With all this recent non-Penguin related topics being discussed on the blog I needed a refresher on what exactly the purpose of this blog is for. Let’s check the top of the page again: “A fan blog about the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins” – Oh. That. The Penguins. Right!
Anyway, the organization finally gave me some content to blog about. Today, they announced the signing of G Tomas Vokoun to a two year contract.
In reading the tea leaves, one could confidently surmise the following:
Brent Johnson’s days as backup to Marc-Andre Fleury are over.
The organization did not feel incumbent Brad Thiessen was NHL ready enough to offer him the backup role to Fleury.
Pittsburgh now has one of the best, if not the best 1-2 goalie combos in the NHL with the addition of Vokoun.
Thiessen is a Group VI unrestricted free agent. Having Vokoun inked in June means that he has all but played his final days in a Penguin sweater. He could test the market and see if there is a team out there willing to give him a shot at an NHL backup deal but realistically, there are only 60 of those jobs to be won in the NHL (30 teams carry two goaltenders) is Thiessen one of the 60 best goaltenders in North America right now?
So where does this leave the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton goal crease come the fall? Good question. Scott Munroe is an unrestricted free agent. Patrick Killeen is under contract but ideally could use another year of ECHL before he’s ready for AHL full time. What do you do?
I’ve decided to bust out the poll again and let you, the reader, decide what happens:
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No matter what happens, could be a very interesting off season.
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Chirps from Center Ice 