Heading into the Olympics at Sochi, one of Canada’s biggest concerns was goaltending. The incomparable Martin Brodeur looked painfully mortal, the successor to Canada’s goaltending throne, Roberto Luongo, was coming off a poor season in which he lost his starting job, and Marc-Andre Fleury, the 2003 first overall pick, fell apart in the playoffs on a yearly basis.
But much like some of Canada’s other problems (will Claude Giroux ever score?), the goaltending situation no longer seems dire.
The main contenders—last summer’s orientation camp invitees (Luongo, Carey Price, Corey Crawford, and Braden Holtby), minus Mike Smith (who has struggled in the two seasons since his big breakout), and plus Fleury—have played great.
Additionally, many surprise names have dominated early on, like Ben Scrivens and Josh Harding, backups who have taken advantage of injuries. Their short track record will likely preclude them from Sochi, much like both James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier, who have been game stealers for the Maple Leafs. Even Steve Mason is stopping rubber, although playing twenty points above his career save percentage screams red flag, and not the Canadian kind.
The wildcard very few are talking about is Holtby, who doesn’t have as much experience as the other contenders (only 82 career games), but has the highest career save percentage of any Canadian starter. He also basically shut down the defending Stanley Cup champs in the 2012 playoffs by himself.
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More importantly for Canada, Luongo has rebounded from a down season, re-establishing himself as an obvious choice for Sochi. The main issue won’t be whether Luongo makes Team Canada; it will be whether he starts. After all, Luongo led Canada to gold in Vancouver, and owns one of the highest career save percentages of all-time, and having a goalie with experience on the big stage will be comforting to the coaching staff.
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But despite his international experience, Luongo has some serious challengers.
Apart from getting blasted 6-0 by the LA King (another example of the West’s superiority), Carey Price is having a tremendous season, posting the best save percentage of his career (.934). Much like Luongo, Price has bounced back from a poor 2012-13. Over the past five years both Price and Luongo have registered nearly identical save percentages, and because of the way he’s started the season, Price probably has the slight edge.
But neither Price nor Luongo own an NHL ring, and that often dominates the discussion.
Crawford won a cup with Chicago last year, but has looked more like his 2011-12 self, who was largely blamed for the Blackhawks first-round playoff exit, than the Stanley Cup winning version of himself. His career save percentage is also closer to Devan Dubnyk than it is to either Price or Luongo.
Fleury too has a Stanley Cup on his resume, although his came nearly five years ago, and since then he has tanked in the playoffs. Still, he has started the season with something to prove, and is having his best year ever.
Once rosters are announced, expect Luongo and Price to be the two candidates to swap starts during the preliminary round, with one of Crawford, Fleury, or Holtby along for the ride.
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