Where That Leaves Marty

Before the RHL16 season, Marty Turco was brought to the Aviators along with Nigel Dawes in exchange for the seventh pick in the draft and a third round pick. It was a move that most thought to be overpaying for the veteran netminder, particularly since that pick, after being moved to South Edmonton, was turned into Francois Beauchemin. Whatever the value the Aviators got for that high draft pick, Turco was instilled as the starting goaltender and immediately brought stability to a spot in the lineup that was filled by Fred Brathwaite and Mikael Tellqvist the last time the team skated (during the RHL15 playoffs).

Fast forward one season and Turco is still the Aviators’ starting netminder, but the year was more turbulent than one would have thought. Though the Aviators had made that investment in Turco as their goaltender of the present and future, they soon put Turco into a job-sharing situation after the acquisition of franchise favorite Sean Burke. Burke would go on to post a higher save percentage and a lower goal against average. When the two were graded out at season’s end, Burke received a slightly higher grade.

But the most disturbing fact, from Turco’s point of view, is who coach Richard Farley turned to in those games the team had to win. Although Turco started the first game of each of the team’s who playoff series, he would only start one of their other seven games. His three games played were half of those of Sean Burke, who was the Aviators clear starter when the team was eliminated in Yellowknife last week.

Burke is a free agent to be and is said to be considering retirement. Farley has said he would like Burke back as Turco’s back-up, indicating that Marty is the starting netminder for RHL17. But given the way the season started and his status when the season ended, RHL16 could be seen as somewhat of a step back for Turco where it not for him having missed the entirety of RHL15 in a contract dispute with his former team. Coming to the Aviators and playing 46 of the 66 games, at least he was back on the ice. His .908 save percentage was league average, a rate that few could reasonably expect to have been better.

Regardless of whether Burke is back or not, he goes into RHL17 with the knowledge that being the Aviators starting goaltender is a transitory affair. He will be expected (by himself and the team) to reassert his grip on that starting position, trying to convince Farley that resorting to the tried and true options is unnecessary. He must try to become the tried and true.