Goaltenders Ready To Battle It Out For Starter Spot

For teams like the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, there is little doubt as to who will be starting in net when the puck drops to start the regular season. No matter how well Johan Hedberg, Martin Biron and Cory Schneider impress in training camp, none of them will supplant Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist or Roberto Luongo.

Many teams, however, enter camp with at least two options that have realistic chances of taking the No. 1 role when the regular season beings on October 7. While one may have a greater shot than the other, nothing is set in stone for either player and training camp will provide the perfect opportunity for both goaltenders to prove their value to the organization.

Here are a few teams that will need to observe their options closely and select the man most capable of defending their net during the season ahead.

Atlanta Thrashers: Ondrej Pavelec vs. Chris Mason

When the Atlanta Thrashers traded Kari Lehtonen last season to the Dallas Stars, they made the statement that they were ready to move ahead in a new direction between the pipes. Lehtonen had been their guy for a number of years. But his player never equaled expectations and he had a myriad of injuries during his time with Atlanta.

Ondrej Pavelec was the guy waiting in the wings once the Thrashers gave up on Lehtonen. Previous to last year, he played a total of 19 games over two seasons and failed to impress. Last season, he played 42 games (starting 40) and did not do much better as the No. 1 man. He finished the season with a 14-18-7 record to go with a 3.29 goals against average and .906 save percentage. Needless to say, the different direction Atlanta was planning to go in did not pan out much better than the original with Lehtonen.

The new look Thrashers will likely give Pavelec a shot at claiming that No. 1 role for next season. And he will probably be given the benefit of the doubt for his youth and considering they drafted him in the second round of the 2005 NHL Draft for the purpose of sporting their crease in a major way.

But when the St. Louis Blues signed Jaroslav Halak, they allowed Chris Mason to leave via free agency. The Thrashers swooped right in on the opening day of free agency and granted him a two-year deal for $3.7 million. Mason played incredibly well for the Blues during his two years of service with the team and completed last season with an impressive 30 wins.

At 34 years old, Mason may come into training camp as the backup to the 23-year old Pavelec. But Mason has performed better than Pavelec recently and any slip by the youngster can be instant cause for the Thrashers to go with the veteran.

Who Should Be The No. 1 Goalie? - Chris Mason
Who Will Be The No. 1 Goalie? - Ondrej Pavelec