Faceoff Factor

How Bad Do The Penguins Need Goaltender Help?

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Oct 19, 09:25 AM | Hype this story!

Marc-Andre Fleury and Dany Sabourin are off to less-than-stellar starts to the 2007-08 season, leading Pittsburgh Penguins management to begin considering some options.

For those who have yet to do so, I suggest reading yesterday’s news before continuing on.

Basically what we are looking at is one of two possibilities: a veteran backup to mentor young Fleury and take a few games off of his hands, or a young goaltender to split time with Fleury and potentially compete for the starting job.

But before I get into the specifics, I let’s talk a bit about Fleury, the 22-year-old goaltender who, in many circles, is expected to play like an NHL veteran.

Fleury is far from a bust, and still has a full year until he reaches an age when he should, statistically, come in to his own, at least according to Chris Boersma, who did an analysis for Faceoff Factor.

This analysis shows that Fleury’s development has followed a similar upward path to that of Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo and Patrick Roy.

There’s also this: Brodeur and Luongo, along with Dominic Hasek, are struggling this season, just like Fleury.

• Fleury: 4.11 GAA, .871 Sv%
• Brodeur: 3.51 GAA, .865 Sv%
• Luongo: 3.17 GAA, .897 Sv%
• Hasek: 2.94 GAA, .874 Sv%

These stats don’t lie. None of these goaltenders are playing good hockey at this point. Worth noting, though, is that Brodeur plays behind the defensive juggernaut Devils, Hasek has Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski to help out, and Luongo has a solid defensive team to give him support.

Fleury? Well, let’s just say the team in front of him is built for scoring goals, not defending them.

It’s not time to give up on Fleury. It’s not even time to think about such an option.

It is, however, time to think about upgrading the backup position to do one of two things: provide a calming presence from a veteran or provide a challenge from an up-and-comer.

So, what I will do is break this into three sections, where I will outline the possible goalies who have been mentioned. Following that, I will add my two cents on what I would like to see come of this.

Veterans For Support

• Curtis Joseph, free agent: “Cujo” has had a long career in the NHL, most notably backstopping the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings. He is getting up there in age, but if general manager Ray Shero wants to add a mentor, Joseph is the man for the job. He’s a free agent, so all he would cost is the amount given through a contract. Don’t expect him to push Fleury for the starting job, though, as he is past his prime.

• Martin Gerber, Ottawa Senators: When Gerber signed with the Senators prior to last season, he was projected to be the team’s starter, but after losing the job to Ray Emery, Gerber has expressed a desire to play elsewhere, though he has remained the ultimate professional throughout. While he is not a top-tier goaltender, he would be capable of giving Fleury some days off. The question is, would he be accepting of moving from one backup role to another?

• Andrew Raycroft, Toronto Maple Leafs: The 2004 Calder Trophy winner has failed to return to pre-lockout form, and as a result, has found himself in the rumor mills quite frequently. With recently-acquired starter Vesa Toskla pushing Raycroft to the side in Toronto, his name once again has surfaced. At this point, he is nothing more than a backup. He hasn’t been around long enough to mentor Fleury, and I doubt he has it in him to push Fleury to play better.

Youth For A Push

• Illya Bryzgalov, Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are in a good position between the pipes, with three more-than-capable NHL goaltenders. One of them has to go, and chances are it will be young Bryzgalov, a goalie who looks to have a promising future as a starter. He is good enough to challenge Fleury for playing time, thus creating internal competition between goalies. Bad things really come from such situations. The question is, can Shero and the Penguins offer what Brian Burke and the Ducks would be seeking in return (a solid offensive player)?

• Jaroslav Halak, Montreal Canadiens: Like the Ducks, the Canadiens have significant depth in goal, and Halak has found himself third in the pecking order. He’s more than capable of providing competition for Fleury, which, again, could push both players to do their absolute best to increase icetime. Again, the question is whether Shero would be willing to pony up what it would take. And even if he was, would Montreal trade an up-and-comer like Halak to a conference rival?

The Overlooked

• Ty Conklin, WBS Penguins (AHL): The Penguins signed Conklin during the offseason to assure depth in goal. While he certainly isn’t capable of starting on a full time basis, he could provide stability when Fleury struggles. This option could be the most logical and simplistic, though it may not be the most effective.

At first glance, my thought is to look into signing Joseph, as he wouldn’t require a trade to obtain. But is he washed up? It’s a good possibility, seeing as how no one (including the goalie-deprived Los Angeles Kings) has signed him.

With that being said, the best option would appear to be within the “Youth For A Push” section. Either Halak or Bryzgalov would make a great addition to the team and, at worst would push Fleury to do his best.

And, though I said it is too early to think of this, there also is a possibility that one of these young goalies could prove worthy of being the starter. But that’s way down the road, and shouldn’t be considered when looking to upgrade.

Will something happen? My gut says yes. I don’t have a clue who might be the newbie, but I anticipate there will be one. The longer the team struggles in the defensive end, the more difficult it will be to dig themselves out of their hole.

But with any goaltender change, Shero must realize a defensive change is in order, as well. Put any All-Star goaltender in the NHL behind the Penguins’ defense and he won’t do much better than Fleury has done.

Acquiring a backup goaltender is the first step in fixing a problem. It’s not the only step.