God Bless Lui's Groin: Andrew Raycroft Is In The House
(h/t to Beantown Canuck for the fanshot alerting us and PPP for rubbing it in though we can hardly blame you)
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).
Back to Mr. Razor. In one way, you could view this is a good acquisition, giving Vancouver Luongo, Schneider and the '03-'04 Calder Trophy winner all as options to guard the net.
Then again, that was Raycroft's best season (in the pre-lockout era too) and to suggest it's been downhill ever sense is an insult to gravity. His save percentage hasn't been above .900 since '03-'04 and his best GAA since that season was a 2.99% two years ago. Last year with the Avs he sported a stingy .892 save percentage and a 3.14 GAA, both of which were 42nd best in the league respectively.
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.
If he hangs around and (*shiver*) plays in more than five or ten games, then Gillis has some s'plaining to do.
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Comments
Meh is almost putting it lightly
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions
honestly, would rather have sanford back
this makes me not want to trade schneider, and i really think gillis needs to do that this year.
Raycroft is freaking terrible. Seriously. He’s Cloutier without the injury issues.
Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com
I fear this is both (a) a cap issue since he signed for the minimum and (b) a sign that Schneider is leaving. Yikes on both accounts.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
If Lou doesn’t sign an extension, Schneider should not be going anywhere!
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Is he that good? Cloutier still had franchise records right up until Lu came along.
by DeafNotDumb on Jul 6, 2009 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions
O’Brien was resigned today as well….one year for $1.6mill.
Seems a tad expensive for O’brien’s skill set.
Yeah I just posted that as well.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions
If only I had Photoshop on my new laptop. Damn!
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions
FIY, try the GIMP. It’s freeware and does a lot of image editing Photoshop does. Link here
No reason Raycroft should lack his beach ball
by DeafNotDumb on Jul 6, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Aw, give Raycroft a shot. He will start about 12 game this year. I think that if he gives us a chance in half, he’s done well.
At league minimum he is not bad.
No, he IS that bad. Seriously this is a joke of a signing. It has everything to do with the money and that’s it.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions
No doubt. It’s now or never. Can you believe he won a calder trophy once?
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Sweet, the beachball is back. At least we’re not lost for comedy this year.
Silver lining…must…find…silver…lining…
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions
With little expectations and the spotlight completely off,
he could pleasantly surprise us. I’m okay with being pleasantly surprised.
Well, we do take special care of players with issues…. Vancouver is becoming a refuge for the unwanted.
So one special seminar for Raygun with Ryan Walter and he’ll be a Grant Fuhr before you know it! haha!
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Half a mil to let the goal-light blister the back of my neck. Where do I sign?
I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.
Andrew “Don’t call me red light” Raycroft. haha. You certainly have a way with words! Jesus I’m sitting here still chuckling over that.
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Schneider and Demitra plus a high pick to Senators for Heatley. Any other ideas out there? Like Yankee said…something is up.
We’d be over the Cap with that, won’t we? And we still need a d-man.
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 4:15 PM PDT up reply actions
As a Leafs fan
I say: HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA
Enjoy!
"Life is just a place where we spend time between games. Hockey is where we live, where we can best meet and overcome pain and wrong and death." - Fred Shero
You paid him lots of money to be your number one, just so you know. We’re paying him the least possible to hopefully not play at all.
I understand MG’s decision.
If we want an Ok backup, then we got to pay about 1 mill. But if we ever need to rely on that backup, our season is lost anyway, so what’s the point of the extra half-mill?
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions
As a Canucks fan I say the following:
Harold Ballard! (body blow)
Sundin vs. Holik! (jab, jab, jab)
Doug Gilmour’s babysitter! (low blow)
Tie Domi’s headshot on Niedermeyer! (left hook)
JFJ as GM! (right hook)
Wendel in the HOF! (uppercut)
Pat Quinn needs more veterans in the dressing room! (Uppercut)
Dave Keon! (throws in the towel)
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the King Lear’s of tragic sports teams.
The Nucks are but Titus Andronicus’s in comparison.
Now run on back to PPP and have a good sniffle.
Fucking awesome, but they could bag on our futile organization as well.
For example:
Harry Neale as coach (Ooof)
Cam Neely for Barry Pederson (ack)
Islanders sweep in ’82 (goddamn)
Chubarov/Krutov (wah!)
Nathan Lafayette off the post (Nooooo!)
Potvin/Irbe/Snow/etc (Yeek!)
Bertuzzi…
Lidstrom scores from center ice (facepalm madness)
Mark Messer….
See? Everyone has demons and fails :)
You hate me now don’t you?
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 6:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Only for mentioning that ‘Messier’ fellow, who should be brought before a military tribunal.
Otherwise I just like to clear the Leafs riff-raff out of here.
I just think it’s hilarious how every year they make a half-serious effort to add a few decent players, thinking they can compete now. And every year they are like 5 points out of the playoffs. They have no understanding of the concept of rebuilding. No concept whatsoever about actually developing youth and talent.
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 6:18 PM PDT up reply actions
I actually think Burke will change that
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 6:19 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree on Burke’s plan for them, they look better on paper right now.
And I don’t hate, I mitigate.
Eklund? Masturbates.
You think they are a good team now though? They have shit for offense, and what looks like a solid but completely grinding defence that supposedly wants to trade Kaberle, aka the only one who can pass. And no reliable goaltending. Not playoff material surely.
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 6:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I actually welcome them…unless they troll, you hater!
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 6:18 PM PDT up reply actions
When Bert comes back and pots 20, you will rue this day, Mister.
I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.
See after today? Shit anything’s possible. If Bert wants to the league minimum too, what the hell?
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Wait….can he play defence? No? OK then…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 6:28 PM PDT up reply actions
That Neely trade made sense, they gave up a slow plodding winger with little desire to be a player. He turned his career around in Boston, good for him. Pederson was a decent player and Vancouver won that trade the day it was made. Its only later that it became a disaster.
And because of Neely, we’ve hung on to many players with his profile for to long. Sandlak, Rob Murphy, Pyatt, Isbister etc…
I was waiting for someone to say that! I pretty much agree with you there.
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 10:19 PM PDT up reply actions
That ends that cute idea.
Funny: picture this new Hawks team barreling down on our new back-up. Giggity.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions
So that leaves Chicago with about 5.6 mill cap space left for next year, with the following still in need of signing:
-Versteeg
-Bolland
-Brouwer
-Eager
-Fraser
-And a backup goalie (note that their starting goalie isn’t expected to carry their team for 70+ games a season).
And Ladd, Keith, Burish, Toews, Kane are all ufa’s next year. A crunch is coming to Chi-town, the curse that comes with the blessing of having a good young team.
TSN is now reporting that all but Versteeg and a backup goalie have signed… how the shit did they do that, and clearly they must have no money left for the big steeger.
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 5:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Capgeek is putting them at $500,000 over the cap already, sans Versteeg.
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 5:59 PM PDT up reply actions
So we sign Versteeg and then trade him for a D!
(Ok, unlikely.)
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 6:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m predicting a buyout of Brent Sopel’s ridiculous 2.3 millioin per year. That’s one thing I would do if i was Tallon.
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 6:26 PM PDT up reply actions
He made saves last season??? With those numbers?
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 6:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Z, come back! I need to bounce some ideas off you for the ‘Welcome Back Bert’ mixer we’re going to throw.
I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.
If Bert signs here, you can poison my drink and throw my dead carcass off a bridge.
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 10:21 PM PDT up reply actions
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.
As An Avs fan I can honestly say something very nice about him.
Hes a tremendous source of stoner jokes.
See now we’re talking. And now in Vancouver, how easy are the jokes to create? Ignore the stats, focus on the pot.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 7:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Well
I’ve had a field day today already…
Like Luongo, Raycroft will be wearing a “C”, but his stands for Cannabis.
And the running theme: Raycroft Signed in Vancouver because…:
- Amsterdam doesn’t have an NHL team yet
- He wants to hang out with the Olympians come February. Not the Hockey players, the snowboarders
by Jibblescribbits on Jul 6, 2009 8:45 PM PDT up reply actions
I hadn’t heard this before. Does he just talk like a stoner? How did this reputation develop?
by Beantown Canuck on Jul 6, 2009 9:00 PM PDT up reply actions
He just kinda seems far out there man. He just seems a little, ummm, absent minded in interviews.
by Jibblescribbits on Jul 6, 2009 9:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Eh, I understand the signing (cheap contract for only 6-10 starts, hopefully). If Luey gets injured for a significant period of time, we’re so boned. Especially if Schneider is traded away without a decent goalie coming back in exchange. I would’ve liked to see Sanford as back-up again, but I guess he wanted a little much.
I still can’t see Schneider getting traded. Not until a Luongo extension, which I still swear ain’t happening until next spring/summer
by Sean Zandberg on Jul 6, 2009 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions

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