Madden Monday: If Penguins don't improve goaltending 'it will be an error of monumental proportions'

So much for my hope that the Penguins might find a way to get Marc-Andre Fleury back to Pittsburgh.

And so much for Mark Madden’s advice to Fleury that he shouldn’t report to Chicago as part of that trade between the Blackhawks and the Vegas Golden Knights.

Fleury put all of that discussion to bed when he announced on Sunday that he’d report to the Blackhawks after all.

He’s in ?#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/2RTjG7UGLe

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 1, 2021

So, no Fleury. Darcy Kuemper went to the Colorado Avalanche. Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta are both going to Carolina. Braden Holtby is on his way to Dallas. So, what does that mean for the Penguins in goal?

After all, they can’t go back to Tristan Jarry as the top option in net with Casey DeSmith as the lone backup. Not after Jarry’s hideous playoff series against the New York Islanders.

Can they?

“(Jarry and DeSmith) did a good job for us last year,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said last week. “And we anticipate them both being back.”

Oh. Well, then, maybe they can.

During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Madden suggested that was a poor idea.

“I think they are going nowhere with Jarry and DeSmith as the goalies,” Madden said. “People are panicking about losing Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev. They are small potatoes. They are bottom-six guys. … That’s still a team that won the division last year. But unless they solve the goaltending, they aren’t going to win a playoff series. And let’s not forget they are in a tougher division this year. It won’t be as easy to make the playoffs, let alone win it.”

That said, Madden isn’t ruling out an attempt to get a goalie before training camp begins.

“You hear Jonathan Quick may be available in a trade (with the Los Angeles Kings). Hextall has some history with Quick, having worked with the Kings organization. But I don’t know. The more I look at what’s going on, the more it seems like they are going to stick with Jarry and DeSmith. Which would be an error of monumental proportions,” Madden concluded.

Meanwhile, on the Fleury front, Madden says that the notion of Chicago immediately shipping Fleury to Pittsburgh for future assets was probably a fantasy all along.

“Chicago didn’t acquire Fleury to flip him to Pittsburgh. They got him to play. They think they can get in the playoffs. They have to keep what remains of their core happy with (Jonathan) Toews and (Patrick) Kane. They got Fleury to play and make the playoffs,” Madden said.

So, are the Blackhawks of the belief that their championship window is still open, as the Penguins seem to think is the case in Pittsburgh?

“If they do, they are even more foolish than the Penguins,” Madden said.

Also on the podcast, Mark and I talk about the Simone Biles controversy. We also dive into Steelers training camp, all the Pirates trades and the passing of ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill.

Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden talk about Marc-Andre Fleury not coming to the Penguins, along with Simone Biles, Steelers camp and Pirates trades