2008 Final Grade: A-
2007 Grade: D+
Links:
Jose Theodore (hockey-reference page)
2008 ITCS (aka highly unofficial) Theodore game log
Season Stats: 53gp 28-21-3 2.44gaa 3so .910sv%
Minutes: 3028, 52 starts
1st Half: 17gp 8-8-1 2.77gaa 0so .891sv%
2nd Half: 36gp 20-13-2 2.28gaa 3so .918sv%
Playoffs: 10gp 4-6-0 3.15gaa 0so .906 sv%
Best Month: January (11gp 6-4-1 1.95gaa 1so .930sv%)
Season: Theodore’s 28 wins was the 3rd best season of his career. He also posted his 4th best gaa and save percentage.
Report: Apparently, it just took him a little while to get going. From the time he was acquired (March 8th, 2006) through the end of December of 2007, Theodore played in 63 games (regular season and playoffs). His numbers: a 3.11 gaa, an 892 save percentage, no shutouts and a losing record (25-31-3). Oh, and he earned roughly $9.5 million during that time frame. Suddenly, 2008 rolled around and Theodore seemed to change from terrible to terrific overnight. In 47 games in 2008, Theodore was 25-18-2 with a 2.42 gaa and a 917 save percentage (with 3 shutouts to boot). And for that half a season, he actually earned the $3 million of his half-season paycheck. Simply put, Theodore was a different goalie in 2008; he stopped letting in the soft goals that had riddled his game. On many nights, Theodore was the only guy keeping the Avs in it; the Avs scored a goal or less in exactly one third of his 2nd half starts (12 of 36), and yet Theo still managed to put up a 20-13-2 record. He was still prone to the occasional lapse in concentration, but at least he was able to cut down on them. That just left one big weakness - the inability (or lack of desire) to adjust to deflections or screens. Still, his performance in the second half was, on the whole, downright awesome. The big question, of course, is whether the Dr Jekyll / Mr Hyde show is really over. After 22 months of terrible hockey, is 4 months of great hockey enough proof that the former Hart & Vezina winner is back to form? Personally, I don’t believe it is.
Fast Fact: In 19 playoff games with the Avalanche, Theodore’s playoff record is 8-11 to go with a 3.09 gaa and .904 save percentage.
2007-2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $6,000,000 ($5,333,000)
2008-2009 Status: Theodore is an unrestricted free agent.
Outlook: Back in early May, I stated that I felt Theodore could possibly command a contract over $5 million and that I didn’t believe the Avalanche would go that high. Based on recent information, it seems like Theo will indeed be hitting the open market. Even if he has a change of heart and signs at a discount like Liles and Foote did, there’s still enough lingering questions about his play to generate some considerable unease. Frankly, I think life would be a whole lot easier for everyone involved (fans, team, and Theodore) if a clean break is made this summer.
Theo’s swing back to respectability this season seemed to stem from he and goalie coach Hackett’s decision to break his game down to fundamentals in the offseason and rebuild his form. He’d been dogged by accusations about the new equipment regs, a lack of heart and concentration, and a frequent ‘folding’ under pressure during his last couple of seasons in Montreal and his first couple in Colorado. During that time, he seemed to morph from an athletic butterfly goalie who played an aggressive, challenging style to a more stationary, blocking butterfly goalie. His best attributes (like his glove hand and his natural reflexes) seemed to be toned down in favor of a more positionally sound, passive style. The only problem with that was he’s a midgit in the crease and seemed to get smaller as the shot approached, rather than bigger.
Then in the early parts of 2007-2008 he seemed to be challenging shooters more, spend more time at the top of his crease cutting down angles and reading plays better. The cynic in me finds it odd that his turnaround coincided with a contract year, but maybe the thought of his career ended at league minimums was enough to make him realize what he was doing wrong.
I question his playoff record still, especially when he convinced himself and the coaches that he was ready to go against the Wings this season when that obviously wasn’t the case. I find myself agreeing with Dater’s girlfriend: I think I’d be more comfortable with him wearing a different jersey next season due to his likely price tag and the probability that he’ll regress if he signs a contract of any decent length.
Here you have a 31 year old goalie coming off getting his knee scoped. You got a guy who’s been on a SIX year quest to find his game. You got a guy who’s never been the same since he tested positive for steroids which was due to his use of Propecia for his hair loss issue. You got a million and one reasons to believe that Theo is done.
I don’t know if we should curse or praise Q but coach Q never gave up on him. He kept going back to the well with Theo. No matter how many times Theo burned him, he would keep going back to him. Theo, somehow in his contract year and after his 400th chance turns it around. I don’t know what all that means but I will say that I agree with this rating. Theo was nothing short of great in the second half of the year.
Jeff Hackett and Theo deserve a lot of credit for rising from the flames. I personally still don’t trust Theo over a long haul. I agree with FG’s stance that Theo isn’t worth the risk of a 3 year deal.