In need of goalie help? Bryzgalov or Miller?
Not surprisingly, these teams are languishing in the early-season standings. That, combined with the increased competition for playoff spots given the NHL’s realignment, has amped up discussion about alternatives and, most specifically, how the dominoes might fall vis-à-vis a couple of high-profile netminders — Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres and erstwhile free agent netminder Ilya Bryzgalov.
While there are other potential options, Brian Elliott is the odd man out in St. Louis with Jaroslav Halak playing well and Jake Allen waiting in the wings, and veteran Jose Theodore is still without a job. But both Miller and Bryzgalov represent the most interesting options for teams looking to shore up their goaltending with proven players, although both come with their own sets of pros and cons.
Bryzgalov, of course, was bought out of the remaining seven years of his nine-year, $51 million contract by the Philadelphia Flyers this offseason and did not find a new NHL home. Instead of returning to the Kontinental Hockey League as many believed he would, Bryzgalov is currently working out with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL and focusing on returning to the NHL. In theory, money shouldn’t be much of an issue for Bryzgalov, but opportunity and, as they say in the real estate business, location, location, location might dictate where he ends up.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/27151/in-need-of-goalie-help-bryzgalov-or-miller