Goaltender Pekka Rinne let the Nashville Predators down in Game 7.
Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne let his team down in Game 7 against the Winnipeg Jets in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Vezina trophy candidate couldn’t make it halfway through the first period on home ice before being pulled after allowing two awful goals. Both goals managed to squeak passed Rinne after he appeared to lose his positioning and the puck. They were simply unacceptable goals the goaltender needed to save.
As a result of putting his team in a 2-0 hole early in the first period, Nashville was never able to recover and would go on to lose 5-1. The loss not only ended the Predators’ season, but it will also raise plenty of doubts as to what to do moving forward regarding Rinne. He’s been one of the best goaltenders in the league over recent years. However, this type of performance could be hard to recover from.
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The Predators were one of the deepest teams in the league. This season’s expectations were always Stanley Cup or bust after their run to the finals a year ago. Losing in the second round will be a difficult pill to swallow for Nashville, especially with how Game 7 got away from the team before it ever really started.
Should the Predators bring Rinne back next season, there will be plenty of worry about whether he can put the Game 7 performance behind him. Although he was incredible in the regular season, once the playoffs began, he turned into a completely different player. Therefore, the true test to whether or not he can recover from this performance won’t come until next year’s playoffs.
Rinne could once again play at a Vezina level next year during the regular season. But it won’t matter until he shows that same level in the playoffs. To make matters worse for both the club and Rinne, he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season.
His free agent status will make it difficult for Nashville to make a decision on whether or not to move on from Rinne during this offseason. Despite the awful performance, Rinne will still have plenty of value on the trade market. However, if the Predators keep Rinne and he should struggle again in next year’s playoffs then it’d be impossible for Nashville to re-sign him and therefore would need a new goaltender anyway.
Should Rinne struggle once again in the postseason next year, it would no doubt cost him millions in his new contract. He currently holds a cap hit of $7 million per year and it’s hard to imagine he’d approach that territory again if he began to earn a reputation of failing when it matters most. It’s worth noting the Predators have backup goalie Juuse Saros waiting in the wings.
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The one player Rinne can look to for motivation is Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury was a Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins but then began to struggle in the postseason. When Matt Murray emerged, Fleury quickly turned into a backup. However, since his arrival with the Vegas Golden Knights, Fleury has once again regained his top form and has been one of the major reasons for the expansion club’s success.
Regardless of what the Predators choose to do with Rinne, there is no doubt the blame of the Game 7 loss starts with him.
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