Re: Clarke blows it again
cid said:
Clarke already had Burke and Burke blew it in Philly. He is an older goalie that, except for the great run his rookie year, has been poor in the playoffs. His stats this season are also a lot worse than his (ex)partner Boucher. While he is a better backup than a rookie, I'm not sure that Burke is a big improvement over Esche.
Radivojevic is a nice third liner but nothing special.
Eager is the next Brad May. Big and fast with hands of stone. The 2002 draft is generally considered to be a crap year so his first round status means little. It's always nice to have big and fast guys but Eager projects to be a 4th liner, perhaps a 3rd liner.
Clarke gave up Comrie, a 23 year old that has already scored 30 goals. Perhaps Clarke gave up on him after a slow start. A mistake, IMHO.
Phoenix wins because they get the best player. They get one of the better young offensive players in the game for spare parts (average goalie, 3rd liner, ok prospect). The only problem I can see for the Coyotes is that they have to sign Comrie this summer.
Clarke traded a stud defence prospect in Woywitka, a first round pick and a third round pick for Comrie. With those assets he should have got a real goalie.
The three years prior to this one, Burke was one of the ten best goalies in the league. I'd argue that over that stretch, he was one of the best five. Has age become a factor this season? Perhaps.
The thing about playoff goaltending is that teams always want someone proven - if Clarke loses with Burke, it doesn't look as bad as it would if he lost with Esche. He's right. Burke is a *proven* goaltender. Esche still has lots to prove, although I agree in general, that Robert's probably, at this point, on a par skill-wise with Burke, and is in the process of passing him. But, Burke doesn't need to hold it together for long. Just one playoff run. He's almost certainly got it in him.
Radivojevic projects as a second-liner at least. He's only 23.
Comrie was underachieving in Philadelphia. Now, he's only 23 as well, and has already put up great numbers. Did the holdout hurt his stock around the league? Probably. He also needs to be signed.
I think we may have to wait and see who wins this trade.