Thursday, August 18, 2005
Canucks Re-Sign Cloutier
The Canucks announced today that they have re-signed Dan Cloutier to a two-year deal worth $2.5 million per year.
I honestly thought the Canucks would only sign him for one-year. While Cloutier's regular season stats are among the best in the league, the main knock on him has been his inability to carry the Canucks in the playoffs. A one-year deal would have given him one more chance to prove himself in the playoffs, after which the team can decide on whether or not to hand over the starting duties to Alex Auld. Or someone else.
For now however, there isn't anyone else. Unless the team is willing to part with a Todd Bertuzzi or an Ed Jovanovski, they wouldn't be able to acquire an "elite" goalie like Luongo or Theodore. Sure they could have signed Jocelyn Thibault or Cujo, but can they be considered "upgrades"? Thibault is injured more than Cloutier and has a worse playoff record; Cujo is ten years older and still hasn't won a Stanley Cup. They also could have decided to go with Alex Auld now, but why would the team go with an unproven, rookie goalie when the team is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender?
So instead the Canucks simply placed their trust on Clooch. At 29 years old - the age at which most players start to hit their prime - we can only hope that this is the year Dan truly becomes the man.
I honestly thought the Canucks would only sign him for one-year. While Cloutier's regular season stats are among the best in the league, the main knock on him has been his inability to carry the Canucks in the playoffs. A one-year deal would have given him one more chance to prove himself in the playoffs, after which the team can decide on whether or not to hand over the starting duties to Alex Auld. Or someone else.
For now however, there isn't anyone else. Unless the team is willing to part with a Todd Bertuzzi or an Ed Jovanovski, they wouldn't be able to acquire an "elite" goalie like Luongo or Theodore. Sure they could have signed Jocelyn Thibault or Cujo, but can they be considered "upgrades"? Thibault is injured more than Cloutier and has a worse playoff record; Cujo is ten years older and still hasn't won a Stanley Cup. They also could have decided to go with Alex Auld now, but why would the team go with an unproven, rookie goalie when the team is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender?
So instead the Canucks simply placed their trust on Clooch. At 29 years old - the age at which most players start to hit their prime - we can only hope that this is the year Dan truly becomes the man.
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