I was on my way back from a business lunch today when I heard a radio report that the Penguins had traded a 7th round draft pick to Washington in return for the rights to netminder Tomas Vokoun for two years at 2M. I thought that was 2M total or 1M per year. I was ecstatic! I had mentioned the need to upgrade that position in a blog post from last night, and to do it with Vokoun for such a minimal increase in cost seemed almost impossible. It was. Kind of. The Penguins are paying Vokoun 2M PER YEAR not 2M total, and that annual increase of 1.4M per year in the cost of the goaltending position required more thought before I could decide how I felt. That did not take me long to figure out. I think the Penguins made a great move here. Reading my own blog post from last night underscored the need for top notch goaltending to win the Cup, and despite Fleury's prior post seasons, and recent regular seasons, his past three playoffs have been pretty poor. Many cite fatigue as an issue, particularly last season when Fleury appeared in 67 games, largely due to the poor performance from Brent Johnson who was 6-7-2 with a .883 save percentage, and a 3.11 GAA average. In a dogfight for playoff positioning, the Pens could not afford to give Fleury a rest, and many think he burned out as a result. Therefore, King Ray contacted the Capitals who have Braydon Holtby and Michael Neuvirth as young netminders, and he acquired the rights to Vokoun for next to nothing, and signed him, making sure a key position was addressed in the offseason. For 2M per season, I don't see Vokoun playing less than 25 games, and maybe as many as 30 games per year, which will give Fleury adequate rest. The good news is that Vokoun actually has better career numbers than Fleury posting a .917 save percentage and 2.55 GAA v Fleury's .909 save percentage and 2.68 GAA in the regular season. In the playoffs, Vokoun was .922 and 2.47 GAA, while Fleury posted a .904 and 2.68 GAA. I am not suggesting that Vokoun is a better player, but I am saying that at 35 years old, and with numbers such as the above, the Penguins should be able to spell Fleury whenever they see fit with Vokoun as the backup. Ray Shero mentioned today that Fleury's best post season numbers in 2007-08 came after a season in which he played his fewest games due to injury. Vokoun will give the Pens that luxury again. Since 2005-06, Vokoun's 287 victories rank him 6th among active goaltenders, and he appeared in 401 games during that span, good for 8th. Vokoun also posted 36 shutouts in that span, while Fleury has posted 22 in the same timeframe. He was named an NHL All-Star twice during that span. Over the past four seasons, Vokoun has posted a .923 save percentage! This kind of back up could give the Penguins one of the top goaltending tandems in the NHL, while providing them the comfort that will not only allow Fleury some rest, but should actually PRESS him to be his best. The Penguins will have the ability to spell Fleury should he struggle, a situation which should keep MAF sharp from start to finish. Both GM Ray Shero and Assistant Coach Tom Fitzgerald have had affiliations with Vokoun in both Nashville and Florida, and they both say he is a good guy to have in the locker room. Vokoun has posted these numbers playing for poor teams in Nashville and Florida, I can remember many nights against Florida where Vokoun single handedly kept the Panthers in the game as the Penguins peppered him. The Pens, arguably have a 1A and 1B tandem for the first time in recent memory. All in, the Penguins have put more dollars into this position, but by doing so they have not only shored up an area of concern during their recent post season struggles, but again shown their commitment to winning. Taking a wait and see approach with pending free agency, could have cost them an opportunity for such an upgrade. I hope this move is a splash to signify a productive off season for the Penguins.
No comments:
Post a Comment