Three former Ottawa goalies are all thriving in their new NHL homes.
The Ottawa Senators are now seven games into the second Jacques Martin era, and one thing is becoming crystal clear. The habits that were developed on the defensive side of the game in the four-plus years of the DJ Smith era are going to take more than a coaching change to fix.
The last three games were a microcosm of the season to date.
The 6-2 loss to the Devils featured some of the worst D-zone turnovers and breakdowns we've seen from the Senators. The 5-1 victory over the Sabres featured a 45-save performance from Anton Forsberg. The 6-3 loss in Vancouver showed exactly how haphazard the defensive zone play can be from one period to the next.
None of this is intended to excuse Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg from their share of the accountability for the season thus far. They need to be better. However, if your goalie has to stand out in mayhem to have a chance, it is not a sustainable winning model. Not only that, with every passing loss or shooting gallery, goalies gradually lose confidence.
Consider three examples of Ottawa goaltenders who struggled or underperformed in recent seasons yet have enjoyed success in other markets.
JOEY DACCORD
Ottawa lost Daccord in the Seattle Krakken expansion draft in 2021. The decision allowed them to protect Filip Gustavsson.
No one really batted an eye when they lost Daccord. He had decent AHL numbers, but Gustavsson had the far better NHL numbers (2020-21) and was a key acquisition in the Derick Brassard trade.
Since going to Seattle, Daccord was the starting goalie in a run to the Calder Cup final last season (they lost the series in Game 7 overtime). He's also started 33 games with the Kraken, including 23 this season, boasting a .919 save percentage and 2.35 GAA.
Did he just suddenly become a much better goalie or is he playing in a more structured goalie-friendly environment?
FILIP GUSTAVSSON
With Gustavsson and Anton Forsberg as their goalies, the Ottawa brain trust wanted to bring in a more proven asset in goal. Plus, Gustavsson's numbers in 2021-22 had tailed off badly from the season before. So he was dispatched to Minnesota for veteran Cam Talbot.
In Ottawa, Gustavsson either looked really good or really bad. Struggles with consistency aren’t uncommon in goaltenders that have played in Ottawa.
Last season in Minnesota, a team that plays a defensively conscious style, Gustavsson’s numbers were off the charts with a .931 save percentage and 2.10 GAA.
This season started badly for the Wild and for him as well. But since the coaching change, “Gus The Bus” has shown considerable improvement.
Like Daccord, Gustavsson's performance is tied as much to the team as his individual ability.
CAM TALBOT
On the surface, the trade to acquire Talbot made sense. He had two very solid seasons in Minnesota and the Senators were hoping to win now. Gustavsson was still a work in progress.
In the preseason, Talbot took a puck in the ribs, touching off a season that was mired by injuries. He had periods of very good performances and some periods of uncharacteristically bad ones. Like others before him, he struggled to find consistency.
Sound familiar?
Talbot is the most compelling example of what we're talking about. He's played in six different markets (not counting his four game stint in Philly) and you can trace the fluctuation in his results.
With the Rangers, Flames, Wild and now Kings, Talbot played in a much more structured environment. The Rangers, Flames and Wild all made the playoffs in those years and Talbot's Kings, at 20-9-5 this season, probably will too.
The Oilers' more firewagon style led to GAA of 3 or more in his final two seasons and save percentages teetering around or below .900.
Last season in Ottawa, Talbot delivered an .898 save percentage and a 2.93 GAA. Now he's in the structured environment of the Kings under head coach Todd Maclellan (and healthy again) and has a .924 save percentage and a 2.10 GAA.
Once is a coincidence. Twice is a concern. Three times is a pattern.
Is losing any of those goalies the end of the world? No. Does it truly matter who the Senators start in goal with the structure they play with?
If they build it, results will come.