Is It Time To Trade Marty Turco?

By Rick Gethin

The Hockey Writers

     The off-season is in full swing in the Lone Star state; the grass is green, the refreshments are cold and Stars goaltender Marty Turco might be on the trading block. Having not reached the benchmarks built into his No Trade Clause, might we see Turco put out to pasture?

     Marty Turco finished the season with a 2.81 GAA (30th), a .898 SV% (41st) and 3 SO; going 33-31-10. He played a monster 4327 minutes over 74 games.  By any stretch of the imagination, not a stellar performance for your #1 goalie. He’s slated to make (I hesitate to say earn with those stats) $5.7 million in the last year of his contract. Do they cut the leash now? Or should the organization hope that he has a much better 2009-10 season?

     There would be interest in a team aquiring a veteran netminder with a career 2.26 GAA and .911 SV%. The Philadelphia Flyers come to mind as they have no goalies signed going into next season as of yet. But with roughly $50 million already committed by the Flyers in player salary, Turco’s cap hit would be a hard pill to swallow.

     Here’s what The Sports Network has to say about Turco:

Assets: Is extremely athletic. Moves well across the crease and has a great glove hand. Makes spectacular saves look easy and handles the puck with panache.

Flaws: When he loses focus, he goes into a bit of a tailspin that can last for several games. Can be beaten upstairs because he’s undersized.

Career Potential: No. 1 Goaltender.

     With the potential of Matt Climie having been seen and up and coming prospect Richard Bachman, Marty Turco’s days in the “Big D” might very much be numbered. Although he’s a fan favorite, the organization needs to do what’s best for the team. And that just might be getting what they can, while they can, in a Turco trade. It’s shaping up to be an interesting summer in Dallas.

Posted by Rick Gethin on May 21 2009. Filed under Bits & Pieces, Dallas Stars, Pacific, Western Conference. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.