You don’t ask if there is a doctor on board a Spirit Airlines flight.
Nobody eats Taco Bell to soothe their belly.
And no whining if you get hacked when your password is “Password.”
Some things are obvious — and require no explanation or debate.
This is where the Avs goalie position stands after watching Scott Wedgewood stand on his head since returning from the Olympic break.
And yet Jared Bednar seems prepared to ignore logic.
Stop messing with Wedgie, already.
Asked about naming a playoff starter after Wedgewood shut out the Dallas Stars last weekend, Bednar answered like a coach handing out varsity letters.
“I feel confident in both of our guys. Itap not likely going to be just one guy,” Bednar said.
Come on. Don’t treat Wedgewood like he’s a vagabond with marginal talent.
All he has done all season is meet the moment.
Wedgewood performed routine calisthenics Tuesday night, his 18 saves part of a 3-1 suffocating victory over the St. Louis Blues. It clinched the Central Division title and the top seed in the Western Conference.
Everything is falling into place for a Stanley Cup run, except in the net. There is no reason to continue rotating the goalies. No argument for a timeshare.
Bednar needs to follow the lead of former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak. He steered the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 title by navigating tricky quarterback drama with decisiveness and transparency.
It remains the best coaching job I have covered in 36 years.
He kept the door ajar for Peyton Manning, even as the future Hall of Famer lost his patience, flipping off the camera for Kubiak to see as he studied the quarterback’s rehab reps. He also showed confidence in Brock Osweiler, announcing to the team and the media that he was the starter each week, including when Manning returned to the active roster.
When it came time to rescue homefield advantage in the season finale, Manning came off the bench, his brilliant mind making the difference in the win over the Chargers.
Kubiak recognized what had become a reality: Manning, even compromised by age and a foot injury, brought out the best in the team.
This is happening again. At Ball Arena. And it needs to be recognized with a firm decision.
Wedgewood will never be confused with Manning. But the circumstances are similar. Teams with two quarterbacks have none. Teams with two goalies need one.
The evidence is overwhelming in Wedgewood’s favor.
Since resuming after the NHL’s Italian sojourn, Wedgewood boasts a 9-2-1 record with a .938 save percentage. Mackenzie Blackwood is 6-7 with an .863 mark, though he has flashed dominance during this stretch.
When Bednar says both have been “fantastic” this season, he is right. But then he said this, and was all wrong.
“I don’t know why we would change it, come playoff time,” Bednar said.
Here is a reason. Follow the numbers. One goalie is acing the test and the other is getting a B.
It traces back to Jan. 1. Wedgewood is 12-5-2 in the new year. When anyone else is the goalie of record, the Avs are 9-9-0. This is not an equation for Will Hunting.
Wedgewood is a candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the game’s top goalie. Which makes general manager Chris MacFarland inking him to a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension in November his shrewdest move of the season.
Wedgewood leads the NHL at 2.10 goals against. Blackwood ranks 10th at 2.58. He is no slouch. And it always feels like the Avs, Bednar included, want him to start.
But he needs to be insurance, a reliable breather to keep Wedgewood fresh through June 21.
Bednar has made a point of not using Wedgewood’s journeyman history against him. He earned more playing time, and no qualifiers were placed on his success, like puck luck, or an average netminder just getting hot.
Dividing games in the playoffs, however, suggests a lack of trust, fair or not.
Doubt is the last thing needed when facing the Stars, for instance.
Last Saturday’s victory was more important for the psyche than the points. Colorado played efficiently and, unlike two weeks prior, was rewarded rather than demoralized.
Wedgewood was in the net. This cannot be dismissed or overlooked. He is 2-0 against Dallas this season, the expected second-round opponent, with a .925 save percentage. Blackwood has managed only 21-plus minutes of ice time against the Stars, yielding four goals in 11 shots.
So why is this even a conversation?
For starters, Blackwood looks like a playoff starter straight out of Hollywood casting. He fills the net like a walrus, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 225 pounds. He can steal a game.
For whatever reason, though, the defense has not played as well recently in front of him. That is not his fault, but it is a fact.
Wedgewood, meanwhile, has always been a backup — meaning it would be easier to go to him if Blackwood melted down in the playoffs.
Wedgewood also plays a little chaotically. He pounces, shifts, and slides, his 6-foot-2, 201-pound frame sometimes looking like a fox “mousing” for prey in the snow.
It is a little unorthodox. But it is working.
So Bednar needs to let the line out a little bit, give him some slack. He deserves it. And without polling every member privately, my assumption is that his teammates know it.
This is important. Not committing to Wedgewood creates the potential for controversy, for the 33-year-old to look over his shoulder after one bad game.
This does not mean put Blackwood in the cooler. He will be needed. Everyone plays a role in a championship season, and sometimes sacrificing minutes is the greatest contribution.
Working in the Avs’ favor is that the “Lumber Yard” goalies get along famously. There is no tension. Neither one will make it weird if the other starts.
There is no reason not to give Wedgewood more time. Even as Bednar takes his time.
Bednar owns a ring and has established himself as a calming influence.
But the playoffs offer narrow margins. Legacies are shaped. Decisions are amplified.
So why not follow Kubiak’s blueprint and make an easy one?
Make Wedgewood the guy. And watch him put on the mask and conceal the most recent playoff failures.
