Marty Turco is a former NHL all-star goaltender, playing 11 seasons with the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. Tune in to Hockey Central Trade Deadline on Mar. 5 beginning at 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT, as Marty joins Nick Kypreos and Wendel Clark to provide analysis on the top goaltenders on the trade market, including the recently-dealt Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak.
Jonas Hiller | Anaheim Ducks
Style: Hiller really fills the ice. It’s an advantage that he is left-handed. He plays a unique style. He’s catching the wrong way but it’s just the way he plays. He has a very wide stance and he’s the quickest of anyone to go down. He’s got a flair for the dramatic. Some people like that and it looks good.
Pros: He’s playing great. He’s really competitive on second chances and never gives up. He’s always blocking the puck, which not everyone does in this day and age. He’s very flexible and can take away some angles for elevated shots. When you get him spread apart, he’s really good. He’ll be a help for his teammates. He is one of the better movers from his knees, and he’s done it a long time — he’s been real solid that way. His eyes are always locked in, which is super important.
Cons: His hands get real low. His stance is susceptible to high shots, deflections and second chances. His stick sometimes gets left behind because he tries to seal so much that his stick is always between his legs. He doesn’t really get square, more by design, on real low tight plays. On short-side chances, Hiller can try to anticipate a pass sometimes, and he’s not square to the shot. As a result, a lot of guys will try to go short-side on him. Some think he doesn’t have great feet because he goes down early and plays on his knees, and he doesn’t really control those very well.
Intangibles: He’s played for some good and poor teams, and has shined either way. He’s got more experience than people like to think he has and that’s huge come playoff time. His competitive nature, coupled with his ability to fill the ice and take away a high percentage of the shots, means he’s got the recipe for success.
Glove Hand: 9/10
Blocker: 8/10
Rebound Control: 7/10
Puck Handling: 6/10
Breakaways: 8/10
Total: 38/50
James Reimer | Toronto Maple Leafs
Style: Reimer has got a great butterfly and he covers the net. His glove hand is ok, but his movement is pretty crisp. That’s what he’s really worked on in Toronto.
Pros: Reimer has good size and an ability to take away the net. He’s a decent puck handler — actually better than what he gets credit for, but his biggest problem outside of the net is that he gets too excited sometimes. He’s a big-time competitor, but just lacks experience.
Cons: Reimer’s five-hole is a problem. Also, he often ends up on his chest when he’s going side-to-side. He gets out of position and can’t stay upright. For a big guy, he plays real low and his hands get low and he’s’ really susceptible to the high shot. I don’t think he watches the puck as often as he should — which is all the time, by the way!
Intangibles: He’s highly passionate and competitive. With the right goalie coach, he can get back to the playing style of his younger days, and get rid of his methodical and robotic plays that have hurt him. He’s got great skill and has huge upside.
Glove Hand: 7/10
Blocker: 7/10
Rebound Control: 7/10
Puck Handling: 8/10
Breakaways: 8/10
Total: 37/50
Martin Brodeur | New Jersey Devils
Style: Brodeur is rarely out of position and he plays well in big games. He controls a lot of the low shots and he’s there for the rebounds. He’s a really good puck handler, and opposing teams know that. He is calm and moves the puck with great efficiency.
Pros: Brodeur’s biggest assets are his experience and competitive nature. He’s a really sound goalie, even at his age. He still looks pretty sharp for the most part because of the way he can move on his skates and the work he does with his goalie coach. Brodeur is unpredictable in the net — people don’t know what he’s going to do and it keeps shooters on their toes. Even Brodeur himself doesn’t know what he’s going to do all the time and that’s an advantage.
Cons: He’s known for being susceptible to low shots — especially on bad angles. He doesn’t look to go down and doesn’t fill the ice great on wraparounds, either. Also, sometimes he allows a lot of rebounds on the middle of the ice — which is generally a no-no — but his teammates know that. He’s old school and doesn’t like anyone in his crease. You can rattle him if he’s not playing well.
Intangibles: His big-game experience. Brodeur has a championship attitude. For the first time in his career, he is looking to prove people wrong and you don’t want to underestimate a guy like that.
Glove Hand: 9/10
Blocker: 8/10
Rebound Control: 6/10
Puck Handling: 9/10
Breakaways: 8/10
Total: 40/50
Tim Thomas | Florida Panthers
Style: Thomas fills the ice really well, even though it doesn’t always appear that way. His lateral motion is superb. He gets there when you don’t think he’s going to and he’s very good on his angles.
Pros: He’s got a real competitive nature with the way he battles on the ice. He has the ability to watch the puck and read it off the stick – he’s one of the best at doing that, even at his age. He cuts off shots, but his aggressiveness can be both a pro and con.
Cons: One weakness for Thomas could be taking the year off — that could slow him down. Sometimes he can be overaggressive. It creates rebounds but he’s played like that his whole career, so he’s accustomed to it. Another huge con is his mask — I think he just looks silly!
Intangibles: His confidence is tremendous. He’s unorthodox, so you never know what you’re going to get, unless you see him every day in practice. He’s a real unique one. He’s very fiery.
Glove Hand: 8/10
Blocker: 9/10
Rebound Control: 8/10
Puck Handling: 6/10
Breakaways: 9/10
Total: 40/50
Cam Ward | Carolina Hurricanes
Style: Ward is one of the most athletic goaltenders out there. He’s super quick side-to-side and tracks the puck better than most people with his great reflexes. He’s got a really good glove hand and he’s got a nice butterfly.
Pros: Ward has got very solid movement, which gives him great rebound control for the most part. He’s aggressive, and that’s a lot easier when you’ve got quickness. When he gets in the zone, he’s one of the best goalies in the world – and he was a few years ago.
Cons: His inconsistency as of late is unfortunate. Ward tends to get ahead of himself sometimes, because he’s so quick. He gets too excited and might lean off the post and not be where he has to. He doesn’t always close the angle in a great scrambling position for a second rebound. He struggles with the high pass on one-timers because he over-challenges.
Intangibles: Ward never gives up, and that’s why you see him on highlight reels all the time. Not that he’s trying to do that, but that’s just the way he plays –- even in practice. Mostly, he’s one of the more skilled guys out there. He’s a proven commodity and focused to get back on top.
Glove Hand: 9/10
Blocker: 7/10
Rebound Control: 8/10
Puck Handling: 8/10
Break Away: 8/10
Total: 40/50
Ryan Miller | St. Louis Blues
Style: Miller has a great butterfly and a real strong catching glove. He also has pretty quick feet.
Pros: He is big, experienced and is very calm.
Cons: He is a bit weak on the blocker side. He has allowed a disproportionate number of goals on the blocker side for a left-hander, and is susceptible to bad rebounds from bad angles. He likes to play on top of the crease and can get driven back pretty easily. He’s not good at playing the puck. He doesn’t need to get out there very much.
Intangibles: His commitment. His desire. With everything he’s gone through in the last couple of years, he wants to get back to winning and be part of a winning team. That’s big for him. He has confidence in himself and wants to be the guy. He wants to be in St. Louis to stop pucks, and stop talking about the rebuilding in Buffalo, his incident with the Bruins and his expiring contract.
Glove Hand: 8/10
Blocker: 8/10
Rebound Control: 7/10
Puck Handling: 7/10
Breakaways: 8/10
Total: 38/50
Jaroslav Halak | Buffalo Sabres
Style: He has great calmness in the net with the way he fills the ice. He tracks the puck really well.
Pros: Halak controls his rebounds. He’s got big-game experience, and that’s pretty huge for any team. His playoff run in Montreal is a perfect example of what he can do. Not many goalies with that kind of experience are available.
Cons: Halak’s size is his biggest con, and he’s not overly quick for a smaller guy. He has some trouble with screen shots, but that could also be attributed to his size. He doesn’t play the puck great. It’s also a disadvantage that he didn’t get enough action in St. Louis.
Intangibles: Just comes down to him having that experience in Montreal. He’s a quiet competitor with inner belief. Not overly fiery, though.
Glove Hand: 7/10
Blocker: 7/10
Rebound Control: 9/10
Puck Handling: 8/10
Breakaways: 8/10
Total: 39/50
Brian Elliott | St. Louis Blues
Style: Elliott fills the ice really well. He gets down really well, but sometimes, his patience can hurt him.
Pros: His rebound control is spectacular. He’s got a great stick and a really good glove hand also. Elliott has an incredible work ethic. When he gets in a rhythm — like he did a year and a half ago — he’s one of the better goalies on the planet.
Cons: Patience. He can get driven back into his net on tight situations and it opens up chances for rebounds. It’s a big disadvantage for him. He has not had a lot of time in a No. 1 position, and that won’t change behind Ryan Miller in St. Louis.
Intangibles: I think Elliott is as calm as any goalie in the league. He’s got a bit of an unknown mentality, and he’s not the most experienced guy. Elliott is confident in himself but you might not be sure what you’re getting if you trade for him.
Glove Hand: 9/10
Blocker: 8/10
Rebound Control: 8/10
Puck Handling: 8/10
Breakaways: 8/10
Total: 41/50