Ottawa Senators

Auld man….in or out?

Oh the agony of the off-season. While the hockey writers throw out the odd report on the big 2, the rest of us have to just sit back and wait for the season to near before having any attention (fabricated or not) paid to our teams. So, I’ll do my best to fill the void with another look at a new roster addition, Alex Auld.

In the view of many hockey pundits, Alex represented one of the best goaltenders available this off season. Now, although that may sound promising, and it is, let’s just be clear, it was a particularly weak class. Apart from Theodore, and Huet there was little else of note truly available. Neither Theodore nor Huet have yet to prove to be worth the attention they garnered, let alone the salaries they commanded, leaving Auld as the most coveted backstop for right minded teams to consider, albeit in a back-up scenario. To be clear, as the above statement is ripe for criticism, I’m not comparing Auld and Theodore and Huet directly, merely in terms of value for the money.

Who exactly is this Alex Auld we have replaced the Jeckyl and Hyde formerly known as “Razor” Ray Emery with? Well, he’s no Ray Emery, and that’s both good, and bad. But, there are some similarities, both in style of play, and career challenges. They are both very large framed goaltenders, that cover a great deal of the net, and posess above average athleticism, that has led both into trouble zones when they over play a shot. Also like Ray, Auld was not drafted with a great deal of fanfare, but at a respectable (especially for a goalie) 40th over-all, but was drafted by none other then Bryan Murray.

When Murray drafted Auld in FLA, it was in hopes of him becoming a #1 starter, and some believe this hope remains, with the impending UFA status of Gerber in 2009.Is this reasonably possible? Yes. Is it likely? No. Unfortunately, his earning number one status in the past has been faced with some serious difficulties, both as a result of his play, and the play of those around him. In Florida, his drafting team, he was too young to earn a role, and was moved out to VAN for picks in 2001 when it was believed he was not the goaltender of the future. In Vancouver Auld began his professional career, playing for Manitoba of the AHL, where, to be fair, he struggled. But he did get his first start in the NHL. The next two seasons saw Aulds play continue to progress in the AHL, along with a few more starts in the NHL, until in 2005 he cracked the VAN line-up, and earned a starter role, where he played 67 games, posting a .902 sv%. He was traded back to Florida the following off season in the infamous Luongo deal, and languished while playing on poor teams like Florida and Pheonix.

His career saw a resurgence after being traded to BOS in 2007, where he picked up 23 starts while sharing duties with Tim Thomas. Although he lagged behind Thomas, when his individual performance is assessed, it becomes obvious that his winning % is more a factor of his teams lack of offense then his poor play in net. In one particularly dismal streak of 4 straight losses (ending his role on BOS), he allowed only a maximum of 3 goals once, and had a GAA of 1.49. Simply put, he gave his team a chance to win, and that’s all that can be asked of any goaltender. In fact Tim Thomas has received a fair bit of accolades (deservedly) for his stellar play in 2007, but Auld was given the horns. However, when comparing full games played, Auld was the better tender, having not once allowed more then 3 goals in 18 opportunities, with a combined 1.88 AGPG. Contrast this to Thomas, who in 52 full games allowed 4 or more goals 9 times and had a AGPG of 2.19. To say the least BOS was a challenging team for a goaltender to look good on, and Thomas may have been the recipient of playing on those nights the team in front of him scored. Not to mention the fact that Thomas could make stopping a beach ball look acrobatic. Say what you will about him, he is fun to watch!

Where does this leave Auld on Ottawa? Honestly battling for a chance to earn a number one role come next season. At only 27, Auld is far from washed up, and in many peoples eyes, he’s one fair opportunity away from earning a starting job, with the right team in front of him. If Ottawa plays as lousy defensively as they did last season, Auld may just have found himself in another no win situation, but if Ottawa returns to form, and Auld steals the number one job, or at least competes for starts, Auld may hit the jackpot of finally getting a chance to accept his share of the blame, and success, in a team game.