PITTSBURGH _ Few towns love a goalie controversy more than Pittsburgh. It seems like we thrive on these things, dating back to the days when Marc-Andre Fleury began losing his starting job to Matt Murray.
That one I understood. That one at least had some merit because both men had won Stanley Cups and it became a classic example of "talented young player replaces aging veteran." That made sense, and Mike Sullivan also developed a comfort level with Murray.
Now it is Murray trying to hang on to his job. He has won two Stanley Cups in his short career. He unseated Fleury, a future Hall of Fame goalie who was a fan favorite. He has proven to be a player who generally rises to the occasion in the playoffs. He has been a franchise goalie by every definition thus far in his career.
And yet here we are a few days from teams heading into the "bubble" city to make their final preparations for the season to resume and Murray is fighting for his job.
It makes absolutely no sense to me considering the man threatening to take it is Tristan Jarry. Not Carey Price, not Andrei Vasilevskiy, not Ben Bishop, not Sergei Bobrovsky _ heck, not even Fleury. No, it is Jarry, who might some day prove to be an All-Star-worthy goalie on a yearly basis. He does seem to have talent and he seems to have a bright future ahead of him.
But he doesn't have the resume of Murray, he hasn't proven he can take the team places Murray has, and he hasn't won enough big games to understand what it takes. Murray has proven he can handle the pressure and he has proven he can raise his game during the playoffs.
I don't believe winning championships and big games necessarily means a guy gets a lifetime pass but let's not act like his Stanley Cups are a decade ago. And let's not act like Murray is some sort of aging, grizzled veteran who is hanging on to past glory, either. He is 26 and just entering his prime.
I'm all for earning your spot, and guess what? I believe Murray has done that, based on his total body of work. Yes, Jarry has been a little better this season and even during this restart, but that's not what should be relevant. The relevant question is: How much better has Jarry been than Murray?
If the answer isn't "significantly," then this isn't a discussion. I look at it like a prize fight between the world champion and one of the top contenders. If it goes the distance, the benefit of the doubt goes to the champion. The contender can win a decision but he has to clearly and decisively win in order to take the championship belt from the champion.
That is the same concept at work here. Jarry's overall numbers were slightly better but the last month of the season before it was stopped, Murray was actually playing better.
Sullivan may think he has a tough decision, but he doesn't. If he really thinks about it, he knows what he is looking at and understands what is at stake. Jarry has proven he is capable of winning games and that is important, as he might be needed at some point in the playoffs.
But there is no way the right decision is to sit the player who has won 28 playoff games, twice hoisted the Stanley Cup, and saved the day in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Ottawa in 2017. It would make no sense at all to leave that player on the bench to start the series.
Sure there is some risk, as Murray might stink up the joint in Game 1. Then Sullivan can go to Jarry and make the change. At least then Murray will have played his way out of the job. He deserves that chance.
My guess is if the Penguins get knocked out of the playoffs earlier than predicted, it won't be because of Murray. He has proven this over time, and that's why Murray deserves to be the goalie who gets the first crack at being the playoff starter.
