Will goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury rebound from a dreadful season?
Those of us who defended Fleury deep into the Montreal series saying he would salvage his pedestrian season by flourishing in the biggest games were proven wrong when he failed to deliver in Game 6 and imploded in Game 7. Having a better defense corps obviously should help Fleury, but there is no escaping the fact that he was pulled from more games (eight) than any No. 1 goalie in the league last season, that his numbers were among the worst in the NHL and that he failed at crunch time. “I still want him in nets in the next big game,” Bylsma said after the Montreal series. I would, too. But, as with Malkin, the coming season is pivotal for Fleury. He took a step back last year. He has five years and $25 million left on his contract. Fleury needs to make himself the least of the Penguins’ worries, not the list-topper.
