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Flames Sign Goalie Curtis JosephCalgary Flames Sign Goalie Curtis Joseph to One Year ContractThe Calgary Flames sign goaltender Curtis Joseph to a one-year, $1.5 million contract to backup Miikka Kiprusoff in net.
The Calgary Flames will have some insurance in net heading into the second half of the season, after signing free agent goalie Curtis Joseph to a one-year contract through the end of this season. Joseph spent last year with the Phoenix Coyotes, playing in 55 games and compiling a record of 18-31-2, with a 3.19 goals against average and a .893 save percentage. After spending the first half of this season without a contract, a strong performance at the Spengler Cup threw several teams into a bidding war for the goalie’s services, with the Flames finally coming out on top. Joseph will give head coach Mike Keenan a little bit more leeway in relieving Flames starting goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, who has started all but one game this season, and has yet to consistently find the form that makes him one of the league’s elite goalies. Current Flames backup, Curtis McElhinney will likely be sent to the minors, where he will surely see more playing time. The other two teams said to be in the Curtis Joseph sweepstakes until the end were the San Jose Sharks and the New York Rangers. Ironically, both of those teams also have bona fide number one goaltenders, so it seems no matter where Joseph went, his playing time would be limited. The Sharks’ starter, Evgeni Nabokov, is the only goalie in the league to start every game for his team this season, while Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was generating early buzz as a Vezina Trophy favorite, which is handed out annually to the league’s best goalie. The signing of 40-year-old Joseph is consistent with the team’s recent philosophy of bringing in older players to play a leadership role, but it hasn’t always worked out in the past. In 161 games as a Flame from 2005 through 2007, Tony Amonte scored just 24 goals, and currently finds himself without an NHL contract. Jeff Friesen played one season for the Flames in the 2006-07 campaign, scoring just 6 times, and is also without a place to play this year. Barring an injury to Kiprusoff, the Flames won’t be calling on Joseph to contribute regularly. With fewer than 40 games to play, Joseph’s starts will likely be limited to single digits, but having the veteran on the bench gives Keenan the all important opportunity to rest Kiprusoff going into the playoffs.
The copyright of the article Flames Sign Goalie Curtis Joseph in National Hockey League (NHL) is owned by Nathan Atnikov. Permission to republish Flames Sign Goalie Curtis Joseph in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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