The Calgary Flames signed goaltender Curtis Joseph to a one-year, $1.5M contract this morning, allowing CuJo to earn half of that, which adds up to about $650K for the rest of the year.
My only question is: Why didn’t the Los Angeles Kings make a run at Curtis Joseph?
The Kings, while clearly out of a playoff spot, could’ve and probably should’ve expressed interest in the aging goaltender. While he may not be the best catch, Curtis Joseph certainly holds more experience than the other four goaltenders the Kings have used this season (Jason LaBarbera, Jonathan Quick, Jonathan Bernier and JS Aubin).
Signing Joseph to a multi-year contract would’ve been a significant upgrade to when the Kings acquired Sean Burke a few seasons ago. Joseph, arguably one of Canada’s best goalies in history, would’ve plugged the significant hole which has been plaguing the Kings for some time now. Instead, it appears the Kings will continue to flounder for the foreseeable future until Bernier is ready to take the reins on a full-time basis.
Perhaps GM Dean Lombardi feels that Bernier will be ready next season; I, however, am betting on the fact that if the LA Kings defence continues to be hindered by the recent play of Rob Blake and the rest of the lacklustre defence, the Kings aren’t going to be making noise in the Western Conference any time soon. And besides, while Bernier is a top prospect, history has shown that top goaltending prospects don’t always succeed while they’re 20 years of age or younger.
Rick DiPietro and Marc-Andre Fleury being good examples. Sure, they’re top goaltenders now, but their starts in the NHL was not very memorable. Allowing Bernier to blossom for the LA Kings’ AHL affiliate in Manchester would’ve been most beneficial to the franchise.
Instead, CuJo is heading to Calgary to play seven games for the Flames, backing up Kiprusoff.
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