I'd Rather Have a Reliable Veteran

Heroics as a stand-in for Roberto Luongo in a playoff game aside, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of an inexperienced backup goaltender backing up a young goaltender. Granted, in this cap era, perhaps my naive expectations of a veteran backup are bygones of a previous era. And yet, well...

I don't want the Penguins signing Eddie Belfour or temperamental, psychotic back ups (and no, not all goalies are temperamental and psychotic). But I like the presence of a veteran netminder. Veteran netminders know how to prepare themselves. They know how to come in cold. They've been in the Show, and even when they come in cold, they're not intimidated. They're easy to trust, and in particular easier to trust if your starting goalie would unfortunately suffer an injury that would force him to miss a few matches.

I don't know the Pens' budget for next season. I don't know if it's realistic to expect the team to be able to carry a quality veteran netminder, financially speaking, as an insurance policy in case their starting goaltender would get injured. I just know I'd feel a lot more secure about my team's chances of securing a playoff berth, if Fleury should suffer an injury, if a quality, experienced veteran netminder was Fleury's primary back-up for at least one more season (particularly given the fact that the Pens, in all likelihood, will not have a "perfect" defense this season).