Hackett to Philly

[nccanes]

Flyers sign free agent Jeff Hackett
TSN.ca Staff

7/1/2003

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have signed unrestricted free agent goaltender Jeff Hackett to a two-year contract, according to General Manager Bob Clarke. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed, but TSN has learned that Hackett will get $3 million per season.

“Our scouting staff, our coaching staff, our whole organization feels that Jeff Hackett will give us the solid and steady goaltending that we will need to take a run at the Stanley Cup,” said Clarke in making the announcement. “He is also the type of goaltender that will allow us to give Robert Esche enough work to develop into a top goaltender.”

“I’m very excited to come to a place that has some great tradition,” said Hackett. “I’ll be joining a lot of former teammates. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. I played with Mark Recchi, who I’ve kept in very good touch with over the years. I played a lot of years with Eric Weinrich, Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte. Everything has happened so fast. I’m just looking forward to coming in and helping the also team be as successful as it can be.”

Hackett, 35, compiled a 15-17-2 record, 2.86 goals-against average (GAA), one shutout and a .911 save percentage in 36 games for the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins this past season.

He posted an 8-9-0 record, 3.21 GAA, one shutout and an .894 save percentage in 18 games for the Bruins.

In 18 games for the Canadiens, Hackett registered a 7-8-2 record, 2.54 GAA and .926 save percentage.

The 6’1”, 198-pound goaltender was acquired by the Bruins from the San Jose Sharks, along with Jeff Jillson, in exchange for Kyle McLaren and a fourth round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft on January 23, 2003. He was acquired by the Sharks from the Canadiens in exchange for Niklas Sundstrom and a third round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft on January 23, 2003.

The 14-year NHL veteran has a career record of 156-234-50, 2.93 GAA and 23 shutouts in 473 regular season games for the New York Islanders, San Jose, Chicago, Montreal and Boston. Over parts of five seasons with the Canadiens (1998-99 to 2002-03), Hackett had a 63-68-22 record, 2.53 GAA and eight shutouts in 161 regular season games.

He was acquired by Montreal, along with Eric Weinrich, Alain Nasreddine and Tampa Bay’s fourth round pick in 1999 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Dave Manson and Brad Brown on November 16, 1998. In 173 regular season games for the Blackhawks over parts of six seasons (1993-94 to 1998-99), the London, Ontario native posted a 63-75-25 record, 2.45 GAA and 14 shutouts.

He was acquired by the Blackhawks from the Sharks in exchange for a third round pick in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft on July 13, 1993. Hackett was claimed by the Sharks from the Islanders in the 1991 NHL Expansion Draft. He was originally drafted by the Islanders from the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League in the second round (34th overall) of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.

[Shell]

"He is also the type of goaltender that will allow us to give Robert Esche enough work to develop into a top goaltender."

I am sure that is not the insult I read it as LOL ;)

[Guyute]

hmmmmmmm. :roll:

I like Hackett, and think he's a pretty decent goaltender. BUT, to drop Roman for next to nothing, and take Hackett? I expected them to go after a big name. I figure the Flyers have 2 years where they'll have a good shot at getting it done with their current team. Next season might be it. And now they're using a "decent" 35 yr old goalie to be pulling the charriot to the promised land?

Way to go Bobby, you've done it again.

*calls some friends around philly to get a lynch mob together*

[Turbulence]

I though they were at the top of the list for CuJo...but I guess a deal couldn't pan out.
Hackett is an ok starter for this year, but he certainly isn't the long term option for Philly. I think it's smart to give Esche more playing time...he certainly can develop into a solid starter for them after Hackett is gone.

[Shell]

Posted on Wed, Jul. 09, 2003
Rich Hofmann | Goaltending is the least of their worries

There is a new goaltender in town, Jeff Hackett.
There is a young goaltender in town, Robert Esche.

There are questions about them right now, questions without answers. But for all of this talk about not having enough goaltending to win a Stanley Cup, there is only one sane response - whoa.

These Flyers might break in two kid defensemen this season. These Flyers might spend a season trying to figure out whether some other kids up front, like Simon Gagne and Justin Williams, are ready to carry the burden of team leadership and scoring leadership - and the ice time and the responsibilities that go along with it.

In other words, these Flyers might find themselves in their most significant transition between generations since Eric Lindros showed up.

Meaning? That the goaltending will be the least of anyone's worries, however the playing time between Hackett and Esche works itself out. And that Roman Cechmanek, traded along with his accompaniment-by-calliope, will not be missed.

Because Esche is better than you think.

As it turned out, the Flyers' season pivoted in early February, right around the All-Star break. None of us knew it at the time, of course, but that is where everything turned.

Two things happened then, both tied together. Cechmanek had to know, then and there, that not only would he be the Flyers' starting goaltender in the playoffs, but also that he would receive virtually all of the playing time between then and the end of the regular season.

That was what he said he needed. That was the Flyers' dilemma, a concern from Bob Clarke to Ken Hitchcock to the end of the roster. The intention from the beginning of the season had been to play Esche a lot - not as much as Cechmanek, but a lot. The reason was obvious: Cechmanek went off like a Roman candle in the playoffs the year before and nobody was sure what to expect in 2002-03.

Hitchcock talked a good game, and everybody made it out as if Cechmanek was developing some kind of leadership skills, but nobody really knew.

Esche was going to get a real look, just in case. And the truth is that there was virtually nothing to choose between the numbers the two goaltenders put up through the end of January.

Here they are, just for review:

Save

W-L-T GAA Pct.

Cechmanek 18-12-5 2.11 .913

Esche 9-4-3 2.00 .912

It is not hard to make the case that Esche's numbers were better at that point, taken on balance. It also is undeniable at that point that the propeller affixed to the top of Cechmanek's mask already had shown signs of spinning wildly in the breeze - in five games, he started but was yanked.

Five out of 34 starts...

One out of seven...

And how long are playoff series, anyway?

Still, Hitchcock felt he had to go with the veteran who could display such moments of brilliance, hoping that the great moments would overshadow the bad ones. The problem was that going with Cechmanek meant knee-capping Esche in the process - because the Cechmeister insisted on all of the playing time.

Was it fair? No. Did Hitchcock want to do it that way? No. But those were the cards in the coach's hand, and Cechmanek was doing the dealing. Hitchcock didn't have much of a choice, as it turned out - because Cechmanek-as-backup would have been something out of Edgar Allan Poe. Even Cechmanek probably would admit that.

Cechmanek played well enough down the stretch, after all of his insecurities had been assuaged, that a lot of this was forgotten. Many people assumed that Esche was "just a backup" after Cechmanek pulled things together in the weeks leading up to the playoffs. It was pretty much impossible for Esche to play up to his capabilities in the final months of the season, seeing as how he was being used.

At one point, he went 13 days between starts, then 10 days, then 13 days again. By then, his first-half numbers had been long forgotten.

Just a backup, then.

Which brings us back to Hackett.

For everything that has been said about him, the guy is a pro. And know this: If Hackett played for the Flyers last spring, they would have won two rounds in the playoffs, not one. He put up good numbers in Montreal before getting traded, slumped badly (and got hurt) at the end of the regular season in Boston after the trade, but had a 1.68 GAA and .934 save percentage in his three playoff starts for the Bruins against New Jersey.

Repeat: The Flyers would have beaten Ottawa in the second round this season with that kind of performance, even as their goal scoring dried up, even acknowledging how badly they were beaten up after their first-round death struggle against Toronto.

Repeat: Goaltending will not be the big issue this year for the Flyers. Repeat, underlined.

[Guyute]

well duh. the flyers' problem is Uncle Bobby. :roll: