Evgeni Nabokov is probably one of the NHL's greatest enigmas.
He's an All-Star goaltender who stands tall for his team in the regular season, but when the games really count, he seems to either disappear or get outplayed by the other net-minder.
The past few years the Sharks have compiled many wins and have been atop the standings.
For some reason when playoff time comes, though, not only does Nabokov disappear, but to some extent their franchise center Joe Thornton also vanishes.
Some Russian fans will also remember Nabokov's poor showing in the quarterfinal match-up against Canada at the Olympics, where he looked shell-shocked and out of his league.
The 34-year-old netminder's quickness, lateral mobility, glove hand, and five-hole have all gone downhill in recent years, and it appears they are not coming back anytime soon.
Nabokov, who is an unrestricted free agent beginning July 1, will probably be looking for a new home come that date.
I know Sharks fans and management are probably wanting to go in another direction with their goal-tending, opting to either go with a cheaper vetera ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Brad LeClair
Evgeni Nabokov: New Contract or San Jose Shark Meat?
May 28th, 2010 by Brad LeClair Leave a reply »
Advertisement