Goaltending situation is very much in the air
GM Treliving has decisions to make, but Elliott, Johnson both want to return
The last memory of Brian Elliott’s 2016-17 National Hockey League season is a short-side goal from Anaheim Ducks forward Patrick Eaves that he allowed in the early stages of Game 4 on Wednesday.
And for an unrestricted free agent who is playing for a contract, it’s hardly the lasting impression you want to make on a team, despite the fact Elliott believes he wasn’t to blame for the goal.
But, as the 32-year- old netminder sees it, the overall evaluation of his first campaign with the Calgary Flames should be from a larger body of work, not just 5:38 and one goal on three shots in the biggest game of the team’s season.
“I hope that doesn’t go into the decision,” Elliott said as the team went through their exit interviews with the coaching staff on Friday.
“That’s not the way anybody wants to end a game, let alone a season. Like I said, I wouldn’t have done anything different on the play. It’s not like I’m wrapping my brain around, ‘ Why didn’t I do this? Why didn’t I do that?’ I would have made the exact same save selection.”
Elliott, by now, is used to playing under a microscope. And in a Canadian market like Calgary, there’s nowhere to hide from your mistakes.
Joining the Flames at the 2016 NHL draft in a trade with St. Louis, Elliott was acquired to improve their crease. Outside of the first six weeks of the season (which saw him post a 3-10-1 record) and at least two performances in the playoffs that he’d probably like to have back (early in a 3-2 loss in Game 2 and a 5-4 overtime loss in Game 3), he was an improvement.
His regular-season numbers were largely skewed by the start of the year, but eventually he was Calgary’s No. 1 goalie with a 26-183 record and a 2.55 goals against average including a pair of shutouts and .910 save percentage.
But that didn’t help ease the emotions of a large portion of the Flames’ fan base that blamed him for Anaheim’s four-game sweep of the Flames.
“It comes along with the job, being a goalie,” Elliott said of the criticism, specifically after Game 4. “From when you’re eight years old to 38, you’re either the hero or getting blamed. If you can make it to this level, you’ve gone through a lot of situations where you could end up an eight-year-old crying on the way home for letting your team down.
“You have to go through those situations to handle the next one.”
Elliott indicated he wants to return to the Flames in 2017-18, saying he would, “welcome the opportunity” but that decision is up to Flames general manager Brad Treliving now.
Ditto for backup netminder Chad Johnson, also an unrestricted free agent this off-season.
Johnson, of course, excelled early in the year when he won 13of-15 during a stretch from Nov. 3 to Dec. 10. Battling a groin injury at the end of the regular season, Johnson finished with an 18-15-1 record, a 2.59 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.
The Calgarian would love to continue playing in his hometown. He believes in his abilities, and also in the direction the Flames are trending.
“I want to be a 1A goalie,” he said. “I think I’ve proven I can be a 1B. When I was given the opportunity, I took that role and had that role and did well. My goal is to be part of a winning team and to play and to contribute. I think I can do that here.
“It really comes down to what the organization wants to do. They’ll have their meetings and things like that. But I want to play.”
The two had come at a bargain last off-season. Their combined salaries ($3.8 million) were less than Jonas Hiller’s salary alone ($4.5 million).
Once again, Treliving is faced with a goaltending predicament this off-season as both goalies need new contracts.
“The goaltending position is always going to be heavily scrutinized,” Treliving said. “As I told both guys today, ‘ We’re not sitting here talking about a first-round playoff series if they don’t perform like they do — both of them — at different parts of the season.’ Let’s not forget that.
“I think everyone would agree — and Brian would be the first one — that he’s capable of playing much better. The playoffs didn’t go the way he wanted them to go. Emotion and frustration are never helpful in decision making so you have to take a step back. You need solid goaltending to be competitive in this league and we saw it. Chad had a good stretch this year. Brian had a good stretch this year.
“Without that, we’re doing this meeting 10 days ago.”