Might the Ducks be looking at adding a goalie they defeated to win their only Stanley Cup?

The club is believed to have some interest in one-time NHL netminder Ray Emery, who is trying to come back from a serious hip injury. According to this report by the Canadian Press, Emery was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a disease that causes bone tissue to die.

Emery, 28, is apparently fully recovered from an operation in April where bone taken from his lower leg was inserted into the ball in his right hip, which had deteriorated nearly to its core. He has been working out in Ottawa and is looking to land with an NHL team.

Team officials are not commenting but word is the Ducks checked on Emery and his rehabilitation process sometime last month. But why would there be interest in an injured goalie when they’ve already got big-money No. 1 Jonas Hiller and low-priced backup Curtis McElhinney?

In the Ducks’ case, Emery would be seen as a legitimate No. 3 that could start out as a possible upgrade at their American Hockey League team in Syracuse where he could work on finding his game again after being out of action since December of 2009.

Neither Timo Pielmeier nor J.P. Levasseur has fared well in goal for the Crunch this season and both don’t figure to be a reliable option as a backup in case either Hiller or McElhinney are hurt. Emery could easily get in some work for a Syracuse team that is out of the Calder Cup playoff picture.

It can’t be ruled out that Emery could give the Ducks something to think about — especially if they were to reach the postseason — if he were to play well in Syracuse and McElhinney were to struggle in the few appearances that he’ll get the rest of the way.

Emery came to prominence when he backstopped the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007, where he was victimized by the Ducks in a five-game series victory. His time with the Senators was mixed as some off-ice issues marred his tenure in Canada’s capital.

The Senators ultimately waived him and Emery played in Russia for a year before he resurfaced with Philadelphia, where he was 16-11-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average and three shutouts before he needed the hip surgery.




Kérdem én: mi a francnak kellene ide Emery? Hiller majdnem tökéletes, McElhinney meg remek backup, abszolút felesleges lenne ide.