I have added “the forgotten man” to this post. he is located at the end of the posting. *
Steve Mason- Next year is a $3 million payroll hit. There is no question that the fans want to see him gone. At best he has been inconsistent. Also true is that he has been hung out to dry more times than a beach towel. He is under contract, that means he must either be traded or bought out. Strangely he seems to play well for several games and then go “out to lunch” If he cannot be traded, would he make a good back up? One that would play part time. More possible than the likelihood he will be a starting goal tender for Columbus next year.
Curtis Sanford – Curtis was originally slated to be the lead goal tender for Springfield as a mentor for young goalies. He was pressed into service as the lead goal tender for Columbus do to injuries and Steve Mason’s poor performance. Sanford did a nice job. But he too had several injuries, mostly around his back spasms. Not a likely candidate for the lead goal tender at Columbus. His contract is expiring this year, but he did express a desire to return to Columbus.
Allen York – Allen, after leaving school ,Allen joined Springfield for 4 games last year. He was 3 W and 1 L and a 2.04 GAA. He was slated for Springfield for this year. Due to injury, and the whole situation he ended up sitting the bench in Columbus a lot. He also played at Springfield for 5 games and Chicago for 11. He also appeared in 11 NHL games. His run while starting at the end of the season, with Columbus out of goal tenders, was fantastic. Is he ready for the lead goalie job, probably not. Although in a previous post, Fire That Cannon I mentioned that perhaps a newbe might be a new way of obtaining a goal tender. Best guess is he returns to Springfield.
Mark Dekanich – Mark was poised to be the backup/replacement for Steve Mason. It didn’t happen. Mark was injured in preseason and didn’t play a game for the Blue jackets. He was also injured in Springfield on his rehabilitation assignment, so he missed basically the whole 2011-2012 season. Mark was signed to a 1 year contract. It could be another team will offer him a contract, but I look for the blue jackets to offer him another contract at a lower figure with a 2 way clause.
Mathieu Corbeil-Theriault – Mathieu is currently playing for the St Johns Sea Dogs. he has won 37 games has a .911 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA. The Sea Dogs are competing for the QMJHL championship. His 37 wins were by far the best in the league. Mathieu was called up to Columbus to be the Goalie backup for 1 game on October 17. While it is very unusual, under emergency conditions, a QMJHL player can go to a NHL club and return to the QMJHL. This was another case where the Blue Jackets were out of goalies. He turned 20 in September. Expect him to move up next year. But not to the NHL level.
Curtis McElhinney The forgotten man. Curtis was a throw in on the A Vertette trade. On February 22, 2012 McElinney was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets (along with second round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft (via Ottawa) and a conditional fifth round selection in the 2013 Draft) for Antoine Vermette . His 2012 salary was $625,000. He is an UR this summer. If you look at his statistics, he has 69 games of experience. His save % of .899 is not too hot, but his last 2 stops are better. So he actually could be a better choice than Mark Dekanich. At 29 years old, it is doubtful that he is going to surprise anyone and become an all star.
So there you have it, a summary of the goal tenders currently under contract and just a little about them.
Where we go from here is anyone’s guess. It could depend on the Rick Nash trade/no trade.
We want the cup