Goaltending Options

[ZBBM]

AFAIC

Nice glove wing there.  Sign him up.

 

[slapshot]

I might be inclined (as you mentioned in another post) towards Cam Ward, if he's healthy, on a one-year deal (maybe two at right money), as back-up or someone to push Bernier. That would buy a bit of time to sort things out. Figure out which off all these young forwards make their way into the Leafs line-up or could be used in a trade for a goalie.

I guess that depends on what direction you think they will ultimately take next season. Cam Ward would get them more wins I would think. But if they don't make an offer to Stamkos, you would have to think they are still trying to finish somewhere near the bottom again? We really don't know at this point.

Thats why the draft and July 1st are such important dates to circle on the calendar for us fans. What this team does and doesn't do on those dates should give us a ultra clear picture of the direction ahead.

It'll be kind of like when they fixed the lens on the Hubble telescope. We are going to see deep into the dark and distant Shanaplan in Ultra-Def clarity for the 1st time!  8)

Ward is likely off the table now.

Agreed, RedLeaf. With Lou's loose-lips policy, their actions are the only insight we have into this Management Team's mind. Sometimes, other team's decisions stymie ours though, and sometimes there are additional motivations that are initially hidden (Nylander's appendix, Stalock's family) that will only clear up later.

Wow that was fast. The ink was barely dry on my post. Canes must have seen it and decided to lock him up. LOL

 

[McGarnagle]

Bring Reimer back, they were in negotiations to re-sign him shortly before he was traded and Babcock did seem to favour him.

Not that I've any reason that's a bad idea, and he seems like a great guy, but I kind of like the prospect of starting over with different players.

If they could get Andersen without giving up the farm, I'm currently hoping in that direction.

 

[KW Sluggo]

Sign and trade was mention a few posts back.

Sign and trade deals are NBA transactions under that league's CBA; they really do not occur in hockey because they confer no particular benefit. The NBA allows a team to re-sign it's own free agents for more money than other teams in the league are permitted. Hence if the Raptors, for example, knew they were going to lose a player for nothing, they could re-sign him to a larger contract (pre-arranged by the player and the other team) and them trade the player to that other team and thereby realize some return.

Returning to the issue at hand, namely a goaltender, I do not see this as a pressing matter quite yet. Next season will be better but essentially will be more of the same.

With an expansion draft coming next year, some teams will have to move quality goalies in order to avoid losing them in the draft. Plus there are teams like Tampa that may have to cut loose a goalie they might otherwise wish to keep due to a salary cap crunch. It seems that if Tampa wants to retain Stamkos, one or more of the bigger salaries will need to be moved.

A team with two decent goalies is better off moving one of them instead of a position player of  similar quality and pay scale.

We have the luxury of waiting.

Besides I cannot think of a goalie trade we have made (to acquire a goalie that is, we gave away a decent one in Rask) in the last 10 years or more that has worked out all that well for us. Toskala and Raycroft spring readily and appallingly to mind. The horror, the horror.

 

[TBLeafer]

I wouldn't mind seeing something like the 30th + one of Bibeau/Sparks for Vasilevskiy.

 

[Kin]

It seems fairly unlikely that Tampa would look to move him given their cap situation. Also, that seems like a pretty cheap price considering what Jones went for.

 

[bustaheims]

It seems fairly unlikely that Tampa would look to move him given their cap situation. Also, that seems like a pretty cheap price considering what Jones went for.

Yeah. I don't see them moving him unless they get Bishop locked up, and, if they're smart, they won't announce anything there until after the expansion draft - that way, they can protect Vasilevskiy and expose Bishop as a pending UFA.

 

[TBLeafer]

It seems fairly unlikely that Tampa would look to move him given their cap situation. Also, that seems like a pretty cheap price considering what Jones went for.

You could throw in a sweetener like Holland, who is a capable NHL'er.  I think Bishop is still their guy when push comes to shove and it takes care of them not having to expose a good goalie at the expansion draft.

 

[Kin]

You could throw in a sweetener like Holland, who is a capable NHL'er.  I think Bishop is still their guy when push comes to shove and it takes care of them not having to expose a good goalie at the expansion draft.

I don't see Holland or Bibeau/Sparks moving the needle at all. You're talking about goaltending prospects that are longshots at best and someone who's maybe a 4th liner on Tampa.

 

[TBLeafer]

You could throw in a sweetener like Holland, who is a capable NHL'er.  I think Bishop is still their guy when push comes to shove and it takes care of them not having to expose a good goalie at the expansion draft.

I don't see Holland or Bibeau/Sparks moving the needle at all. You're talking about goaltending prospects that are longshots at best and someone who's maybe a 4th liner on Tampa.

I think it depends on whether they want to lock up Bishop or not.  The 30th + one of Bibeau/Sparks + Holland is a decent enough package for him.

 

[Bates]

Andersen from Anaheim would also be a very good target.  They have the future already and might like a better winger with a decent contract that the coach knows??  Maybe Andersen could bring a nice D man with him??

I wouldn't mind seeing something like the 30th + one of Bibeau/Sparks for Vasilevskiy.

 

[TBLeafer]

Andersen from Anaheim would also be a very good target.  They have the future already and might like a better winger with a decent contract that the coach knows??  Maybe Andersen could bring a nice D man with him??

I wouldn't mind seeing something like the 30th + one of Bibeau/Sparks for Vasilevskiy.

Andersen and Fowler for and JVR and Gards?

Hockey trade!

 

[Kin]

I think people might be overstating how eager some teams will be to make a trade ahead of the expansion draft. A lot of these teams will be in a position to lose a good player anyway and because they can only lose one they might be more inclined to lose a back-up goalie than a good forward or defenseman.

 

[TBLeafer]

I think people might be overstating how eager some teams will be to make a trade ahead of the expansion draft. A lot of these teams will be in a position to lose a good player anyway and because they can only lose one they might be more inclined to lose a back-up goalie than a good forward or defenseman.

Murray seems to be pretty keen on it right now.

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How about JVR + 30 + 31 for Lindholm, and one of Andersen/Gibson?

 

[Kin]

I think people might be overstating how eager some teams will be to make a trade ahead of the expansion draft. A lot of these teams will be in a position to lose a good player anyway and because they can only lose one they might be more inclined to lose a back-up goalie than a good forward or defenseman.

Murray seems to be pretty keen on it right now.

That wasn't a comment on whether or not the Ducks would be interested in JVR.

 

[TBLeafer]

That wasn't a comment on whether or not the Ducks would be interested in JVR.

No, I just think some GM's might be a little "keener" to make a trade or two, prior to the expansion draft than you think. 

 

[Kin]

No, I just think some GM's might be a little "keener" to make a trade or two, prior to the expansion draft than you think. 

Except the premise of what I'm saying is that most of the teams we're talking about are going to lose a pretty good player anyway. So adding good, draft-eligible players doesn't actually do anything to address the issue.

 

[TBLeafer]

No, I just think some GM's might be a little "keener" to make a trade or two, prior to the expansion draft than you think. 

Except the premise of what I'm saying is that most of the teams we're talking about are going to lose a pretty good player anyway. So adding good, draft-eligible players doesn't actually do anything to address the issue.

Ahh gotcha. 

 

[bustaheims]

No, I just think some GM's might be a little "keener" to make a trade or two, prior to the expansion draft than you think. 

The expansion draft poses an interesting conundrum. There are definitely going to be GMs looking to move assets they don't feel they're going to be able to protect. I don't doubt that. The issue I see is on the other side - the GMs who might be looking to acquire these players are going to have to decide if it's worth sacrificing the assets needed to acquire the players they're looking at, while also risking exposing players on their roster they might have otherwise been looking to protect. For the handful of goalies who might be on the market, that's probably not going to be a huge issue, but for forwards and defencemen, it's going to complicate the already complicated trade process.

 

[mr grieves]

What if Bernier comes into his own next year?  I dunno why, maybe resonating magically with Zaitsev ....

Anyway, if I'm wrong and we don't sign Stamkos I'd just go with Bibeau/Sparks and hope for a bottom 5.

I'd be okay with this. Maybe be a bit pro-active & draft some goalies, keep the pro-scouts busy looking for reclamation projects, see what the expansion draft does to shake-up the field, take on a contending team's overpriced vet, etc., etc. The young core's probably not going to be able to do too much for a few years, so there's really no great urgency to find a perfect solution for this season, just start doing stuff that'll increase chances of a solution emerging.