"Drawing on the history of great goaltenders who required taking a step back, Darren Pang believes the Blue Jackets should send Steve Mason to the minors to regain his confidence.
Drawing on nearly 40 years of NHL experience as a goalie and broadcaster, Glenn "Chico" Resch thinks Mason would benefit from a fresh set of eyes analyzing his game.
Drawing on a 1980s movie analogy, Daryl Reaugh says the Jackets need to keep putting Mason in the danger zone until his talents propel him.
"It's like Maverick in Top Gun, you keep sending him back up until he breaks through." said Reaugh, an analyst for Versus and the Dallas Stars. "This kid is way too good to be struggling like he is."
While four former NHL goalies and current television analysts offered different takes on Mason, they all agreed that Mathieu Garon is capable of carrying the Blue Jackets as they try to get their 22-year-old franchise goalie untracked.
Garon will likely start again Tuesday against the Calgary Flames, who chased Mason less than five minutes into a 3-2 overtime loss a week ago.
Garon, 32, has played with the consistency of San Diego sunshine. By contrast, the Jackets can't be sure what they are getting from Mason. One minute they are basking in his glow, the next they are shuttering windows.
Lately, Mason's play has resembled his nightmarish sophomore season. He has been pulled from three of his past four starts and a league-high 12 times since the start of last season. Mason is 9-9-1 this season with a 3.29 goals-against average.
"His confidence is shot right now," said John Garrett, an analyst for Rogers Sportsnet. "What I would do is bombard him with videos from his rookie season when he won the Calder (Trophy).
"When he was playing well, he was compact and fast into the butterfly, controlling rebounds. Now, he's getting caught halfway down. Pucks are going through him and underneath him. Almost every save is a panic save.
"His shoulders are rolled forward like he's expecting to pounce on a rebound. When Steve is on his game, his shoulders are square, he looks big in the net and there are no corners to shoot at."
Jackets general manager Scott Howson said there's no talk of sending Mason to minor-league Springfield."
