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Mason vs. Price


TheAussiePosse

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Is Price really untouchable? He and Mason were both highly touted goalie prospects, but one seems to be doing a hell of a lot better than the other.

Mason doesn't have anywhere near as much trade value as Price. Nor is he as good or have the potential to be a franchise player that Price has. You're comparing Plekanec with Malkin.

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Mason doesn't have anywhere near as much trade value as Price. Nor is he as good or have the potential to be a franchise player that Price has. You're comparing Plekanec with Malkin.

Dude, don't kid yourself. Take it from someone who watches the Jackets on a regular basis - Mason is the real deal. Colin's sarcasm aside, Mason and Price are both phenoms. Steve has already played more than Carey did last year and his numbers are even better. I'm not trying to take anything away from Price, but you don't know what you're talking about if you don't think Mason that far below Price. The sample size for both players is still small at this point, as neither has played a full NHL season. At this point, though, the difference between the two is much more like the difference between Crosby and Malkin.

What we've got, is a holy war: the Mase-iah vs. Jesus Price. I don't care for either nickname, but they're kind funny when you put them up against each other.

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Dude, don't kid yourself. Take it from someone who watches the Jackets on a regular basis - Mason is the real deal. Colin's sarcasm aside, Mason and Price are both phenoms. Steve has already played more than Carey did last year and his numbers are even better. I'm not trying to take anything away from Price, but you don't know what you're talking about if you don't think Mason that far below Price. The sample size for both players is still small at this point, as neither has played a full NHL season. At this point, though, the difference between the two is much more like the difference between Crosby and Malkin.

What we've got, is a holy war: the Mase-iah vs. Jesus Price. I don't care for either nickname, but they're kind funny when you put them up against each other.

Ask me in 5 years. I wouldn't give up much for either today. I wouldn't have given you much for Theodore or Raycroft or Backstrom or Ward for their flashes onto the scene either. So many hot young goallies come into the league on fire and look to all but the most educated to be the next P Roy, only to disappear into the midsts of mediocrity. See what happens once they have their confidence shaken! How about the playoffs? Again, IIHF and Calders are not the same! Probably not going to find out how Mason does post season this year though! Maybe if Carey "It's not mono!" Price gets healthy we will see him.

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Dude, don't kid yourself. Take it from someone who watches the Jackets on a regular basis - Mason is the real deal. Colin's sarcasm aside, Mason and Price are both phenoms. Steve has already played more than Carey did last year and his numbers are even better.

At this point I definitely agree that Mason > Price.

Why? Mason has slightly better stats, but dont forget that his team is highly inferior to the Habs. The Habs are a good defensive minded team and they have several Dmen that would be 1-4 Dmen on any NHL team. (Markov, Komi, Hammer, even Gorges might be considered top 4 caliber). Do the Jackets even have 1 that would be considered a top 4 Dman? The CBJ dont compare to the talent that the Habs have, but still Mason's stats are better than Prices.

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At this point I definitely agree that Mason > Price.

Why? Mason has slightly better stats, but dont forget that his team is highly inferior to the Habs. The Habs are a good defensive minded team and they have several Dmen that would be 1-4 Dmen on any NHL team. (Markov, Komi, Hammer, even Gorges might be considered top 4 caliber). Do the Jackets even have 1 that would be considered a top 4 Dman? The CBJ dont compare to the talent that the Habs have, but still Mason's stats are better than Prices.

First of all Mason's stats are barely superior to those of Carey Price when he became our number 1 goaltender last season. Also to believe that Mason will maintain such numbers on the long run - and they indicate his skill level - is ridiculous, even Dominik Hasek in his prime had trouble maintaining a save percentage in the .930s. Finally Colombus plays a strong defensive game under Hitchcock, and while they may not have a Markov, their top 4 of Hejda, Methot, Commodore, and Tyutin is quite solid. The Blue Jackets' problems are due to a lack of serious lack of offense, not defense.

There's no doubt that Carey Price plays on the better team, however our defense has not played all that well overall this season. O'Byrne was struggling, Bouillon has been below average, and even guys like Hamrlik and Komisarek have not been all that great. However most importantly Carey Price plays with a ton of pressure on his shoulders, he must lead the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup, he comes with "blue chip" expectations, and he's doing great. Carey Price is putting up elite goaltender numbers for a Cup contender, and that is amazing for a 21 year old especially since he's been very consistent (no big ups, but no big downs).

By the way I don't want to take anything away from Steve Mason, he's a great goaltending prospect. However he's played less than 30 games for a middle-of-the-pack team who isn't really expected to make the playoffs, and he hasn't really gone from any "downs" yet, which he no doubt will like everyone else (his numbers also include that exceptional 3 shutouts sequence). For all we know he'll hit some bad luck, and after 2-3 average performances, his numbers can quickly be back in the mid 0.920s. While he's been very impressive I don't think he can maintain that extreme level of performance, and it is too soon to compare him to anyone.

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At this point I definitely agree that Mason > Price.

Don't put words in my mouth. I said his stats are better, not that he is better. My whole point was that Price and Mason both have incredible potential and are not far apart.

Stats don't say everything about a goalie.

Very true, which is why much of my opinion is based on what I have seen. I watch the Jackets fairly regularly and have seen Mason in person twice. I've been incredibly impressed with him. Watching him blank Ovechkin on 18 shots over the course of two games against the Caps, both shutouts, was awesome.

Finally Columbus plays a strong defensive game under Hitchcock, and while they may not have a Markov, their top 4 of Hejda, Methot, Commodore, and Tyutin is quite solid. The Blue Jackets' problems are due to a lack of serious lack of offense, not defense.

I wouldn't give the Jackets D too much credit, they give up a ton of shots. Already half a dozen times Mase has had to face 35+ shots. Commodore and Hejda are both really solidly defensively, but Methot and Tyutin are both pretty average. Then guys like Backman and Russell are both pretty awful. Honestly, one reason some of their guys have a good +/- is because their penalty kill is mediocre and they score most of their goals 5-on-5 since their powerplay is so terrible.

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Don't put words in my mouth. I said his stats are better, not that he is better. My whole point was that Price and Mason both have incredible potential and are not far apart.

Very true, which is why much of my opinion is based on what I have seen. I watch the Jackets fairly regularly and have seen Mason in person twice. I've been incredibly impressed with him. Watching him blank Ovechkin on 18 shots over the course of two games against the Caps, both shutouts, was awesome.

I wouldn't give the Jackets D too much credit, they give up a ton of shots. Already half a dozen times Mase has had to face 35+ shots. Commodore and Hejda are both really solidly defensively, but Methot and Tyutin are both pretty average. Then guys like Backman and Russell are both pretty awful. Honestly, one reason some of their guys have a good +/- is because their penalty kill is mediocre and they score most of their goals 5-on-5 since their powerplay is so terrible.

Every goalie has that in the NHL, it's not as rare as you make it sound

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I think it's still a little too early to make any comparisons between Mason and Price.

Maybe at the end of this season we will have a better idea of what they can both accomplish...but up to now, it's kinda hard to compare them!

Edited by Habsfan
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I think it's still alittle too early to make any comparisons between Mason and Price.

Maybe at the end of this season we will have a better idea of what they can both accomplish...but up to now, it's kinda hard to compare them!

Very true. People are all about Mason because he had a save percentage in the high .930s, but after last night he's now at .932, which is pretty much the save percentage of Carey Price last season after he became our number 1. His stats will continue to fluctuate, and I expect him to finish somwhere in the .915 to .925 range, which would be exceptional.

Mason is a great prospect who's doing amazingly well... but I wouldn't put him before Carey Price who's also doing amazingly well so far, on a longer time span, and with much more pressure and expectations on his shoulders.

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Every goalie has that in the NHL, it's not as rare as you make it sound
Columbus actually gives up the 4th fewest shots in the league (montreal is right in the middle of the league).

I wasn't trying to make it sound rare. I was attempting to point out that he's been facing a lot of shots, i.e. the D in front of him isn't as good as the other person was saying. Looking at the stats again, though, I see that I was wrong. When I looked last night and saw Columbus in 4th place, I didn't look close enough and thought they were listed from most to fewest, so I thought Columbus was giving up the 4th most shots against. I guess I've just happened to watch most of the poor defensive games and missed a number of the games when the D has played really well. Then again, I really dislike Russell and Backman, so I guess I tend to focus on them, and they're lousy.

I think it's still a little too early to make any comparisons between Mason and Price.

How can people not compare Mason and Price? I mean, neither has played a full season worth of games yet, so how can they be on two different levels? If you can't compare a rookie to a second year player, to whom can you compare him? Only other rookies?

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I have yet to see Mason play, but stats aside, everything I've heard about him is absolutely glowing. There is no reason why only Montreal can have a goaltending phenom - and Mason's success in no way diminishes Price's value to the Habs. I will definitely have to endeavour to catch a CBJ game in the near future to get a better idea about the kid.

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I wasn't trying to make it sound rare. I was just trying to point out that he's been facing a lot of shots, i.e. the D in front of him isn't as good as the other person was saying. Looking at the stats, again, though, I see that I was wrong. When I looked last night and saw Columbus in 4th place, I didn't look close enough and thought they were listed from most to fewest, so I thought Columbus was giving up the 4th most shots against. I guess I've just happened to watch most of the poor defensive games and missed a number of the games when the D has played really well.

The players individually are not that amazing - at least niot by reputation - howeber the Blue Jackets play a solid defensive game. They don't usually allow that many quality shots in a game, and they do a great job taking care of rebounds. That doens,t mean Mason hasn't been great, and that he never has to make big saves, just that his situation is not as bad as people might think just before he plays for Columbus.

How can people not compare Mason and Price? I mean, neither has played a full season worth of games yet, so how can they be on two different levels? If you can't compare a rookie to a second year player, to whom can you compare him? Only other rookies?

I don't really think we should even Mason to anyone yet, he's a very good goaltending prospect having a great start in his career. Why not leaving it at that for now? More importantly I don't see the significance of even wiondering which is the better goalie, Carey Price was an elite prospect delivering everything that could be expected of him, he's backstopping one of the top 5 teams in the league, and putting up elite goaltender numbers... all this in the crazy Montreal market. I don't care how good Steve Mason's save percentage is, he can't do anything over the course of 40-50 games that can even compare to this. After 150 games, that will be another story...

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I have yet to see Mason play, but stats aside, everything I've heard about him is absolutely glowing. There is no reason why only Montreal can have a goaltending phenom - and Mason's success in no way diminishes Price's value to the Habs. I will definitely have to endeavour to catch a CBJ game in the near future to get a better idea about the kid.

Exactly. Bottom line: Mason and Price are comparable players who are the top two young goalies in the league and have incredible potential. Both are in very pressure filled situations and have performed admirably in limited time. One is in the most pressure filled city in the league with Cup aspirations. One is on a team that is the only team to never make the playoffs and has begun to lose a significant number of fans the last two years. To say either is far and away a better player at this point is being shortsighted.

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Exactly. Bottom line: Mason and Price are comparable players who are the top two young goalies in the league and have incredible potential. Both are in very pressure filled situations and have performed admirably in limited time. One is in the most pressure filled city in the league with Cup aspirations. One is on a team that is the only team to never make the playoffs and has begun to lose a significant number of fans the last two years. To say either is far and away a better player at this point is being shortsighted.

Seriously.

I almost feel bad for Mason reading this. One little comparison and he gets slammed into AHL mediocrity. There are allowed to be other magnificent goaltending prospects, Steve Mason is one of them. He's easily on par with Price, people act like thats an insult or something.

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I have seen Mason play, he's the real deal.

As it was pointed out, right now it's hard to judge since both are still young and don't even have a complete NHL season below their belt.

As of now, I'd put both on par.

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The players individually are not that amazing - at least niot by reputation - howeber the Blue Jackets play a solid defensive game. They don't usually allow that many quality shots in a game, and they do a great job taking care of rebounds. That doens,t mean Mason hasn't been great, and that he never has to make big saves, just that his situation is not as bad as people might think just before he plays for Columbus.

I love how you bolded the one part of my post and responded to it, while pretty much ignoring the rest of the paragraph.

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Tons of goalies hit hot stretches like this, especially when they first become a starter or first change conferences. It doesn't mean Mason's a flash in the pan, but he can hardly be called a phenom until he's proven he can be this good even after other teams have began to "figure him out." Price gets more credit both because he's been around longer and because he has a better history. It's a lot harder to take a third round pick seriously as a phenom after a great 30 game stretch than it is a goalie that's been called a future franchise player since the draft.

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Tons of goalies hit hot stretches like this, especially when they first become a starter or first change conferences. It doesn't mean Mason's a flash in the pan, but he can hardly be called a phenom until he's proven he can be this good even after other teams have began to "figure him out." Price gets more credit both because he's been around longer and because he has a better history. It's a lot harder to take a third round pick seriously as a phenom after a great 30 game stretch than it is a goalie that's been called a future franchise player since the draft.

Exactly. Steve Mason is a very good prospect doing amazingly well so far in his NHL debut. This a great, but I wouldn't yet compare him to a guy like Carey Price who came with elite potential and a ton of pressure on his shoulders, and who so far has delivered everything that could be expected of him. I have no doubt that the majority of people will remain far more confident that Carey Price will maintain and even improve his level of play than Mason maintaning his.

It's like Brent Seabrook during his rookie season. He had a great start, getting 16 points and a +7 record after his frist 27 games. This was an impressive debut for this very good prospect who was doing far better than expected, and actually those numbers were superior to those of an elite prospect like Dion Phaneuf. Did that mean that Seabrook compared to Dion Phaneuf, not really, and in fact while Seabrook has become a very solid defenseman for the Hawks, Phaneuf is close to joining the NHL elite (if he hasn't already).

I'm not saying that Mason won't become an elite goaltender in the NHL, and that he won't equal or surpass Carey Price... simply that there's no point even comparing them at this point.

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