Jose Theodore will be sticking around after all. The Habs number one goaltender has signed a three year deal. Theodore will be payed 16 million over the course of those three years.
In signing Theodore, the Habs have solidified their goaltending for the next three hockey seasons. Say what you want about Theodore, but the bottom line is that there are many, many teams who would love to have him as their goaltender.
Currently 28-years-old, Theo would have been an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of the year had he only agreed to a one year deal. He will turn 29 shortly before Training Camp begins.
When you look at the Northeast Division, having a guy like Theodore between the pipes could be a big time difference maker. The Habs play a total of 32 games against the Leafs, Bruins, Sens, and Sabres this year. Not one of those teams has a goalkeeper anything like José. Question marks due to age and inexperience plague each of those teams’ goaltending situations.
Say what you want about the trophies that Theodore has won. You can argue that they were not deserved, that he has not played to that level since, or that they simply represent one good season. It is true that Theodore has not yet delivered the biggest trophy of all, the Stanley Cup. However, looking at the team that has skated in front of him, the fact that he has won a pair of playoff series to date is impressive enough in it’s own right.
They say that championship teams are built on goaltending. After today, we have the goaltending aspect down. Now all that’s needed is the rest of the championship team, which seems to be shaping up quite nicely, too.
Theodore can’t go all the way, all alone. He may get part of the way there as he has done in previous years, but no matter how hard he tries he will not win the Cup all by himself. The fate of the team should not rest on his shoulders alone like it has in the past. There are too many good players on this team for Theo to take the blame should things crash and burn in the postseason yet again.
Jose Theodore represents a big piece of the championship puzzle. And for what little it’s going to cost to have him stick around, we should be very pleased.