Vokoun vs. Fleury - A New Kind of Debate

Fleury's Starting Playoff Position...On The Bench

While watching the Penguins absolutely dismantle the Ottawa Senators last night, I was watching Tomas Vokoun.  Watching how he handles the puck, how he manages the defense, and how his positioning is extremely solid.  I watched and saw a goaltender who is not Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur, yet I watched a goalie that was capable of winning games for his team.  He does it without the dazzling glove saves, without seemingly standing on his head to makes saves, and most importantly not flopping around like a fish out of water.

The next thought that crossed my mind might seem like sacrilege to some, but I thought "Why do we even need Fleury?"  Sure, Fleury has been a great goaltender in the regular season the past two years, but the postseason failures HAS to play a role in the decision making of the organization.  Fleury is eating up about 5.75 million of cap space for the next 2 years before becoming a Unrestricted Free Agent.  With the Penguins having Tomas Vokoun locked up for at least another year, might parting ways with Fleury be a play for Ray Shero and the organization?  Freeing up that cap space could possibly help keep a lineup together that could make a cup run a legitimate thought every year.  What would the goaltending situation look without Fleury?  Well, next year Vokoun would be the starting goalie, and I'm sure Theissen of WBS Baby Pens would be elevated to the starting backup.  Could the Penguins win without Fleury?  It should be obvious that the answer to that question is YES.

Keep in mind that Fleury is under contract, so the Penguins would be able to trade Fleury for a potential reward.  Shero is a shrewd businessman and has fleeced teams before (ex - Carolina in the Jordan Staal trade) and might be able to get a return that would only benefit the Penguins in the long term.  I hope you don't read this and think that I feel that Tomas Vokoun is the long term solution in goal for the Penguins...he is not.  He is too old and who knows how long he will hold up.  However, the Penguins have some solid goaltending in the minor league system that could be just what the Penguins need...not a flashy and inconsistent goalie, but a solid goalie who can stand tall between the pipes and makes the necessary saves when it counts the most...in the playoffs.

I am not a Fleury hater.  I have rooted for #29 his entire career, but sometimes I feel you have to read the writing on the wall.  Fleury's confidence is shaken, and no matter what he tells reporters, not matter what he says in interviews, his play tells a completely different story.  If the Penguins decide to keep Fleury it won't set the franchise back, but what do you say to your supposed #1 goalie after this postseason?  What does that do to the man's confidence as he watched his backup out perform him in the postseason and be "the guy" while he does nothing but rocks a baseball hat backwards on the bench??

So, with that said, my question to you is simple...what do you do with this situation.  Do you entertain trades for Fleury?  or do you stick with the guy you drafted #1 overall as an 18 year old?  I'm curious to see what Pens fans think...