It sure seemed as if goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was playing his last few games in a Penguins uniform at the end of the regular season. Matt Murray is younger and cheaper and seemingly coach Mike Sullivan's favorite, so he was considered the team's goaltender of the future. It made perfect sense then, but after watching Fleury in the playoffs, I'm not so sure it's still the right course.
It probably isn't possible or realistic for the Penguins to keep both goaltenders, but they should try. The past two seasons have shown the value of having two goaltenders capable of playing at a high level.
There are obstacles. I get it. The salary cap is one, the expansion draft is another and that both men would like to be a full-time starter is another. So if the Penguins can keep only one, they should think long and hard about keeping Fleury and letting Murray go unprotected in the expansion draft.
Fleury has proven in this year's playoffs that he is the Penguins' best goaltender and that he still has a lot of great hockey in him. The Penguins' window for winning Stanley Cups with this group will be open for only a few more seasons anyway. Management should extend Fleury for another year or two beyond his current contract. He isn't too old yet at 32, and goaltenders generally are able to play into their mid-30s before their production begins to drop. He's signed for two more seasons after this one, so a small extension would give the Penguins four more years with him as their starter. That is ample time to identify, draft and develop the team's next goaltender.
I was of the belief that the Penguins should think about trading Fleury at the trade deadline. In hindsight, that would have been a huge mistake. If Fleury wasn't still with the Penguins, they'd be calling for tee times right now instead of getting ready for the Eastern Conference final. I'm fairly convinced that would have been the case even if Murray hadn't been injured.
No offense to Murray, a fine goaltender with a bright future, but the Penguins would not have beaten the Capitals with him in net. Fleury was special in this series and was special in the first round against Columbus, too. There simply were too many saves _ like the one on Alex Ovechkin in Game 7 _ that no other goaltender could make. He isn't the most technically sound or fundamental goaltender in the NHL but he may be the most instinctive and athletic.
The Penguins still have to beat Ottawa and then the Western Conference champions in order to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. If the Penguins can pull it off, Fleury deserves the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP in my book. He has been the Penguins' most valuable player through two rounds, and there isn't even a close second.
Fleury has had to play at a high level just to keep the Penguins in most of these games. In Game 7, for instance, if he was a little off his game in the first six minutes, it might have been over. The Capitals came out of the gate flying and put pressure on the Penguins, but Fleury kept the score 0-0. The same thing happened in Game 1 against Columbus and Games 1 and 2 against the Capitals. Fleury weathered the storm early and enabled the Penguins to find their game and ultimately win.
The clearest evidence to Fleury's importance against the Capitals is that the Penguins won the series despite scoring three goals or more only three times. He faced 134 shots in the four wins against Washington, making 128 saves for a .955 save percentage.
The Penguins have some tough decisions to make this offseason with regards to their roster for a lot of reasons. Fleury has ensured their decision about the goaltender position might be the toughest they one have to make.
