Welcome to Player Comparables, a chance to embrace the past in fantasy hockey while living in the present. Each article will take a present-day player and pit him up against the player from the past that is his best match or comparable, according to numberFire analytics (you can see comparable players on Hockey Reference, Gerber saved 7.72 more goals than the average goalie based on save percentage and shots faced on the same number of shots (GSAA). That mark was the best in his career as a starter. Carolina won the Stanley Cup that season but with Cam Ward in net.

Fleury has seen a lot of fresh faces playing in front of him this season. Only two players from opening night have played in each of Pittsburgh’s 50 games this season entering Monday evening. The Pens blueline alone is responsible for 54 games missed, including 30 from promising youngster Olli Maatta. The last line of defense in front of Fleury has been anything but set in stone, yet he has still performed well. His GSAA is 6.66 in 40 games. The Eastern Conference is also improved from last season.

The last point to prove the value of Fleury over Gerber is strength of schedule. Based on strength of schedule in terms of goals above and below average -- with zero's being the average -- the 2005-06 Canes had a strength of schedule of -0.13, 28th that season The 2014-15 Penguins strength of schedule through 50 games is 0.04, 10th in the NHL.

That is a lot to look at, but it is clear that even the most mediocre goalies can look like one of the best for a period of time. Martin Gerber will never be spoken in the same breath as Marc-Andre Fleury.

Well, not anymore at least.