Phoenix, Carolina swap goalies

[Sand Man]

Same NHL team that drafted Dave LeNeveu. They must like Cornell goaltenders.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=20291

s

[cbuckser]

I guess Patrick DesRochers is no longer the Coyotes' goaltender of the future. ;-)

I hope the Coyotes are satisfied with Sean Burke, Brian Boucher, and Jean-Marc Pelletier playing in goal over the next two and a half seasons so that they are pleased with Dave LeNeveu's development at Cornell and do not entice him to play professional hockey prior to April 2005.

I also hope the Coyotes give Jean-Marc Pelletier a bona fide opportunity to play at the NHL level.

[ugarte]

I don't know what his defense is like in Lowell, but an .898 save% isn't going to earn him a promotion.  He has played better than that in the past, so I'm hoping he gets back to being himself.  Desrochers was having a better year and is younger, so I am not sure what Phoenix was thinking.  But I'm no scout, so I don't pretend that my opinion should be taken seriously. Even half-seriously.

Good luck, JMP.

[neil shapiro]

BRA,

I am concerned that Phoenix was thinking lets swap minor league goalies and pick up a draft choice.  IMHO I would not interpret this as Phoenix having any plans for JMP at the NHL level.

[Al DeFlorio]

neil shapiro wrote:

I am concerned that Phoenix was thinking lets swap minor league goalies and pick up a draft choice.  IMHO I would not interpret this as Phoenix having any plans for JMP at the NHL level.

My take on the trade as well.

[bigred apple]

I didn't catch the conditional draft pick until you mentioned it, Neil.  Now that you've pointed it out, I agree with you.

[jy3]

well they brought him up...
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news/ap/20030103/ap-coyotes-pelletier.html
jmp called up today to be #3

[cbuckser]

I can't read the minds of anyone in the Pheonix Coyote organization, but I hypothesize that the Coyotes promoted Jean-Marc so he could work with goaltending coach Benoit Allaire.  Last year, Jean-Marc went 21-12-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .921 save percentage.  This year, Jean-Marc is 6-10-0 with a 3.55 GAA and an .898 save percentage.  Perhaps the Coyote scouts concluded that Jean-Marc's numbers were down because of a correctable mechanical flaw.  If that's the case, then it would make sense that the Coyote organization would consider it a worthwhile investment to pay Jean-Marc an NHL salary (assuming he has a two-way contract) in order for Allaire to improve Jean-Marc's mechanics or goaltending style.  (I recognize that terms like "mechanical flaw" and "mechanics" are terms used for baseball pitchers rather than hockey goalies.  I don't know the pertinent hockey lexicon for this concept.)

This is all speculation on my part, so take these comments with a grain of salt.

[nshapiro]

Jean-Marc played goalie for Phoenix this past weekend with Burke out for a few weeks, and Boucher nursing a sore knee.

Phoenix lost 2-0

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recaps/20030104/phocob.html

I also noticed that Phoenix just called up another goalie, I hope its not to replace Pelletier.

[cbuckser]

Zac Bierk backed up Jean-Marc on Saturday.  Bierk is the brother of Skid Row lead singer Sebastian Bach.

It's ironic that hours after the Coyotes promoted Jean-Marc, Brian Boucher bruised his knee in warmups and Sean Burke sprained his knee in the game.

Boucher is day to day.  Phoenix's next game is on Wednesday.

[cbuckser]

Jean-Marc is backing up Zac Bierk tonight in Chicago.

[CowbellGuy]

...which featured 2 first-time goalies and a 0-0 final. Does not bode well for JMP

[cbuckser]

After backing up Zac Bierk for two games, Jean-Marc started tonight's game in Nashville.  He stopped 19 of 23 shots, and the Coyotes lost 4-3 in overtime.

[nshapiro]

Apparently they play pond hockey in Nashville:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recaps/20030111/phonas.html

Defenseman Karlis Skrastins carried from his own zone into the low slot. His backhander caromed off a log and deflected to the left faceoff circle. Walker collected the puck and sent it under the stick of goaltender Jean-Marc Pelletier for Nashville's second straight overtime winner.