Questions about the future of our goaltending

by zack007attack on Jun 4, 2011 2:23 PM PDT

I am sure many of us, myself included, are excited for the emergence of Alex Stalock, who is believed to be the future of Sharks home-grown goaltending. However, recent events (aside from his injury in February) have had us wondering when he will become our starter.

Nemo got a 4-year extension. None of us will really know if he will get another extension because it will depend on the outcome of his time here.

My question is, how long do you think it will be before Stalock becomes our starter?

Under what circumstances would Nemo get another extension, and is it very likely he will get that extension?

This item was created by a member of this blog's community and is not necessarily endorsed by Fear The Fin.

Tweet Comment 5 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I think it is way too early

to think about a Nemo extension.

If you mention ending your life, or show signs of self-harm, I will take you seriously!
"Take a deep breath sometimes, a break, and play some hockey. Hockey is a great way to take a pause from day-to-day hard work." -- Lt Gen. D.H. Huntoon Jr. (paraphrased)
Shameless plug for my music.

by Soloact on Jun 4, 2011 11:30 PM PDT reply actions

Exactly what I was going to say.

And it’s probably too early to seriously estimate when Stalock will push for the starting job. It’ll depend heavily on how his rehab goes and how he does in game situations. Right now, he’s ahead of schedule by most reports, so that’s good. But he hasn’t skated, let alone been in a game. There’s no way for us to know what lasting damage he has yet.

Without an injury to Stalock, I’d have said he’d push Nitty off the roster sometime next season. From there I expect it’d be a year or two until he really challenged Niemi, barring an injury. That could still theoretically happen, but I’d be much more ready to believe we’ll next see Stalock in San Jose in ‘12-’13 rather ‘11-’12 at this moment.

Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!

by Auth0r on Jun 5, 2011 8:49 AM PDT up reply actions

Author summed it up nicely, both the recovering timeline and the projected method of how he’d enter the roster.

I think that Niemi’s contract length is just about right. You don’t want to thrust the new guy to be the “only” backstop for a vet team that has legitimate cup chances. That is just too much pressure on someone. Look at Washington, they were pretty much East coast mirrors of the Sharks, with the exception being their goaltending was weaker and fresher. And they collapsed because of it. If Niemi didn’t have that pressure because Huet was in the wings and he had essentially stolen the starter job with exceptional play, but if he ever faltered, the team wasn’t screwed like it would be with 2 rooks.

How it works out now, Stalock has plenty of time to rehap, then recondition back into shape during the first half of the season in Worcester. No pressure on him whatsoever to rush his recovery, which is the best thing, as we can note with regards to rushing injuries (coughcough Heatley coughcough).

If he recovers and rebounds in Worcester enough by the trade deadline, Nitty could be moved to a struggling team, and then from there Stalock would have plenty of time to get acclimated to the NHL and from there earn his place, whichever it may be.

I personally believe it is best for goalie development to have to fight to take the starting position from someone else. We’ll see in 3 years if Stalock has what it takes to wrestle it away from Niemi.

by VVhirlwind on Jun 6, 2011 2:01 AM PDT up reply actions

Sateri

I really hope that Stalock is ready to start the season as he is a good 12-18 months ahead of Sateri in his development and I agree, no injury and he would’ve been pushing Niitty for the back up spot this season.

If Stalock isn’t ready to start the season, Sateri is going to have a golden opportunity to take over the starting job for the WorSharks. From his scouting reports and everything I’ve read about him, he has some serious upside and a higher ceiling than Stalock.

The 4 year deal for Niemi is just about perfect…if it turns out Niemi keeps improving and turns into an elite goalie over that time, you keep him. It also gives the Sharks time to be patient with the development of Stalock, Sateri and Heemskirk. But both Stalock and Sateri will/should be pushing for a starting job within the next 2-3 years – it’s a very, very good problem to have.

by milanahalek on Jun 6, 2011 8:15 PM PDT up reply actions