"They both look good and ready to go," Brind'Amour said. "It sets up well for this. This type of schedule isn't going to be an issue for us because we have two guys we like."
Brind'Amour typically defers to his goalie coach on game-to-game decision making. Calling the shots this season will be Paul Schonfelder, who was promoted from minor league goalie consultant, swapping roles with Jason Muzzatti. Since Schonfelder has been working in the organization for the last two seasons, he was already familiar with Mrazek and Reimer, but he's spent the last few months breaking down tape and developing a comfortable workflow with his netminding duo.
"You're going to need both guys," he said. "If you have two guys who are capable and can play, why not play them? To have two guys is key."
The relationship between Mrazek and Reimer is one that mimics that team-first approach and embraces the competitive drive they both instinctively own.
"I think our friendship is really, really good," Mrazek said. "We try to be as good as we can as friends and help each other on and off the ice."