From Katie Strang of ESPN:
#NYR Told there has been "progress" in contract talks btwn Rangers and goaltender Martin Biron. Had good year, works well with Lundqvist
— Katie Strang (@KatieStrangESPN) June 7, 2012
Marty Biron, age 34, played in a total of 21 games during the 2011-12 regular season, and in that time managed to post a record of 12-6-2. The Quebec native also kept his GAA to 2.46 and carried a save percentage of .904.
In respect to how well he filled his role, Marty Biron had a very successful season with the Rangers this past year. His purpose here, more or less, is to give starting goaltender Henrik Lundqvist the required amount of rest throughout the season so that the King is fully energized when it becomes crunch time in late March and early April. Lundqvist was arguably the Rangers' best player throughout that stretch this season, not showing any signs of fatigue, so Biron's job was complete.
However, if you want to evaluate Biron's game looking solely at his performances and nothing else, then things get a little hairy. As I've said before, Biron started off great with a few shutouts and an undefeated record. After all, he had wins in 7 of his first 8 starts this season, giving the Blueshirts the best one-two punch between the pipes in all of hockey at the time.
But following the All-Star break things began to crumble for Biron, for what reason no one, including himself, really knows. He lost a solid chunk of his confidence, his mechanics were clearly off and he was fighting the puck each and every time he stepped into the crease. Again, the cause of this was unclear (possibly too long of a layoff?), but it was getting to the point where coach John Tortorella could no longer rely on Biron while Lundqvist rested.
So GM Glen Sather and the Rangers must be greedy when it comes to the terms of Biron's contract. They cannot and should not give him an excess amount of money, nor should they sign him for more than a one-year deal. Back-up goaltenders always come and go, so you must be cautious with the types of contracts given to them.
To their credit, the Rangers have been relatively smart with that as of late.
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