After trading for Vokoun’s negotiating rights from the Caps for a 7th rounder, the Pens signed him to a 2 year, $2 million deal. To some, this is an opportunity to give Marc-Andre Fleury a break now and then.
I think it’s a fair assessment to call Marc-Andre Fleury “overrated”, mainly because he was the first overall pick in 2003, had a spectacular .933 SV% in the Pens 2008 Cup run, and took the Pens to the top of the mountain the following year (despite a poor .908 playoff SV%). In some people’s eyes, he’s one of top goaltenders in the league, though that sentiment seems to be quickly fading after his miserable performance this past postseason. (There are still others who say his poor performance is directly correlated to the heavy load he was forced to carry, or the Pens admittedly poor defense.)
Honestly, I think Vokoun will challenge Fleury for the starting position this year. A year ago Vokoun was an elite starting goaltender on a bad team, and after one mediocre season (in which he posted a .917 SV%), he is now suddenly the perfect backup goaltending candidate for a goalie that has a career .909 regular season SV% and a .904 playoff SV%, the latter of which is artificially inflated by one standout year. Overrated? Just a tad.
If Fleury continues his recent spate of poor play, expect Vokoun-Fleury to be the next great goaltending controversy of the 2012-2013 season.
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