StefanW
Registered User
And my point is better shown with Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. I believe Lehner was capable of being an NHL starter two years ago but he's been rotting on the bench only getting a real shot during the Anderson injury. He needs to play regularly. We're not winning anything with Anderson and we're not exactly endearing Lehner to the Sens organization.
Roy and Brodeur actually do not show your point either. I have seen this argument before from Lehner fanboys a while back, so at that point I decided to check on their early numbers. Neither Roy or Brodeur were actually rushed, and neither really thrived all that much from the starting line. It takes goalies a while to develop into starters, and Lehner will be no different.
I found what I wrote about Roy by digging back into the archives, but I didn't bother going back to get more specific numbers on Brodeur. They are all available on NHL's webpage so I did not see the point. Forgive the cut and paste from my earlier post, but it saves time.
Roy played 1 game in 84-85, and then was in the 40s for games in the next four consecutive years. That is just over half the games his team played, which means he split time with the other goalie (which is what happened with Brodeur as well). Roy did not get into the 60s for games played until his 8th season, and he did not post a season save % over .900 until his 5th year as a pro. Neither of Brodeur or Roy were rushed, and it would be a huge overstatement to say either thrived right away.