Calgary Flames Monday Roundtable: Goaltending Edition

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Mar 29, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings goalie Ben Bishop (31) guards his net during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

Question 4: Ben Bishop or Marc-Andre Fleury – who would you prefer?

Jonathan Boulanger

Bishop. I just find him to be more stable than Fleury (also it doesn’t hurt that he is 6 foot 7, I mean the dude is huge!). He was a solid backstop for the Tampa Bay Lightning and rarely has bad games. I think he could be the stabilizer that the Flames have been looking for since Kipper left. Oh yeah, he’s also the best puck handling goalie in the league.

Alex Hoegler

Bishop. A lot of Fleury’s success has to be attributed to the fact he’s on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bishop guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Eastern Conference Final last year without Steven Stamkos. He just has that ability to take his team further, and the numbers don’t lie.

Bishop has a 2.09 goals against average and .927 save percentage with five shutouts in his playoff career. Fleury’s goals against average is an alarming 2.63 with a leaky .909 save percentage.

I want a goalie who I know will perform well in the playoffs. Bishop is money in the postseason, but you can’t say the same about Fleury.

Dan Raicevich

This is another tough call, because both goaltenders boast extremely great qualities. Fleury is currently playing great in the playoffs for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he has been a great mentor to a young goaltender like Matt Murray. Fleury also has a Stanley Cup to his resume as a starting goaltender. Calgary is in need of a winner and a veteran who has proven to win in order for this team to take that next step.

Bishop, on the other hand, has that ability to elevate a franchise like he did once he arrived in Tampa Bay. The Lightning were in the same boat a few years back as the Flames were, a goaltender away from being a legitimate contender. Ben Bishop brought to the Lightning what the Flames need, that rock solid starting goaltender. Bishop achieved consistent success during his time in Tampa, and he can provide that for the Flames.

Both guys bring extremely great qualities, but you cannot have both. I would have to go with Bishop, because I feel like his body of work is slightly stronger than Fleury’s. Fleury had multiple road bumps during his career in the playoffs. Even though that has been in his past, I personally feel like the bigger the game, the better Ben Bishop plays.

Ramina Shlah

I agree with all three in this one. And I agree with Jonathan in the height area! He’s the tallest goaltender in the NHL which is an important factor to keep in mind. And like the guys said, Ben Bishop hasn’t had the team in front of him and the support like Fleury has had and I think with a young Calgary Flames team, Bishop will be able to hold his own better than Fleury and will be able to bail the Flames out when they need him to.

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