Pittsburgh Penguins Free Agency: To Sign or Not to Sign?

Apr 5, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Thomas Greiss (1) makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas Greiss

Thomas Greiss was crowned as Marc-Andre Fleury’s replacement by a lot of fans when he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Fleury critics have never been so wrong.

Greiss was not the goalie that Rutherford anticipated when he signed him for $1 million.  Though, Despite popular belief, Greiss wasn’t terrible.  He posted a respectable .908 save-percentage and a 2.59 GAA, but his late-game collapses became an area of great concern.

The problem with Greiss is that he didn’t offer anything more than Jeff Zatkoff is capable of.  Zatkoff posted a .912 save-percentage and a 2.61 GAA last season as Fleury’s backup.  By sticking with Zatkoff the Pens would have saved $400,000 against the cap and may not have run into situations that saw them dressing only five defensemen.

Thomas Greiss should not, and will not be back with the Pittsburgh Penguins next season.