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Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving has a lot of items on his off-season to-do list.
At or near the top of said list is finding a starting goaltender and improving upon the team's 30th ranked goaltending.
In theory the last part shouldn't be too difficult - almost anyone would stop more pucks than the likes of Jonas Hiller, Karri Ramo and Joni Ortio did last season - but the Flames don't just want a quick fix. They want someone who can take the reigns for at least a few seasons or, in other words, until prized prospect Jon Gillies proves himself to be ready.
From Frederik Andersen to James Reimer to Jimmy Howard, among others, there have been plenty of names linked to the Flames for a variety of different reasons.
Today I came across a new one: Marc-Andre Fleury.
I'll defer to long-time Flames writer Darren Haynes for a quick explanation of why the Penguins may look to move on from Fleury.
Every indication so far is that Murray has what it takes to be the Penguins No. 1 goalie and not in two or three years, but right now.
Ten years younger than Fleury and far less expensive, it's the type of seamless transition at a critical position that in a salary cap system enables teams at the top to remain at the top.
To add to that, Murray isn't some random goaltender that posted pedestrian numbers everywhere he played and is just riding a hot streak he'll never be able to sustain (a la Andrew Hammond). Murray has dominated the AHL for a couple years and there's plenty of reason to believe he'll continue to do so at the NHL level.
As a result of Murray's emergence, and the fact the Pens would have to leave one goaltender unprotected in an increasingly likely expansion draft, it's not far fetched to say he could become available.
Fleury has a bad rep because of some poor showings in the playoffs but he's a legitimately good starting goaltender. He has posted a .920SV% or better in consecutive seasons and, since 2014, he owns a .928SV% at 5 v 5. That ranks him 12th among 36 eligible goaltenders (minimum 3,000 minutes) and ahead of Tuukka Rask, Jonathan Quick, Pekka Rinne, Ben Bishop and Frederik Andersen, among others, in that span.
There is no doubt Fleury would be a significant upgrade between the pipes. What Treliving will have to decide, should Fleury become available, is if it's worth moving quality assets for a 31-year-old goaltender carrying a $5.75 million cap hit for three more years.
The answer to that is most likely no, which is why I continue to believe
James Reimer is probably the best option in goal for the Flames.
Time will tell if management feels the same way.
Note: stats via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com.
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