Hello Dobberites,

It's been a looong time since I've posted anything here because I've been pretty busy setting up my new business. I've been hanging around and reading and I still buy the Dobber Fantasy Guide and Prospects Guide, so I've been trying to stay in the loop.

I'm at a crossroads and I'd like to hear some thoughts on goalies. I am in a keeper league (details in signature) and right now I am in second-place in the standings. My two starting goalies are Brodeur and Lindback and they're getting me 29 of a possible 44 points. Biggest area for improvement is the combo, which combines wins, GAA and Sv%.

I've got Holtby and Bobrovsky on the bench and once they pass the 585 mark in minutes played, it means that I won't be able to protect them in the minors going into next season. That means that I will have to trade two of them between now and the start of next season.

Obviously, it makes more sense to trade them during this season to get assets that will help me win and that's my plan.

I'm pondering these options:
1) Trading two of my goalies for one better goalie and trading one goalie for offensive help;
2) Trading two of my goalies for offensive help;
3) Also considering keeping a third goalie in case of injury.

Of my four goalies, I have a pretty good idea who will help me the most this year and I rank them this way:

1) Brodeur
2) Lindback
3) Holtby
4) Bobrovsky

What about long-term though? Anybody see Holtby or Bob moving up in that pecking order this year? Would you sell high on Brodeur anticipating he might get hurt again or retire after next season?

__________________
Chatham Maroons
22-team keeper league
(G, A, P, +/-, PPG, SHP, PIM ratio, MP and Goalie combo (Wins, OTL, SvPct, GAA)
Forwards: Kopitar, Backstrom, Perry, Kunitz, Jagr, Steen, Desharnais, Henrique, Tlusty, Vermette, Paajarvi; Goon: Prust. Farm: Watson, N. Ritchie, Jaskin, McCann.
Defence: Timonen, Edler, McBain, Hamhuis, Greene, Stralman; Farm: Sproul, Eckholm.
Goalies: Brodeur, Lindback; Farm: Holtby, Bobrovsky, Sateri, Altshuller, Mahalak.

On Twitter: @HockeyScribe

I like Bob over Holtby.
I don't think Holtby is a #1 NHL goaltender. I'd try to move him.

Find the owner of Neuvirth.
That's your ideal trade partner.
You give him goaltending security (or so it seems).

Both Neuvy & Holtby are RFA this year.
There is no guarantee that either or both are re-signed.

Washington needs a serious boost. They are 5th last in the NHL in SV%.
Perhaps they splurge on a free agent goalie: Mike Smith? Viktor Fasth?
Perhaps they bring in a veteran Russian: Khabibulin?

Interesting points about Neuvirth/Holtby. That is a concern of mine. I'm also a little worried about Bobrovsky as Mason seems to have remembered how to stop a puck after forgetting that important skill for a couple of seasons.

Just out of curiosity, what is it about Holtby that makes you think he's not a No. 1? Is it the way Oates is using him this season, or was it something you saw in the playoffs last year?

__________________
Chatham Maroons
22-team keeper league
(G, A, P, +/-, PPG, SHP, PIM ratio, MP and Goalie combo (Wins, OTL, SvPct, GAA)
Forwards: Kopitar, Backstrom, Perry, Kunitz, Jagr, Steen, Desharnais, Henrique, Tlusty, Vermette, Paajarvi; Goon: Prust. Farm: Watson, N. Ritchie, Jaskin, McCann.
Defence: Timonen, Edler, McBain, Hamhuis, Greene, Stralman; Farm: Sproul, Eckholm.
Goalies: Brodeur, Lindback; Farm: Holtby, Bobrovsky, Sateri, Altshuller, Mahalak.

On Twitter: @HockeyScribe

Holtby's SV% pattern concerns me.

Young goalies have a few stages:

1. The absolutely no-pressure spot-start stage.
2. The back-up stage, little pressure because they aren't supposed to be the best goalie on the team.
3. The bonafide #1 goalie stage.***

***This last one is the one where young goalies typically struggle. If they can get through it, they'll be OK. Holtby has gotten consistently worse as his responsibility has been increased. Overall, I think Washington is a very tough place to play. Their leader (Ovechkin) is a bit snug and I would imagine it's hard to get behind him and take everything seriously. The coaching carousel isn't good for any goalie's confidence. And the defense is basically Carlson-Alzner and band-aids.

Any goalie has to show some signs of being able to handle the pressure. In 9 games this season, Holtby (the team's #1 goalie... ?) hasn't strung together two great starts yet. At best, the last two might be considered "good". But he's been a sinking ship this year and it's been a fairly consistent thing in Washington. Their last 4 or 5 goalies have all flailed until they switched locations. Holtby appears no different to me.