At St. Louis Game TIme Brad Lee has gone all the way back to 1996 to name new acquisition Jaroslav Halak the best Blues goaltender since Curtis Joseph.
After going through the team’s mostly forgettable recent history, Lee concludes:
Notice how few seasons see only two guys play in net? That’s pretty disturbing. And having Conklin under contract for one more season is a good thing. He could be a steadying influence on Halak this coming year.
That list of unmemorable goaltending with more than 20 names in 15 seasons. It’s sad how many seasons saw Jamie McLennan and Reinhard Divis stick around sandwiched between a new plan to find a No. 1 goaltender about every season and a half.
Right off the bat, the 25-year-old Halak gives the Blues potential for longterm stability in net the Blues haven’t enjoyed since Joseph became a starter during the first George Bush presidency – as in George Herbert Walker Bush. It’s a legit attempt to improve in a killer Western Conference. There’s still a gap between the Blues and the Red Wings and that one team that won the Stanley Cup. Will it work? We can’t wait to find out.