"Goaltenders Pascal Leclaire and Mike Brodeur stood side-by-side outside the crease as the first group of Ottawa Senators skaters went through their warm-up laps to open training camp Saturday morning.

New goaltending coach Rick Wamsley was offering them a few words of wisdom.

A few hours later, Wamsley went through it all over again, this time with Brian Elliott and Robin Lehner.

Wamsley, a veteran of 14 NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs and an NHL and AHL coach for the past 17 years, is the latest expert charged with finding answers to the Senators' perpetual problem of inconsistent goaltending.

More specifically, the task is to get Leclaire back on track following his dreadful 2009-10 season — which included almost as many injuries as victories (12) — to work on the holes in Elliott's game, along with keeping a close eye on the development of 19-year-old Lehner as he ventures into professional hockey for the first time.

Clouston issued a challenge to Leclaire and Elliott on Saturday, saying the team wants "one guy to step up and take the bull by the horns and outplay the other guy."

But can a goalie coach really make a difference? That's the $64,000 question. Or, in the case of Leclaire and his 2010-11 salary, the $4.8-million question.

After interviewing "six or seven" candidates for the job, Clouston settled on Wamsley due to his playing and coaching experience and the fact "he has the right attitude and approach to the game."

A major factor in the choice was Wamsley's background with Leclaire. He was goaltending coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2007-08, when Leclaire posted a 24-17-6 record, with a goals-against average of 2.25 and an impressive nine shutouts."