Monday, September 27, 2010

Tidbits from around the Net about José/Wild Possibilities

There are quite a few bits on the net today about the Minnesota Wild goalie situation now that established back-up, Josh Harding, has gone down with an injury. Here are a few:
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Another injury opening can be found in Minnesota, where Wild goalie Josh Harding is likely done for the season with a knee injury. Michael Russo wrote in The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, “As of now, the injury elevates Houston Aeros goalie Anton Khudobin, the bubbly goalie from from Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, to backup duties,” and he quoted Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher saying. “Anton Khudobin has passed every test we’ve given him so far.” That was before the Wild skated into Montreal last night and lost 4-3 to the Canadiens, surrendering three goals in a two minute span of the second period to well-known Habs snipers Ryan White, Dustin Boyd and Brendon Nash. Russo blogs today, “I’d think the team will make a goalie pickup,” and suggests Jose Theodore. The Oilers and Blues also seem to have a surplus of goalies.
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From Russo's Rants--I'd think the team will make a goalie pickup. The two schools of thought: Get somebody to back up Niklas Backstrom and send Anton Khudobin down to Houston, or bring in a quality No. 3 to work with Matt Hackett in Houston and keep Khudobin up here.
But either way, I think the Wild adds a goalie because Hackett needs to play and play a lot in Houston, so you don't want to be caught in a position where he's the guy up here for a long period.
I still think Jose Theodore makes the most sense if he'd play for around $1 million. Problem again though is the Wild, like all teams, has a budget, is already going to spend close to $58 million in real money on just its NHL roster and Harding's contract isn't insured, meaning he gets his full salary from the team, not 80 percent from an insurance company.
We'll see soon. There are a lot of goalies available. If it's Theodore though, I'd think it happens soon because you'd want him in Finland.
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08:21 AM ET 09.27

With Josh Harding's season likely over, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher acknowledged that a decision is coming soon on whether Anton Khudobin will open the season with the Wild, or with Houston of the AHL. "It could just simply be, 'Let's go with what we have,'" Fletcher said before Sunday night's loss, which dropped the team to 0-3-1 in the preseason. "Thursday we get on the plane and Anton's either coming or going because once we get there it's pretty hard to airlift a guy in." Harding's injury has forced the Wild to contemplate whether they have to go outside the organization for a suitable backup goalie, such as Jose Theodore or Vesa Toskala. "We're going to have some meetings tomorrow [Monday] and obviously Theodore's available, Toskala's available," Fletcher said.

Minneapolis Star Tribune
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- Hockey Night in Canada noted Saturday night that rumours suggest the Minnesota Wild may be close to signing former Hab Jose Theodore as a replacement for Josh Harding, who has been lost for the season to a knee injury.
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Of course, nothing official yet. I really don't know what I think about it all. I want him to play somewhere, so I guess it would be good. I read some pretty mean comments in the comments section of one of the articles though. People are just mean. Haters gonna hate, I guess.

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