Mirtle: Blues’ Brodeur gamble makes little sense

At 42, Martin Brodeur still thinks he has some game left.

The New Jersey Devils disagreed, despite the fact he is the most recognizable player in franchise history and one of the greatest goalies of all time.

You can see why. Over the past four seasons, Brodeur was one of 40 goalies that appeared in at least 100 NHL games.

His save percentage of .904 was better than only two: Mathieu Garon and Nikolai Khabibulin.

Both have since retired, along with almost every netminder in their mid- to late 30s.

Lowest save percentage (2010-14)

Increasingly, there seems to be awareness in the NHL that an old goalie is a poor goalie, regardless of his pedigree.

Roberto Luongo is the only starter in the league who is 35-plus, and there are only three backups in that category.

As recently as 2011-12, there were several times that: Thirteen "old" goalies suited up that year, including eight as starters (roughly a quarter of the NHL's regulars).

Many of those starts are what you could call reputation starts, as in a goalie's reputation earned the playing time over his performance.

The numbers tell the story there, too.

This season, goalies that are 31-plus have a save percentage of under .912; goalies 30 and under are above .915. For an average team, it's about the difference of allowing an extra goal every 10 games.

Brodeur's recent history indicates he would give up an extra one at least every three games.

Nonetheless, the St. Louis Blues may take a chance he can fill-in while Brian Elliott is out with an injury, giving Brodeur a shot at a weird late-career coda with one of the best teams in the league.

For now, the soon-to-be Hall of Famer is merely working out with them.

"He's going to practise with us for the better part of a week and then we'll make a determination," Blues GM Doug Armstrong explained.

"He'll find out where he's at and we'll have a chance to work with him and make a decision on whether we'll move forward with a contract or not."

"He looks good," added coach Ken Hitchcock, who knows the goalie well from international competition.

Bringing in Brodeur obviously wouldn't be all bad. Perhaps some of what he knows can rub off on youngster Jake Allen, who the Blues hope becomes their own goalie of the present in the near future.

Maybe he'll learn that even the very best get old.

The Associated Press

RISING

Biggest points-per-game increase

1. Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia: His play has been overshadowed by the mess that is his team, but Voracek and Claude Giroux have been stars for the Flyers. Vorachek in particular has exploded, is sitting in second in the NHL in even-strength point production and on pace for a 114-point season after posting only 62 last year.

2. Ryan Callahan, Tampa: There were certainly a lot of skeptics when Steve Yzerman traded a face of the franchise for Callahan and gave him a big contract (six years at $5.8-million U.S. a season). Riding shotgun with Steven Stamkos, however, Callahan has produced in a big way, with 21 points in 19 games. The pair appear to have some nice chemistry, too, as Their possession rate is at nearly 60 per cent when they’re on the ice together– much higher than when apart.

3. Rick Nash, N.Y. Rangers: It’s hard to believe, but there was buyout talk around Nash last season. He had only 39 points in 65 games and only three goals in 25 playoff games. Badly snake bitten by the hockey gods, however, Things have turned Nash’s way this year, as he has one of the highest on-ice shooting percentages in the league.

Honourable mentions: Nikita Kucherov, Brock Nelson, T.J. Brodie and Kris Versteeg.

Rising: Biggest points-per-game increase

	Players	Last year	This year	Diff
1	Jakub Voracek	0.76	1.39	0.64
2	Ryan Callahan	0.55	1.11	0.55
3	Rick Nash	0.60	1.09	0.49
4	Nikita Kucherov	0.35	0.83	0.49
5	Brock Nelson	0.36	0.83	0.47
6	T.J. Brodie	0.38	0.84	0.46
7	Kris Versteeg	0.44	0.90	0.46
8	Nick Foligno	0.56	1.00	0.44
9	Vladimir Tarasenko	0.67	1.08	0.41
10	Patric Hornqvist	0.70	1.09	0.39

Reuters

FALLING

Biggest points-per-game decrease

1. Cody Hodgson, Buffalo: The formerly high-regarded Canucks prospect is in the midst of a disastrous season. On a team desperate for goals, He has the offensive talent to lead the way, but so far has only two points in 24 games and is living in coach Ted Nolan’s doghouse. And his generous contract runs another four years.

2. Olli Jokinen, Nashville: Jokinen turns 36 this week so some of this could simply be Father Time. But his fall off has been dramatic after producing 43 points with Winnipeg last season. Despite playing all 23 games and 15 minutes a night, he has one point.

3. Mikko Koivu, Minnesota: The biggest head scratcher of them all. Koivu has played with all kinds of different linemates and is getting four minutes a game on the power play. After scoring at nearly 70-point pace last season, however, he’s on pace for only 32 this year.

Honourable mentions: James Neal, Paul Stastny, T.J. Oshie and Anze Kopitar.

Falling: Biggest points-per-game decrease

	Players	Last year	This year	Diff
1	Cody Hodgson	0.61	0.08	-0.53
2	Olli Jokinen	0.52	0.04	-0.48
3	Mikko Koivu	0.83	0.39	-0.44
4	James Neal	1.03	0.61	-0.43
5	Paul Stastny	0.85	0.44	-0.41
6	T.J. Oshie	0.76	0.35	-0.41
7	Anze Kopitar	0.85	0.48	-0.38
8	Mathieu Perreault	0.62	0.25	-0.37
9	Alexander Semin	0.65	0.28	-0.37
10	Dustin Byfuglien	0.72	0.36	-0.36

USA Today Sports

TOP SCORERS THAT DIDN'T APPEAR IN 50-PLUS NHL GAMES LAST SEASON

1. Steven Stamkos, Tampa: The Lightning superstar missed all but 37 games because of a broken leg last year and is now back to his superstar ways. Stamkos is on pace for 49 goals – production that has helped his team become the highest scoring one in the NHL.

2. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit: Another star sorely missed last season, a healthy Zetterberg is a huge reason the Red Wings are back in the NHL’s top 10. He’s on pace for his first 70-plus point season since 2010-11.

3. Filip Forsberg, Nashville: Easily the Calder Trophy favourite through the first quarter of the season. And a damning reminder of the terrible trade the Washington Capitals made to get rid of him. Score one for Preds GM David Poile.

4. Jori Lehtera, St. Louis: Unheralded Finn’s first season in North America has been an overwhelming success, unlike the Leafs’ gamble on fellow KHL scorer Petri Kontiola. Lehtera is unfortunately nine months too old to be eligible for the Calder though.

5. Sami Vatanen, Anaheim: Dynamic little defender has become a terrific weapon on the Ducks power play after getting only part-time duty there as a rookie last year. Tied for third in scoring among blueliners.

Honourable mentions: Kris Letang, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Strome and Leo Komarov.