The Razor’s Edge

Many have mocked it, including the esteemed Chemmy of Pension Plan Puppets, but I’m not sure the Andrew Raycroft signing is all that bad for the Canucks. He is a former Calder Trophy winner, after all, and he comes in at a bargain-basement price of $500,000 that will allow the Canucks to maximize their resources elsewhere. When you have Roberto Luongo, a pricey backup goalie is not in the cards. Moreover, I’d rather have him than the other goalie nicknamed Razor.

However, I’m in the minority on this one. First, here’s some of the negative reactions from around the Canucklesphere and the rest of the web:

Yankee Canuck, Nucks Misconduct: “Was it just me or did you feel a steely cold burst up and down your spine when you saw this? Somewhere Dan Cloutier is laughing (assuming he doesn’t blow a hip doing it). … If you have something positive to share about Raycroft, have at it because I have nothing. Perhaps the best case scenario is Schneider outplays him in training camp and establishes himself as Luongo’s back up. Raycroft can toil in Manitoba and then, if Schneider is dealt, perhaps it’s at the deadline in which case Raycroft can be called up and play in maybe five games.”

Mike Halford, Orland Kurtenblog: “After the lockout, it went downhill fast for Raycroft. In 2005-06, he lost the starting job in Boston to Tim Thomas…and then he lost the backup job to Hannu Toivonen. After being made a healthy scratch for most of the season, he was traded to Toronto. … What to expect: Not much.”

James Mirtle, From The Rink: “Despite the fact he’ll play sparingly behind Roberto Luongo, Raycroft can still be a major liability. I’ve long said it’s a huge mistake to underrate the backup position, as starters often get hurt. Just look at what the Devils managed without Martin Brodeur last season.
Two more key points: (a) there are plenty of solid unrestricted free agent netminders available and not a lot of spots for them to go, and (b) Raycroft has posted some of the worst totals among all NHL goaltenders ever since winning the Calder Trophy five years ago.”

(By the way, a certain former Canuck is #1 on Mirtle’s list of the worst goalies post-lockout),

These are all valid criticisms. Raycroft has been pretty awful lately, and that could come back to bite the Canucks. However, in my mind, at least part of that’s thanks to the lousy teams he played on in Toronto and Colorado. No one’s expecting lights-out brilliance from him; in fact, many are expecting that he may wind up in the minors, with Cory Schneider potentially beating him out for the backup role in training camp.

To me, that’s a big part of what makes this deal work. Raycroft is one of the few free-agent goalies who could be brought in for the minimum and not even guaranteed a backup spot. We all know he has talent; it’s just a question of if he can find it. Right from Day One, he’ll have plenty of motivation to do so. Moreover, the presence of a long-time NHL goalie, but one who will apparently be in a full and open competition with him for the backup slot, should also motivate Schneider to step up his game in an attempt to make the big club. That can only be a good thing.

From this corner, the ideal scenario would be having both Raycroft and Schneider playing well going into the season and Luongo signed long-term. Raycroft is kept as the backup with the big club, while Schneider gets regular playing time down in Manitoba and is perhaps called up for a few games here and there to showcase his skills. Schneider is traded for a good NHL forward or defenceman (as I laid out in the master blueprint here), hopefully at the trade deadline to maximize his value, but potentially before then or at the draft if the price is right. Raycroft plays in 7-10 games and doesn’t do enough to lose them on his own.

Many teams would be putting themselves in jeopardy with a Raycroft signing. He has great potential and plenty of talent, but he can also be horrible. That can be a bit of a dangerous gamble to take if he’s your only option for a significant number of games. However, for the Canucks, the price of failure is lessened by his low cap hit, Luongo’s heavy workload and the presence of Schneider. If Raycroft can’t pull it together, he’s sent to the minors or released and Schneider comes in as the backup until another alternative can be found. That reduces the risk significantly, which makes this a much more appealing option. For the moment, I’m willing to walk the Razor’s edge.

Related:
- Tom Benjamin has an interesting proposal of Raycroft just warming the bench and Schneider coming up for Luongo’s scheduled off-games [Canucks Corner].

- Richard Loat also thinks Raycroft could play a decent role [Canucks Hockey Blog].

I’ll have more on the Canucks’ other recent moves in the next few days.

Tags: Andrew Raycroft, Canucks Hockey Blog, contracts, Cory Schneider, Dan Cloutier, farm system, free agents, From the Rink, goaltending, James Mirtle, Manitoba Moose, Nucks Misconduct, Orland Kurtenblog, Pension Plan Puppets, Richard Loat, Roberto Luongo, Tom Benjamin