Mark Madden: Penguins goaltending went from NHL's best 1-2 punch to shambles

The Penguins’ goaltending situation is in shambles. That’s ironic considering the current GM was a goalie and his predecessor was, too.

When the Penguins won their second straight Stanley Cup in 2017, their goaltending was the NHL’s best 1-2 punch. They had Matt Murray, who had played the biggest part in winning two consecutive championships, and Marc-Andre Fleury, the starter when the Penguins won the Cup in 2009. He also played a significant role in the ‘17 playoffs.

Now, just six years later, their No. 1 netminder is too often hurt. The two below him on the depth chart are borderline NHLers.

How did that happen?

To quickly revisit the oldest mistake first, the first error was at least honest. Then-GM Jim Rutherford did what any of his counterparts would have and kept the goalie who was younger, cheaper and had just won two Cups. Fleury left, Murray stayed.

The right decision can go bad. Had the Penguins kept Fleury, they would be better off today, even at his ripe age of 38. Murray has faded since, though a revival in Toronto might be underway.

The latest mistake came this past offseason, when GM Ron Hextall didn’t shop for a better backup to Tristan Jarry.

Hextall did what was easiest, his usual M.O., and re-signed Casey DeSmith for two years.

Hextall also got Dustin Tokarski, he of 78 NHL games and five different NHL teams at 33, to replace Louis Domingue. That’s a sideways move.

The Penguins’ goaltending situation destroyed them in last season’s first-round playoff loss to the New York Rangers. Jarry got hurt, DeSmith got hurt, and Domingue stunk.

The goaltending needed a shakeup and certainly an upgrade at the No. 2 spot. DeSmith was out of contract. Yet, Hextall chose to keep things the same.

That’s what Hextall does: He keeps things the same. He and his mouthpiece, Brian Burke, have run the Penguins for over two years and have made zero impact beyond two token deadline trades, two awful contract extensions and re-upping everybody. You could have read “General Managing for Dummies” and done that.

Hextall was in Vancouver scouting a prospects game and wasn’t present when the Penguins lost 6-4 at home to lowly San Jose on Saturday. This concept is called “Nero fiddles while Rome burns.”

You can’t blame an athlete when he’s injured. But Jarry has been hurt so much that he’s testing that notion.

DeSmith has too often been hung out to dry by the Penguins’ consistently awful defensive efforts. But he’s nonetheless not been good enough. His goals-against average is 3.35. That’s too high. He allowed five or more goals in three of his last four starts. That’s too many.

DeSmith could be wilting under the heavier workload. He played 26 games last year but has already played 22 this season. But he played 36 games in 2018-19 and his numbers were better (perhaps because the team was better).

DeSmith just doesn’t win enough. The Penguins have been a playoff team in DeSmith’s five campaigns up till now. But his record is 50 wins, 53 losses. This season he’s got seven wins against 14 losses. That’s unacceptable.

Hextall should have sought better this past offseason.

But could he have gotten better?

That brings us to the Penguins’ next goaltending problem.

There are 32 NHL teams. There aren’t 32 legitimate NHL starting goaltenders. It’s an extremely weak era for goalies.

Jarry’s contract is up at season’s end. He is a legit starting goaltender. He’s in the league’s top half, probably even the top 10.

But he’s been hurt four times in the past nine months. His latest injury saw him somehow tweak something between the morning skate and the warmup. How did that happen? Was Jarry taking extra shots in his kitchen?

For his next contract, Jarry will want too much, too long. Probably six years with an average annual value of $6 million.

Jarry’s injury history dictates the Penguins say no and let him walk. But who do you replace him with?

Not Filip Gustavsson.

The Swedish goaltender was the Penguins’ second-round pick in 2016. He went to Ottawa in 2018 as part of the trade deadline deal that brought Derrick Brassard (ugh) to Pittsburgh. Gustavsson, 24, has excellent numbers for Minnesota this season (2.26 goals-against average, .922 save percentage) and might become the Wild’s starter next season as Fleury, now with that team, enters the last year of his contract.

Then the Penguins can bring back Fleury. Might as well get that talk restarted.