NHL: Jose Theodore still a free agent?
Jose Theodore one of the top favourite Goaltenders of all time in NHL is still without a home, even though the free-agency started two weeks ago. Jose came to the league in 1994 picked by the Montreal Canadians, since than he has had a lengthy career joining Colorado Avalanche and then moving to the Washington Capitals for a two-year deal worth $9M.
Theodore now at 33 is looking for a new home, but can’t seem to find one, due to the fact that many NHL franchises have selected their goaltenders already. However, Jose needs not to worry as there are many teams who need to improve their goaltending and have plenty of space on their roster for him.
Let’s take a look at Jose Theodore’s statistics from last year’s offseason games. Jose played 47 games with a record of 30-7-7; averaging .911 save percentage which is an astounding number and his goals against average was 2.81.
In the 2009-2010 playoffs, he played only 2 games but kept to a decent .885 save percentage and 3.70 goals against average.
What the teams of NHL would get if Jose was invited onboard?
Jose is a reliable player as he can play under tremendous pressure. Due to his 15 years of experience with the NHL, he can certainly work as a backup role for an inexperienced goaltender on the roster. He can also play half of the season easily for the team’s starting goaltender. Unfortunately, the down side to Theodore is that he is not capable of becoming the star of the team, as the player has lost his touch over the years.
Here is a list of a few teams Jose could possibly opt for and who desperately need a veteran goaltender like Jose.
Anaheim Ducks, with Jean-Sebastien a Stanley Cup winner off to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jose has a chance to join the roster. However, Jonas Hiller who has .918 save percentage is still with the Ducks and has taken over Jean’s position, with Curtis McElhinney, as a backup who has yet to experience the playoffs. Despite the fact, Theodore and Hiller can certainly make a good team as Theodore can easily play 10 games per year easily. The Ducks could really use Jose as they Ducks don’t have a strong goaltending system currently.
Edmonton Oilers star goal tender Nikolai Khabibulin, won’t be able to play until 2013 due to the back injury he faced in 2009-2010 season. He recently got a DUI charge which stained his reputation in the eyes of his fans. Nikolai’s constant injuries have made him quite weak, due to the fact Jeff Deslauriers has been dubbed as his replacement. Although Jeff came in strong during the last season but has slowly went downhill with .902 save percentage.
Edmonton Oilers are looking to rebuild their team, with above average goal tenders they are stuck in a shaky situation. The Oilers could certainly give Theodore a chance to secure Nikolai’s spot.
San Jose Sharks is desperate need of a goaltender after their key tender Evgeni Nabokov departed and joined the KHL. In desperation, Sharks signed onto a former player of Tampa Bay Lightning named Antero Nittymaki, who has .903 save percentage. He led Tampa Bay to when four consecutive games in the 2007-2008 playoffs and was awarded as the winning goalie after scoring for Bay’s 500th franchise victory.
Although Sharks do have a backup goal tender named Thomas Greiss, who has a solid play record, but is kept in the shadows due to Nittyamki’s amazing play. If Antero keeps his brawny attitude up he will give the backup a hard time, and Greiss will have to fight for more playing time.
Antero might be the Sharks starter in the upcoming season but if the Sharks recruit Theodore, he could take the spot from Antero giving him a tough challenge. Theodore certainly would be a better bet compared to Antero and Greiss put together, if his statistics are compared to theirs.
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