From The Back Out

After the goal tending display in the Canadian net, at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships this past New Year, one has to wonder about the future of the NHL. Clearly Mark Visentin is not able to handle the pressure of being a professional goalie, which is unfortunate for the Phoenix Coyotes as they drafted him 27th overall in last year's NHL entry draft.

Could this be the way goal tending is going to be in the future? There is very little value placed on a goaltender now a day that it is leading to the demise of teams. Team Canada was of course the most recent team to learn this valuable lesson. In order to be successful in today's game you need to build from the back out. That means that at the base of a strong team their needs to be a strong goalie, in order to be successful teams need to minimize the oppositions offense. Teams with weak goalies never go very far in the playoffs, provided they can even hang on to playoff position.

Amazingly, the goalies that have been picked late in recent NHL drafts are the ones that seem to be taking on successful careers. For instance,  Jonathan Quick was selected 72nd overall in 2005 and is currently a top contender for this years Vezina Trophy. Even more astonishing is Nashville's tandem of Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback who were elected 258th and 207th in their respective draft years. Both goalies are experiencing great success, while most of the goalies selected before them have yet to crack an NHL roster.

Teams clearly do not know how to select a franchise goaltender that could take the team to a Stanley Cup title. Stats, such as save percentage, are one thing but one thing that is not considered is the skill of the team in front of them. Anyone can put up a good save percentage with a great team in front of them, but it's the guys who are successful with lower seeded teams that make great NHL goalies.

Robin Lehner, draft pick of the Ottawa Senators

European goaltenders seem to be the wave of the future, with goalies emerging fast out of Sweden and Finland. Goalies such as Joni Ortio and Robin Lehner could very well be the next Vezina trophy contenders if they continue to preform at the level they were at in Buffalo during the World Junior tournament. The decline of Canadian goaltenders is relatively alarming but may in fact be good for the game. With the difference in North American and European play, that being physicality versus finesse, European goaltenders continue to out preform most North American goaltenders. The obvious exception would be United States goaltender Jack Campbell who is the most promising North American prospect for the NHL in the near future.

Goalies are much more important than teams seem to think, which is a real shame as it usually leads to their demise. Although cliche, the best offense is a strong defense which is pivotal to the success of a franchise. Building from the back out insures future success for the team and delivers a promising result that is sure to please fans.