Comments on: Final Grade: Peter Budaj

By: Kylie

Kylie — Mon, 14 May 2007 04:34:05 +0000

I guess a B+ could be fair. But I would raise that just alittle considering how much pressure fell on his shoulders once again. I give him so much credit for how good our team did at the end. He is a great value and I hope he stays here for a while, it would be smart to keep him. Number one goaltender is a great spot for him, but how to get rid of theo is problem.

By: Dario

Dario — Fri, 11 May 2007 20:57:03 +0000

It’s been said and I’ll say it here, Budaj is the best value in the NHL. It has everything to do with being an unproven backup that won the starting job but his salary and numbers don’t lie.

How many players could survive the Coach Q three game yank paranoia and still come out sane? How many could play with a top name goalie making eight times as much breathing over his shoulder?

I think the best thing you can say for Budaj is that he remained mentally strong. Even last year when he lost game after game after game in shootouts where he would stop three shooters and the Avs would still lose (because they couldn’t manage more than 0-1 goals in the shootout).

I think he’s got a perfect combination of size and quickness. I think he will continue to improve and despite Q’s poor handling of goaltenders I think he will remain consistent.

By: Dear Lord Stanley

Dear Lord Stanley — Thu, 10 May 2007 20:45:14 +0000

You’re right, with the Avs all he needed to do was keep them in the game. The Avs’ offensive production was one of the best in the league despite not making the playoffs. Their weakness was goals allowed. If they can minimize those, their scoring power can dominate any game—especially since all of their main goal scorers are still under contract.

By: Colin S.

Colin S. — Thu, 10 May 2007 16:32:48 +0000

While I agree with you on most accounts. The B+ was still the right grade, but I think his rebounds come out front too much. I would like to see him direct them to the corners a little more. His stickhandling I thought was fairly poor, as he scared me a couple times.

Overall I can’t complain about him at all, he has stepped up and I would like to see the Avs get a solid vetren backup for him to learn from.