Alex Auld

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Alex Auld: The Modern Day Ken Dryden

Posted by Greg Caggiano on March 23, 2011
Posted in: Hockey, New York Rangers. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Save a spot in the Hall of Fame for Alex Auld

This is one of those stories that just cannot be made up.

Fellow writer and New York Rangers fan Chris “Gootz” Hoeler always brings this to my attention, so it was about time I wrote something about it. It is an inside joke among us fans that when backup goalies face the Rangers, especially at Madison Square Garden, they have the habit of playing like a hall-of-famer. Every time the Rangers face Alex Auld, Chris begins to sweat and shake, because Auld, a veteran of a whopping 220 games in nine seasons, always seems to hand the Rangers their collective butts on a game by game basis.

Up until now, I never really took it seriously—I know rookies always seem to score their first NHL goal against the Rangers, or a star who is on a fifteen game slump breaks out of it, but Alex Auld? Really? Let’s take a look at his career stats against the Rangers:

7 GP (6 GS); 4-0-2; .963 SV%; 1.02 GAA; 1 shutout

Those are just unreal numbers, and now every time Auld is in net, I have to pay attention. When the Rangers faced the Canadiens on Sunday and lit up Carey Price for five goals, to take a 5-1 lead after the first period, it looked like the Rangers were off to a smooth and easy victory. Think again. Why? Because Montreal put Auld in net to start the second. Not only did he give his team a chance to win by stopping 18 of 19 shots, he played absolutely brilliant hockey, leaving Chris having an aneurysm in his seat in section 420. He told me before the game that he would die if Auld started, so when Price was pulled I called him up and left a voicemail to the effect of, “Hey Gootz, look who’s in goal! It’s Alex Auld! I hope we have enough goals!”. Lo and behold, the Canadiens would respond with two goals to get the score to 5-3 before the Rangers would finally send a freedom-fighter over the Berlin Wall to make it 6-3.

Auld is a secret weapon. He is Liam Neeson in Taken. He is Chuck Norris in…well, Chuck Norris.

The GM’s around the league should arrange it so that whatever team is playing the Rangers gets to have Dryden Auld in net. He would win 82 games a season if they did that. Besides Martin Brodeur, what goalie has ever owned the Rangers like this?

I think the troops on Normandy Beach had an easier time fighting the Nazi’s than the Rangers have at scoring against Auld, the modern-day Ken Dryden (who is pictured on his mask). Tonight, when the Rangers barely defeated the Florida Panthers 1-0, I received a text saying, “Vokoun had an Alex Auld moment”.

Throughout his career, Auld has faced all 30 NHL teams and the Rangers are one of only two teams he has never lost to, the second being the Florida Panthers. His save percentage and goals against average are career lows against the Rangers.

Adam Raider Reflects on the NHL Draft, Discusses Rangers, Free Agency

Posted by Greg Caggiano on June 29, 2010
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Dylan McIlrath will hopefully bring the presence of Jeff Beukeboom.

Few hockey writers have a track record such as Adam Raider. A former member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, Adam has been featured on Beckett Hockey, Blueshirt Bulletin, Hockey Digest, The Hockey Magazine, The Hockey News, and USA Hockey Magazine.

On top of that, he is the co-author of 100 Ranger Greats, the book being featured in a trivia contest on this blog right now. He also has two books coming up for publication, one on the defunct Minnesota North Stars called, The Green and the Gold, and the other on the Dallas Stars titled, Hockey Night in Texas.

Below, Adam and I discussed the weekend’s NHL draft, the Rangers upcoming free agency, and a little about his career in writing. Here is our conversation:

GC: Many fans are up in arms about the Rangers first round draft selection of Dylan McIlrath. What do you think of this pick? Also, how would you rate the Rangers overall draft, including all subsequent rounds?

AR: Since Jeff Beukeboom retired, the Rangers have really lacked a big, physical presence on defense. You realize how much a player like that is missed when you see opposing teams crashing Henrik Lundqvist’s net night after night. So on the one hand, I understand the thought process behind why the Rangers drafted McIlrath.

He certainly has the size and the nasty streak that’s been missing, but I question whether a player like that was worthy of a tenth overall pick. He’s really, really raw and it will be a few years before he’s close to being ready for the NHL. We won’t know whether this was an inspired pick or a disastrous pick for a long time.

New York’s second round choice, Christian (son of Steve) Thomas, is an undersized right wing whose chances of making the NHL are about 50-50. But if he has half of his father’s tenacity, this could be a decent pick.

The rest of the players drafted last weekend seem to be long shots of ever making the NHL, but that’s not unusual. The vast majority of players drafted by NHL clubs will never make it beyond the minor pros.

GC: With the Rangers in need of a steady backup goalie, do you think they will target a free agent, re-sign Auld, or give Chad Johnson the job?

AR: Backup goalies are not usually a high priority but if the Rangers are serious about reducing Henrik’s workload – and they should be – then I think they need to sign a veteran like Alex Auld. It won’t be easy, though. Thanks to some really bad contracts, and the need to resign some of their restricted free agents, they’ll have to pinch every penny this summer. Auld was fine in limited duty last year so I’d have no problem giving him 15-20 starts to take some of the pressure off Henrik.

GC: Is there any chance that the Rangers can sign Ilya Kovalchuk? And if not, what forwards will they pursue in his place, if any?

AR: With the Rangers, there’s always a chance. The question, though, isn’t whether they will, but if they should. The Rangers don’t have a great track record when it comes to investing millions of dollars on hired guns from outside the organization (Marian Gaborik being a recent notable exception). Plus, Kovalchuk is a one-dimensional goal scorer. Other than a lot of pouting, what will he give you during the inevitable cold streaks? Under the circumstances, and given the anticipated price tag, I don’t think that signing him is a risk worth taking.

Greg, I’ve said it many times before, but I guess it warrants repeating: the big problem with the Rangers isn’t that they lack a 50-goal scorer. It’s that they lack chemistry. Free agents come and go so the club never gets a chance to develop any kind of bond or sense of brotherhood. The Rangers have had lots of talented players but they rarely gel into a cohesive unit.

You can’t buy chemistry, no matter how deep your pockets are. It only comes with time, patience, and smart drafting. Rather than buy a player like Kovalchuk and hope he fits in, the Rangers should put in the hard work to draft and develop their own superstars. If that means another rebuilding period, so be it. It worked for Pittsburgh and Chicago, didn’t it?

GC: Given the recent news about the contract negotiations between Staal and Sather, is there any chance things will go awry? And what kind of contract do you think Staal deserves?

AR: Last season proved that Marc Staal is still trying to figure out what kind of player he’s going to be. His role is still a little fuzzy, though part of that might stem from the coaching change. It’s obvious that he has the tools to be a very good defenseman in the NHL for many years to come, but I wouldn’t pay him more than $3.5-$4 million a year.

However, Staal’s agent, Bobby Orr, can point to the insane contracts Glen Sather lavished upon Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival and say “My client is more valuable than those two, so why should he earn half as much?” In a way, it’s a valid argument. Ultimately, I think the Rangers will find a way to keep Staal but they will end up spending a lot more than they had originally planned.

GC: Moving to your writing career, you have two books coming out, one on the Minnesota North Stars and one on the Dallas Stars. What can you tell us about these, and when will they be released?

AR: This was originally one very long book that was to have been released in 2004. It was a complete history of the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise covering everything from expansion in 1967 to the Stanley Cup championship in 1999. Of course, it also included a lot of background on why the team moved to Texas and had profiles of fan favorites like Mike Modano, Dino Ciccarelli, and Brett Hull.

But then the NHL lockout happened and we had a change of plans (or, more to the point, my publisher at the time got cold feet). So I decided to re-edit the whole thing and break it up into two books. Think of it as a great hockey story, told in two parts.

I’m not sure when the first book will be released. I learned from my work on 100 Ranger Greats that things in the publishing industry tend to move very slowly, so I’ll just need to be patient and hope it happens before the NHL expands into Europe … or the Rangers draft a 50-goal scorer – whichever happens first.

2010 NHL Free Agent Predictions: Goaltenders

Posted by Greg Caggiano on June 20, 2010
Posted in: Hockey. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 comments

The most exciting part of the off-season is less than two weeks away. On July 1st, all the buildup of where free agents such as Ilya Kovalchuk , Patrick Marleau, and  Anton Volchenkov will be realized. This year features a decent market for forwards and defense, but what is really being overlooked is the goaltending market.

I don’t think I can remember a time where there were so many capable goalies available, as this year we have five goalies who were number ones this season as well as a slew of backups. With a bad economy and teams not wanting to spend as much money as they used to, it will be interesting to see who goes where, because there are way more goalies than spots available.

Over the next week, I will give my predictions, breaking them down by position. I figured to start this year moving from the crease on out. Joe and I will also be on the air sometime next week, most likely before the draft. We will be bringing back Around the NHL, which we have not broadcasted from since the last off-season. If you remember, Joe and I hosted a show on Youcastr called Rangers Radio, from July 2008 to April 2009. That would end when the station went out of business.

Predictions

1. Evgeni Nabokov to the Washington Capitals

“Birds of a feather flock together” is the old saying, and with Washington’s two main catalysts, in Ovechkin and Semin, both being Russian, it would make sense that if Nabokov does not re-sign in San Jose, that he would join his countrymen in Washington. The Capitals had a glorious season last year, but were eliminated from the playoffs by the eighth seed Montreal Canadiens. Since Olaf Kolzig left, this team has desperately needed a number one goalie.

Jose Theodore has been nothing short of a disaster, and Semyon Varlamov is just not ready, despite his record. Nabokov has been known in San Jose and in the Olympics as a player who is not a big game goalie. This is true, and is the reason why he most likely will not be back with the Sharks. But the Capitals will be willing to take that risk, as they have much more at stake.

Unlike San Jose, the bulk of their stars are in their prime, not on the cusp or past it. The Capitals will sign Nabokov to a five-year deal, that will carry them through the primes of Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green.

2. Marty Turco to the Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have not had a good number one goalie since Ron Hextall. Since then, we have seen Vanbiesbrouck, Cechmanek, Boucher #1, Esche, Niittymaki, Boucher #2, and most recently, Ray Emery. Out of all of those, the one who would carry them the farthest, would be Michael Leighton, a 29-year old minor leaguer.

It would make sense to think that Leighton would re-sign with the Flyers, but the recent trend of free agency has shown career minor leaguers become starters, win games down the stretch, then bolt during the summer for another team, and a boatload of cash. We saw it last summer with Scott Clemmensen of the Devils, and we are going to see in here with Leighton.

The obvious choice for the Flyers to be goalie, would be Marty Turco, a goalie who had fallen out of favor in Dallas after two average seasons. But prior to 2008, Turco was a model of consistency, and is desperately in need of a change of scenery.

The Flyers could be the optimal team for him to be attracted to, as they can boast of one of the hardest hitting defenses in the league, that only got stronger when they acquired the rights to Dan Hamhuis yesterday from Nashville.

I can easily see a two-year deal for the 34-year old Turco.

3. Jose Theodore and Vesa Toskala to Europe

Perhaps there is only one goalie in the league that could have the best offense in front of him since the 1980′s Oilers, go 30-7-7, and still find a way to blow it. That will go to Jose Theodore, who undoubtedly will not return to the Washington Capitals next season after an embarrassing first round exit that was shared between him and Varlamov.

The fact is, teams have not been spending a lot of money on goalies, compared to what they spend on offense and defense. Turco and Nabokov are the only two goalies who will make out well this summer, and with teams looking for cheap, older veterans or young rookies to be their backup, Theodore has no place left in the NHL.

The same can be said for Vesa Toskala who has been brutal since he left San Jose in 2007 and has earned the nickname “ToskaLOL” on the internet forum circuit. It can be attributed to the shoddy defense of the Maple Leafs, but it has taken its toll mentally on him. I do not see there being any team willing to take on Toskala, when any kid in their farm system can come up and play the same way, if not better.

Both of these goalies will head to Europe, most likely Russia, and get paid like kings all while being number one goaltenders. They will each look for one year deals over there, and will hope to return to the NHL next season after a solid year overseas.

4. Chris Mason to the Atlanta Thrashers

When the Blues acquired Jaroslav Halak from the Canadiens the other day, that all but spelled the end for their number one goaltender Chris Mason. The last two seasons have witnessed excellent play from Mason, despite a young and inexperienced team in front of him.

He will be looking for a starting job, and as of right now, there is only team left with a gaping hole at starter. The Thrashers make sense, as do the Sharks if Nabokov bolts for Washington as I predict he will. The two backups for both these teams are Thomas Greiss for San Jose, and Ondrej Pavelec (RFA)  for Atlanta. I think the Sharks will look to go younger and give Greiss the starting job, but the Thrashers will look for stability.

A goalie tandem of Mason and Pavelec going 50/30 for the season could work out well. Atlanta’s defense will also be much better this season, and such a young corp could be attractive to Mason.

5. Martin Biron to the New York Rangers

Joe and I have been saying this since last season, that the Rangers would have an interest in Biron. Henrik Lundqvist needs a backup who can play twenty games and also push him to play better during the middle of the season, when Lundqvist usually tends to slump.

Biron has been a starter in the past and could be a reliable backup that the Rangers would trust over Chad Johnson or Alex Auld. The Rangers would give him a one year deal so Johnson could get an extra year in the minors to be ready for next season.

Other signings:

6. Dan Ellis to re-sign with Nashville

7. Michael Leighton to Dallas

8. Ray Emery to Edmonton, or back to Europe

9. Patrick Lalime to Montreal

10. Johan Hedburg to New Jersey

11. Alex Auld to San Jose

The Rangers Backup Goalie Situation Heading Into Next Season

Posted by Greg Caggiano on April 15, 2010
Posted in: Hockey, New York Rangers. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers had a revolving door of backup goaltenders this season, making it the first time since before the lockout that the team used five goalies in a single season.

Coming into this season, Steve Valiquette was the set backup goalie, but after his play faltered, the Rangers kept promoting and demoting a combination of their two top goaltending prospects Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba.

Johnson was solid in his appearances, going 1-2-1 with a GAA of 2.35. When he was down to log more starts, it was Zaba who was up, and he ended up only appearing in one game, which he gave up two goals in a little more than thirty minutes of playing time.

When John Tortorella had enough of this, the Rangers went out and claimed Alex Auld off of waivers, which I thought was an excellent move, considering Auld had always played well against the Rangers and could be counted on to give Lundqvist a rest down the stretch in very important games. In the season in which the head coach promised he would not play Lundqvist as much as on years past, he ended up having him play more than ever before, in seventy-three games.

Auld would end up only playing in three, one of which was a start. He looked solid, but it really was not enough games to judge him by.

With this season over, I would highly suggest that the Rangers bring back Auld on a one year deal, so that Johnson can get a full season in Hartford as the number one goalie. But now it seems that the two parties are not going to reach an agreement. Auld made a million dollars flat last season, and an amount of the same would be very reasonable if he was to stay on as the backup goalie.

The writers are suggesting that the Rangers will have a veteran backup next season that will not be Alex Auld. To me, it is obvious that the Rangers will go after Martin Biron, the former successful starting goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers, before settling for a backup job with the Islanders this season because no other team was in need of a goalie.

Biron made $1.4 million this season, and if the Rangers could pay him identically, it would be a good move for them. Biron is a player who can play twenty games, or more if needed, and will push Lundqvist to play harder. Biron has appeared in seventy games once, and more than fifty games five times. He owns a 208-176-25-24 record.

I would highly anticipate that the Rangers will go after him, and if they cannot get him, then they will look to re-sign Alex Auld. However, if they can get neither and still do not want Johnson wasting away on the bench, other veteran names on the free agent market include Johan Hedberg, who I would not mind seeing as a Ranger, and would actually want him more than Biron, as well as Patrick Lalime, who I would stay very, very far away from.

We will know very soon if Auld plans on returning to the Rangers, and what the situation will be heading into next season.

What the Rangers Plans Should be the Rest of the Way

Posted by Greg Caggiano on March 22, 2010
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The vast majority of New York Rangers fans have written off this season as a failure, and that they will not make the playoffs. I am part of that majority.

There can be a bright side to this, however, and that is all of us wanted a rebuild at some point in time and this season is close as anything to a rebuild that any New York team can accomplish. We got to see the development of Michael Del Zotto and Artem Anisimov, along with the further development of Marc Staal.

What needs to happen the rest of the way is as follows, and keep in mind I am not yet looking ahead to the off-season, just what I want to see accomplished in the remaining ten games.

1. Fire John Tortorella and Mike Sullivan. Both of their tenures with the Rangers can be classified as one thing- a joke. A complete and utter circus is what these two have been responsible for. Remember when Tom Renney was in charge, and Mike Pelino and Perry Pearn were his assistants? We knew clearly what everybody’s job was. Pearn ran the powerplay, Pelino ran the penalty kill.

What exactly does Mike Sullivan do? No one knows. Tortorella made it clear at the beginning of the season that he wanted only one assistant, and to paraphrase his own words, “Too many assistants yelling different things on the bench can be confusing to the players.” First of all, that is nonsense. I can’t think of a team in recent history to win a Cup with only one assistant. Even when Tortorella won the Cup in Tampa Bay, he had two assistants: Craig Ramsey and Jeff Reese. The real reason for only one assistant coach? Control. Tortorella wants complete control with no staff to question him. Sullivan has served no other purpose besides being an unthinking robot. That is exactly what Tortorella wants.

The biggest joke of all was when he finally gave in to have Jim Schoenfeld become that second assistant, but he doesn’t stay on the bench during games. Perfect sense, to have the only person in the organization with a brain when it comes to coaching stay away from the bench during games. I was one of the many people who lauded Tortorella’s hiring, but it’s over now. The players have been tuning him out for months, and after the last two efforts, there is no chance at recovery.

2. Jim Schoenfeld for interim coach; Graves and Leetch as assistants. Schoenfeld coached ten seasons in the NHL and only twice did he have a losing record. He was excellent with the kids when he coached Hartford for two seasons from 2005-2007, when he led the team to 48 and 47 wins, respectively. He would only be for the interim, and a replacement would be hired in the summer.

As for Graves and Leetch, I would not want them as part of the staff for a long period of time, but the remaining ten games this season would be a good oppurtunity for them to get their feet wet. They are at MSG for every home game anyway, so it would make sense to give them a shot at assistants. I think Graves would be the perfect assistant for any head coach, so who knows, maybe he would fit in with the next regime.

3. Rest Lundqvist. There is no sense in injuring Lundqvist in the last ten, meaningless games, so let him try to win his 30th game (to be the only goaltender in history to start his career with 30 wins for the first five years) and after that, sit him. Call up Chad Johnson and have him split time with Alex Auld.

4. Sit Redden and Rozsival. This will be everyone’s dream come true- a defensive corps comprised entirely of homegrown players. Even with their improved play of late, there is no reason to not call up a combination of Potter, Sanguinetti, and Heikkinen. Give them extended playing time and gradually phase out Dan Girardi as well.

5. Rest Gaborik. Even with all the excitement he provided us this season, Gaborik is obviously playing with some type of hindrance. Give him a few games to try and get 40 goals, then sit him to let him rest up for the off-season, or give him an early jump at a potential surgery, if he were to need one.

6. Call up Parenteau and Locke. It is more than likely that P.A Parenteau will not be returning next season because the Rangers have unfairly not given him a shot, when players like Voros and Shelley find themselves in the lineup. However, he hasn’t be brilliant either, so give him ten games in the top-six to show what he’s got. Maybe he is good after all, and would re-sign next season if the team could guarantee him some regularity on offense.

Corey Locke, meanwhile, has enjoyed tremendous success in his career in both the AHL and OHL. At 26 years old, and only one game of NHL experience, time is running out for this older rookie to get a spot in any NHL team’s lineup. With 29 goals and 49 assists this season in Hartford, this should be his chance to show he can perform at the NHL level.

7. Give Drury more minutes. The only way Drury can get traded is if he plays well. Granted, he has a no trade clause that he probably wouldn’t waive, but it’s worth a shot in putting him on the top line (or at least top two, with some consistency) and giving him max amount of minutes to try and put up points. It’s the only way he will be attractive to other teams, since he has such an egregiously bad salary.