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Blues Year-End Report Card: Goaltending

It's the end of the season, and we've all had time to sit back and evaluate the team. Who made the mark? Who needs to be held back? The answers may (not) surprise you.

By hildymac
Jonathan Daniel

Last but certainly not least we have goaltending up for review. There are only three guys to choose from, and I'm sure we can probably figure out who the underachiever who really should've done better is. 

Donut King:

Jaroslav Halak

  • Regular Season Numbers: 40 GP, 24-9-4, .917 SV%, 2.23 GAA
  • Postseason Numbers: N/A
  • Analysis: Great October, bad November/December, good January, bad Olympics, then traded . . . three times. Enigmatic? Sure. Definite starter? Debatable by the time he was traded. Better than who he was traded for? We’ll get to that later. Regardless, he’s going to make some good money next season, wherever he lands.
  • GRADE: B

Brian Elliott

  • Regular Season Numbers: 31 GP, 18-6-2, .922 SV%, 1.96 GAA
  • Postseason Numbers: DNP (Coach’s Decision)
  • Analysis: I was quite harsh on Brian Elliott this season, and perhaps I shouldn’t have been. Maybe it’s because I hate the notion that everyone loves the backup when they’re angry at the starter, and Elliott was the backup. But when he was asked to do his job, he did it pretty decently. He’s a UFA, and while he’ll probably end up a backup somewhere else, I wouldn’t be shocked if he finds a chance to split time somewhere. It just probably won’t be in St. Louis.
  • GRADE: B-

Ryan Miller

  • Regular Season Numbers: 19 GP, 10-8-1, .903 SV%, 2.47 GAA
  • Postseason Numbers: 6 GP, 2-4, .897 SV%, 2.70 GAA
  • Analysis: I’m not going to sit here and blame the Blues’ late-season collapse and early playoff exit on Ryan Miller, like many on Twitter and the blogosphere are wont to do. But I’m also not going to sit here and tell you Doug Armstrong was right about Ryan Miller making the team “five percent better”. Miller was largely unneeded, and yet, they went all in with him anyway. Call the grade unfair if you want, but if you ask me if Miller was better than Halak, I’m going to tell you he was not, and that’s all there is to it. All that said, I—for better or worse—would probably not mind if he came back, but I fully do not expect him to be back [this was written before the re-upping of Elliott - ed.].
  •  GRADE: D

CCR:

Jaroslav Halak

A-

great season, was moved due to contract - not performance

Brian Elliott

A

one of his best years, might earn a starting job- elsewhere [this was written before he was re-upped for three years, obviously - ed.]

Ryan Miller

C+

better than stats show, but didn't help himself with season's end.

RobbTufts [ed. note: Robb appears to have co-opted the strategy of many of my co-workers on this one, the tried and true "screw it, they were here" method of grading]:

I was just planning to give them all a B.

I'm over the whole goalie thing and glad that Elliott was resigned and that Miller was sent packing.

CanesAndBluesFan:

Brian Elliott

18-6-2

1.96 GAA

0.922 Overall Save Percentage

0.924 ES

$1.8m Cap hit

+2.3 GVA

 

I would give Elliott an A for the season.  One of the better goaltending bargains.

 

Jaroslav Halak

24-9-4

2.23 GAA

0.917 Overall

0.928 ES

$3.75m Cap hit

+6.3 GVA

 

I would give Halak a B.  The objective assessment of his performance is probably B+ but I will knock him down a notch for making Army feel like he was better off trading him.

 

Ryan Miller

10-8-1

2.47 GAA

0.903 Overall

0.913 ES

$6.25m Cap hit

-2.7 GVA

 

Midterm grade is a D. Miller for the season was +4.6 GVA.  Pretty poor return on $6m+.

 

Playoffs

2-4

2.70 GAA

0.897 Overall


Final grade: F.