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A Sophomore Jinx?
by PuckStopsHere on 11/02/09 at 11:39 AM ET
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Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets won the Calder trophy as the best rookie in the NHL last season. He finished second in the Vezina voting for best goaltender (behind Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins). He looked like an NHL star in the making. He was invited to the Canadian Olympic Team summer camp. However, this season has not gone nearly as well so far. Mason currently has a .882 saves percentage - which is the worst of any goalie who has been a clear number one with his team. He has a 3.53 goals against average and six wins in 11 starts. These are not the numbers of a future star.
Last season, Mason did not have a consistent season. He joined the Blue Jackets in early November. For about six weeks in December and January he played some spectacular hockey. This is a large part of what secured his awards. By the end of January, Mason missed time with mononucleosis and did not look like the same goalie when he returned. From the beginning of February to the end of the season, Mason posted a .899 saves percentage. Given that he posted a .916 saves percentage over the whole season, this was a noticeable drop.
Was this reduction in effectiveness at the end of the 2008/09 season a fluke? Did it happen because he had fatigued and with a summer off things would get better again? Did it happen because his earlier results were an unsustainable fluke? Did scouts learn how to beat Steve Mason? All of these are reasonable questions. It wasn’t clear if the Steve Mason of 2009/10 would be an all star, a mid-level goalie or what. So far he has played poorly. Is this a sign of what to expect in the future or a poor start that will soon rectify itself?
Despite Mason’s start, the Columbus Blue Jackets have had an OK start to the season. They currently have a record of 7-6 (with one overtime tie point). This places them ninth in the West Conference. They would miss out on a playoff berth to the Calgary Flames who also have fifteen points, but have one less game played. The fact that Columbus has done OK with Mason playing poorly implies that they should do better when he finds his game. Columbus has had a good offence so far this year. Rick Nash’s 20 points places him fourth in scoring leaguewide. They have some depth with players like Antoine Vermette, Jakub Voracek, Kristian Huselius and RJ Umberger also chipping in. This is not a bad team.
If Mason falters, Columbus could turn to Mathieu Garon. He has played well so far in limited starts and has been a solid number one goalie in years past for the Edmonton Oilers.
It is interesting to watch Steve Mason. He had an inconsistent rookie season. His peaks were so incredibly high that he was rookie of the year and a Vezina nominee, but it was not without valleys. The questions that were first exposed by those valleys are getting bigger and more significant as Mason has stumbled through the first month of the 2009/10 season.
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Tags: Columbus+Blue+Jackets, Steve+Mason,
Comments
You need to pay attention to the rash of injuries to the defence. Hejda’s was especially a huge injury blow. Commodore was out for the first few weeks and still isn’t quite right. They were the shutdown top 2 D last year. Also, Tyutin and Klesla (3 and 4) have been fighting their share of nicks and dings. I know that’s part of hockey. But the CBJ has had their 5th D-man from last year playing #1 minutes this year.
Once Hejda comes back (which should be soon), and he and Commie gel, then I expect Mason’s numbers to get much better.
Mason has let in some soft goals in the last week and a half (which he acknowledges). However, even though the score doesn’t reflect it from last night…he’s getting better.
Posted by VandyBuck on 11/02/09 at 04:03 PM ET
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You may be taking it way out. Maybe he’s not starting well but the team’s still winning. That’s what it’s really about. Plus, he’s only played 11 games as a 21 year-old. Marc-Andre Fleury got lots of bad raps too before he got into the finals twice and won the cup. Give the guy some time and he’ll be up there again. Although, since I’m a fan of another western team, I hope they crash and burn… no offense to any Jackets fans. I just don’t want you to win.
Posted by Matt Fry from Winnipeg on 11/02/09 at 02:44 PM ET