted 15 goalies who played a combined 19 minutes in the NHL. But Eriksson and Kovar might be signs of change. But they are also a sign of caution. Eriksson didn't start playing great in the top Swedish league until last season, 3 years after he was drafted. Same with Kovar who didn't earn a starting job in the Czech Republic until 4 years after he was drafted by the Flyers.
The time between draft and development is one thing that makes drafting goalies so tough. I was upset when 2012 2nd Round Pick Anthony Stolarz moved from Nebraska-Omaha in the NCAA to London in the OHL. It means that after next season Stolarz will be out of Juniors and will either be in the Flyers system or like Memorial Cup Champion and 2008 3rd Round pick Jacob DeSerres stuck on the outside looking in. DeSerres went from winning the Memorial Cup in 2011 to playing in the Canadian College league which rarely if ever produces NHLers. Europe and the NCAA gives goalies a longer chance to develop and a smoother transition into the pro game.
The Flyers have shown that they don't mind drafting players who they know will have a long development in front of them. They have drafted a number of players who were bound for NCAA in recent years. If the Flyers go forward and draft goalies out of Europe or are bound for the NCAA where they have longer to develop the Flyers could be able to do what people have been saying for years they couldn't: draft their next franchise goalie.
If the Flyers choose to buyout Ilya Bryzgalov, which I don't think they will or should do, they could give Kovar or possibly Eriksson a shot if they are able to sign them. I think they both have a better shot at becoming a starter in the NHL than Steve Mason who has been pretty bad for a long time. While Mason had a great season and then fizzled Kovar and Eriksson, both around Mason's age, have been able slowly and steadily getting better and better. The biggest obstacle in goaltender development is after they get to the NHL, and after NHL teams and shooters see them enough and figure out how they play, can a goalie continue to develop and continue to improve. Mason hasn't been able to change and develop after teams figured him out after his stellar rookie year, while Kovar and Eriksson, who have already faced this adversity before, are more likely to develop into an NHL goalie.
No comments:
Post a Comment