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When news broke on Friday night that Pascal Leclaire's injury was more serious than originally anticipated, what was your reaction? Laughter? Anguish? Disgust? Since the acquisition of the talented Quebec native, the Senators fan base has been torn apart on the alleged "up-and-coming" goaltender that came to Ottawa in a deal with Columbus almost two years ago. Most truly believed that a healthy Pascal Leclaire could have been a starting goaltender in today's NHL, but the key qualifier of that sentence is healthy, and unfortunately, that's something that Pascal Leclaire never is.
Suggesting that the Ottawa Senators finally sever ties with Pascal Leclaire does tend a bit to the extreme, but at this point, the frustration he's created and problems he's caused have certainly warranted such rashness. Signed through the end of this season, Pascal Leclaire's grandiose 3.8M contract will finally expire, giving the Ottawa Senators some much needed cap relief. You can pretty much rest assured that Leclaire won't be re-upping with this team anytime soon, as the front office has had it with his constant injury woes. But, I'm suggesting this club go a step further, and permanently move Pascal Leclaire to the back of the line. Yep, behind Brian Elliott, Robin Lehner, Mike Brodeur, Barry Brust, Ray Emery, present day Ron Tugnutt - bury him, and don't ever make his name relevant to this team again.
The season has violently trended in the wrong direction ever since the Jason Spezza injury, which was pretty much expected. Thankfully, the Ottawa Senators have a nice prospect crop which offers for a promising future, and some real cap flexibility coming up in the off-season to fix some of the glaring holes on this team. This downturn will be brief - that much is certain. But, as we all know, there's still plenty of games to be played in the 2010-2011 season, and thus, plenty of time to talk about what kind of injuries are keeping Pascal Leclaire off of the ice. With so many starts left, there's a dire need for two healthy goalies, but I just don't understand the point of putting a guy between the crease that is always one awkward shot away from a groin pull, an ACL tear, tuberculosis, rhubella, and so on. Give the majority of the work to Brian Elliott, who has started to play a lot better in lieu of Leclaire's absence, and if the team needs some spot starts, Robin Lehner, Mike Brodeur, and Barry Brust(if needed) can all pick up the proverbial slack.
The saddest part of all this, of course, is that Leclaire truly is a talented goalie. Yet, none of that matters when your injury report is longer than Al Capone's rap sheet, and you've amassed one meaningful game (the heroics in the 3OT thriller last season against Pittsburgh) during a two year stint in Ottawa. Why? Well, I'm pretty sure in a past life, Leclaire broke about thirty-seven mirrors, becasue who else can explain the bad luck this guy has had? I mean, name me another goalie that was drilled with an errant puck sitting on the bench and missed significant time because of it. Name me another goalie who was barely grazed on Tom Kostopoulos' drive to the net and wound up 'tweaking' a lower body injury, only to find out it would put him in the press box for a lengthy stint. You can't, because Leclaire is an exception to the rule. And the rule, of course, is basic physics - up is down and left is right in Pascal's world, and the only constant is that no matter what happens, he's getting hurt in the end of it all.
At no point in Pascal Leclaire's tenure with Ottawa has he ever proven that he's ready to assume the starting position for this team and carry it with pride and honor, and his inability to deal with the thousands of injuries that have plagued him over the past two years are just a microcosm of this team's horrifying campaign. It's time to move on, and even though Robin Lehner will probably be the only long-term commodity on the Senators roster, Brian Elliott has earned the right to get some serious playing time to end the year. Remember, he's auditioning for another contract too, as his RFA status kicks in at the end of the year. Elliott's never been a great goalie by any stretch of the word, but he's certainly been there when the team has needed him, and that's far more than I can say for others. Plus, there's a decent chance Elliott will be brought back as a solid and reliable back-up to a potential free agent acquisition/Robin Lehner in the future, so get him some valuable minutes now.
To summarize: Go take your brittle bones and walking-curse-of-a-body elsewhere, Pascal. I've never seen a player covered more from the medical room than from the ice, and the attention you're drawing to this team is far too negative to merit any PT or a potential contract heading into next year.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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