Yes, Ortio is firmly back in the mix for the starting job, but when you look at his body of work you notice a trend with not being ready to start the year. He always gets better as the year goes along, but it takes him quite a few games to get into form. You cannot rely on that to be your starter to begin a year, because as we saw this year, losing a lot of games early on puts you in a hole that it's nearly impossible to get out from.
I like Ortio and I think he still has starter potential, but for now, expecting him to be the backup is probably best, and let him earn the #1 job the way Mrazek did in Detroit. Show consistency over a full season, with only a letdown here and there, and then we'll talk starting goalie.
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"You know, that's kinda why I came here, to show that I don't suck that much" ~ Devin Cooley, Professional Goaltender
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