Pittsburgh Penguins: Jeff Zatkoff Will Backup, But Should He?
By Mike Necciai
The Pittsburgh Penguins faithful, both fans and media alike, have spent hours upon hours discussing this team’s offensive potency. Everyone has also focused heavily on the young blue line they’re entrusting and whether or not it’s the right decision. But, no one has asked if Jeff Zatkoff is the right decision to back up Marc-Andre Fleury.
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Over the past few seasons we’ve seen the Pens bring in veteran backup goaltenders like Tomas Vokoun and Thomas Greiss. Throughout those acquisitions many questioned what Fleury’s future would look like with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Were they bringing these guys in because they didn’t trust him?
Jim Rutherford made it clear that he was 100% confident in Fleury last season when he completed his contract extension. Greiss played up to par in a backup role but had a few late game collapses that caused the Penguins to forfeit valuable points. So, instead of paying north of $1 million for a backup this season, the Pens have opted to stick with Zatkoff.
Tomas Vokoun was diagnosed with a blood clot prior to the 2013-14 season and missed substantial time. That season saw Zatkoff step into the backup role in Pittsburgh out of necessity and while many doubted that decision, he impressed in his first NHL season by posting a .912 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average. He recorded twenty games that season and finished with a record of 12-6-2. Not too bad for an unproven career AHL goalie.
Zatkoff’s sample size is too small to form an opinion using underlying numbers. The only thing we have to base our opinion from is his short stint in the NHL and his AHL numbers, which are very similar to what he boasted in his twenty games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Some have questioned whether or not he can provide Fleury with enough starts to ease the regular season burden and avoid the fatigue factor heading into the post-season but twenty to twenty-five games is pretty standard for what Pittsburgh wants out of their backups.
The benefit to having Zatkoff is simple, as it comes down to money. He will only count $600,000 against the salary cap in 2015-16. The risk is that you’re banking on Fleury staying healthy. There’s simply no way Zatkoff will step in as a number one goaltender for an extended period of time and carry you through a deep playoff run. And, considering the options left via free agency, no Fleury would mean big trouble for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
However, it’s a risk the Pens had to take. It’s cost-effective and allowed them to build a deep, offensively talented team despite being handcuffed by multiple overpaid veterans. What are your thoughts? Vote below and let us know if you agree that Zatkoff is the right man for the job.
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