Fleury or Lehtonen ?
- Thread starter tiredman
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Jason MacIsaac
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I think both will be very good. However, I think Fleury will be the better of the two.
But it all comes down to the defense in front of them. Look at Brodeur since the devils d has been injured. He hasn't quite been his all-star self.
But it all comes down to the defense in front of them. Look at Brodeur since the devils d has been injured. He hasn't quite been his all-star self.
Luigi Lemieux
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- Sep 26, 2003
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Future=Hossa said:
How can either be by far or hands down better than the other at this point. It's too early to answer this question, as they both have awesome potential.
Bachelor Bobby
Registered User
Bachelor Bobby said:Fleury by a mile. He'll be in top 5 in 3years for the best goalie
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There is no "by a mile." You can prefer one over the other, but they will both be VERY SIMILAR in overall ability, assuming it all goes well. Right now, it looks like Lehtonen is in a better situation than Fleury, so most likely he will end up better. But they both have insane potential, and niether one of them is good enough to warrant "by a mile" over the other.
thedjpd said:
Just curious but how is Lehtonen in a better position? Because atl has kovalchuk and heatly? While the pens d right now is worthless, they will have young stable of young stud dmen to join the roster in thed coming years.
Luigi Lemieux
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it's pretty much a given the thrash will be better than the pens for the next couple yearspittengineer said:
Having seen them both play, it's very tight but they succeed using different methods. Lehtonen thrives on a very focued, competitive game. Fleury, on the other hand, is best when he's loose, relaxed, and not thinking about every meticulous little thing going on around him.
The difference is I would take Fleury in a pressure situation over Lehtonen, judging from their play at the 2003 WJCs.
The difference is I would take Fleury in a pressure situation over Lehtonen, judging from their play at the 2003 WJCs.
NYRBlaznBure9
Registered User
Dark Metamorphosis said:
I thought it was also a given that the Rangers would've made playoffs after acquiring Lindros..and Bure..and Holik/Kaspar...and Kovalev again..and.. well, you get the point.
I personally think its too early to tell. Young goalie prospects are very different than young skater prospects. It's a toss-up.
Big McLargehuge
Fragile Traveler
Lehtonen by a hair. Fleury is a lot more flashy and will come out looking more like a hero goalie.
Of course it's not clear--that's what makes it a cool debate. In 5 years, this thread will be silly because one will likely be clearly superior.
I'm a Thrasher fan so my heart says Lehtonen. Nothing I have seen or read convinces me otherwise. The kid is a cool technician and reminds me of a young Dryden. I like the way he is developing and the way the Thrashers are grooming him. He is an AHL All-Star and at the same time just learning the North American game. Most importantly however, his confidence has been high and remains intact.
I think Fleury is will be a star too. I just do not trust the Pens to develop him properly. I believe he was mismanaged this year. He'll be fine over time because he is a talented kid.
I'm a Thrasher fan so my heart says Lehtonen. Nothing I have seen or read convinces me otherwise. The kid is a cool technician and reminds me of a young Dryden. I like the way he is developing and the way the Thrashers are grooming him. He is an AHL All-Star and at the same time just learning the North American game. Most importantly however, his confidence has been high and remains intact.
I think Fleury is will be a star too. I just do not trust the Pens to develop him properly. I believe he was mismanaged this year. He'll be fine over time because he is a talented kid.
The pens money problem make it hard for them to handle him right and that might hurt his development. He is going to be a superb goalie no matter what anyway but I really hope the situation in Pittsburgh turns around real soon...dunwoody_joe said:
Don'tcry4mejanhrdina
Registered User
I heard that Fleury is the 2nd fastest goalie in the NHL to get into the butterfly, behind Theodore. I'll pick Fleury.
Lehtonen by Grand canyon!
I really do hate this exaggerating going on in these boards. No comparison seems to be even or close, everything (even comparisons that are obviously close) has to be exaggerated one way or the other.
People are only using these "by a mile" and "hands down" because Fleury is Canadian and Lehtonen is not. Which one is the better goalie? Time will tell.
I really do hate this exaggerating going on in these boards. No comparison seems to be even or close, everything (even comparisons that are obviously close) has to be exaggerated one way or the other.
People are only using these "by a mile" and "hands down" because Fleury is Canadian and Lehtonen is not. Which one is the better goalie? Time will tell.
Winston Wolf
Registered User
Yeah, Fleury sure was great during pressure situations at the last WJCs...Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
Anyways, I think Lehtonen will be the better of the two.
The defense in front of Lehtonen was also way worse than the defense Fleury had in front of him... Not an excuse but more of an explanation as to why Lehtonen's numbers weren't great.
pittengineer said:
As will Atlanta. They already have Exelby playing well, and Coburn will join in. Pens have Whitney, who is still somewhat of a project, and Orpik who just graduated. Let's call that a wash for now.
On top of that, Exelby is more NHL seasoned than Orpik, and Coburn will probably be ready before Whitney. Which means they will jump in first. Atlanta's core forwards are already outstanding, and are only getting better. Penguin's forwards aren't nearly as talented nor as seasoned.
I think it's pretty clear of why Atlanta certainly has the upper hand right now. It may change down the line, but I doubt it. Years of extremely high picks will do that for you. The penguins have only been terrible in their salary dump, financial problem years. Before that, they were quite a team in the early 90's. It's not a knock on Pittsburgh, it's just the way I see it.
Also, Lehtonen isn't under any pressure to accelerate his development with the play of Nurminen already in Atlanta. Fleury was chucked in at 18, not because he was better than Lehtonen, but because he was better than anything else they had. Lehtonen can take his time and develop nicely while Nurminen enjoys his prime. Then he can take over when he's ready.
Would you not call that a better situation? I would.
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The reason why his numbers weren't great was himself. He was a disappointment in the WJC last year, much like Fleury was this year.Spiffy said:
On the other hand I don't think it had anything to do with performing under pressure, Lehtonen proved that he's capable of handling extreme pressure by winning the Finnish championship in 2002. He has since shown that he infact does have nerves and is even capable of losing his temper (which I for a long time thought was impossible), but he was absolutely great in the playoffs that year and didn't let anything take away his focus.
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