Jose Theodore- Washed Up?

[Cuda]

1. Pulled after giving up 5 goals against Dallas on December 27th & hasn't played since.
2. Not scheduled to play in the forseeable future
3. Season record of 9-10-1
4. Save % under 90% & goals against average over 3
5. $5.5 million salary

Would any team even trade for this fucking loser at this point?

[Shoalzie]

It seems like every Avs game I'll catch on TV, Budaj is starting...he must be in Quenneville's doghouse or something. I didn't like that trade for the Avs from the get go because I felt Aebischer was just as good as him and made less money. The Canadiens found a diamond in the rough in Huet and having Aebischer is a nice insurance policy.

[Cross Traffic]

Sounds like Dan Cloutier as well! Still on the hook for 2 1/2 more seasons!

[Adelpiero]

only the Kings would be gung ho to sign cloutier.


buwahahahahahaha

[Hobbes]

To call him washed up would imply that he was good to begin with. I guess he did get a Vezina, but God only knows how. That season is looking more and more like his career year; a fluke, if you will.

In Theodore's defense, Quenneville is very impatient with his goaltenders. It's one of the things I like least about him as a coach. As a result, it's difficult for him to find a rhythm. Everybody has bad games, whether your name is Kiprusoff, Giguere, Roy or Theodore. But Q will bench Theodore after one bad game, and not let him recover from it. Also in Theodore's defense, the team around him has been downright awful at times. The defense is not doing a good job of clearing out the front of the net, and opposing players are often allowed to come right down the slot without being touched. The Avs are STILL trying to get a handle on the puck possession game, and they spend entirely too much time in their own zone.

Having said that, however, Theodore is, in my opinion, an average goaltender that had one good year in Montreal. He gets caught out of position way too often and gives up a lot of soft rebounds as a result of not being square to the shooter. His lateral movement is sluggish, and he needs to get down a lot quicker to close the five hole. It could just be a case of an athlete who has a guaranteed contract and plays piss-poor hockey as a result until it's time to renew, but I think he's just not that good.

Shoalzie said it; Aebischer was just as effective, but took up a lot less cap space, and the Avs are on the hook for another year with Theodore. Do you think they can convince any team to give up someone half way decent for Theodore? Neither do I. If/when he leaves, not a tear will be shed in Denver. Hell, at this point I think we'd be better off with Budaj/Kolesnik/Weiman competing for starting honors than the situation we have now.

[Hobbes]

And now Liles is out. From bad to worse. :x

[Shoalzie]

That sucks for Liles...he was having an All-Star season. Good to see the Wings snap out of their mini-slump on the road with a shootout win in Denver last night.

[Cuda]

And how long does Quennville keep his job?

Av's have been a point or two from being out of the playoffs all season and a team has to really suck to not make the playoffs in the NHL

But Quennville is a great guy.

So was Bob Hartley. Crawford may have been an asshole, but both of them won Stanley Cups and they both got fired without ever being in danger of not making the playoffs.

That Tanguay for Leopould trade looks fucking dandy right about now too, doesn't it?

[Hobbes]

And how long does Quennville keep his job?

At least 2 more seasons. He's got to have a shot at righting the ship. Next year Brisebois will be gone, so will Turgeon. Hejduk may be on thin ice if he can't start producing on a more regular basis. Laaksonen will be out, and Vaananen may be too. And maybe they can con someone into taking Theodore's contract (I can dream). In short, he'll have a chance to start working within the cap system instead of trying to make lemonade out of players with contracts that the organization signed before the lockout. I think next year could be worse than this year for the Avs, but after that, things will start to improve as they begin to work within the confines of the new CBA and can combine talent development with being able to pony up for some decent free agent signings. Right now, they're stuck with contracts on a handful of has-beens that they need to get rid of. That's not Q's fault and he shouldn't take the fall for it. I think he's a good coach, but he needs a shot at something worth coaching.

So was Bob Hartley.

One of the worst moves the organization has ever made, IMO. Right up there with the Drury trade. I think Hartley is an excellent coach, and I was right pissed when they canned him, but that's how it works in professional sports. The athletes are underachieving; we can't fire the athletes so, let's fire the coach. It's not right, but it's how the front offices of professional sports franchises work.

That Tanguay for Leopould trade looks fucking dandy right about now too, doesn't it?

That's kind of a short-sighted perspective at this point. While I'm not thrilled that Leopold has been on the IR for most of the season, the fact of the matter is that, if you could undo the trade and have Tanguay back, the Avs aren't any better off. It would take more than having Tanguay on the roster to fix the problems in goal and at the blueline that this team is facing. I'll reserve judgment on this one until I can actually see Leopold play more than a few games. I still think, at least in the long term, this move could work out well for the Avs.

[Cuda]

They signed Quennville right before the strike, so it's not like he didn't know what kind of talent he was going to have when they started playing again.

Brisebois' defense never impressed me much. Turgeon has been a little more productive since he came off the injured list, but still no great shakes. I can't imagine either of these guys making big money, though.

Of all the players they decided not to re-sign, the one that made the least sense to me was letting Hinote get away. Columbus waved too much money at Foote, and Blake is clearly entering his last year or two of productivity, but there really wasn't any reason they couldn't have retained Hinote- except that they wanted to make sure they could keep Theodore- who, as it turns out, hasn't been worth 10% of the money he's making. I think Theodore's problems are pretty much between his ears

[Hobbes]

They signed Quennville right before the strike, so it's not like he didn't know what kind of talent he was going to have when they started playing again.

Yes, but they didn't have a cap system yet. Oh sure, you could argue they knew what was coming, but you could also argue that Quenneville was signing on to coach a team that spends, not one that stands pat. The cap forced them to be the latter. And since the organization signed them to deals that extended beyond the old CBA expiration, Q has had to make do with what the team did before he was a part of it. With the previous CBA, the Avs would have bought out the contracts of May, Turgeon and Brisebois and happily gone shopping for replacements. With the cap system, they can't do both.

Brisebois' defense never impressed me much. Turgeon has been a little more productive since he came off the injured list, but still no great shakes. I can't imagine either of these guys making big money, though.

Turgeon=$1.5 million per
Brisebois=$3 million per

Neither has been worth what they're getting paid this year. Brisebois in particular.

Of all the players they decided not to re-sign, the one that made the least sense to me was letting Hinote get away. Columbus waved too much money at Foote, and Blake is clearly entering his last year or two of productivity, but there really wasn't any reason they couldn't have retained Hinote- except that they wanted to make sure they could keep Theodore- who, as it turns out, hasn't been worth 10% of the money he's making.

It had nothing to do with Theodore's contract. The problem with Hinote was that a) there were other forwards that could fill his role adequately and were already under contract and b) they wanted to make room on the roster for up and comers like Wolski and Stastny. I always liked Dan Hinote, but he's an agitator who can chip in a goal now and then. The Avs already have someone like that; his name is Ian Laperriere, and unfortunately for Hinote, Lappy had a career year last year. So did guys like Brunette and Laaksonen. That made Hinote expendable, so they let him walk. I'd love to see him playing for the Avs still, but it doesn't cause me to lose any sleep at night.

I think Theodore's problems are pretty much between his ears

Pretty much. It will be interesting to see how he plays if he's given the chance next year, since it will be contract renewal time.

[Cuda]

Turgeon=$1.5 million per
Brisebois=$3 million per

Neither has been worth what they're getting paid this year. Brisebois in particular..

WHAT???

Holy fuck, neither of them were worth that kind of money before the strike.