Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
I agree and this is another reason why it is a HUGE risk.
Dubnyk and Labarbera are both UFAs. No way that the Oilers sign more than one of the three...
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Here are the highest profile pending UFA goaltenders ranked according to their current cap hit heading into next season:
Lundqvist, Henrik $6,875,000
Miller, Ryan $6,250,000
Hiller, Jonas $4,500,000
Brodeur, Martin $4,500,000
Halak, Jaroslav $3,750,000
Thomas, Tim $3,750,000
Dubnyk, Devan $3,500,000
Nabokov, Evgeni $3,250,000
Bryzgalov, Ilya $2,266,234
Khabibulin, Nikolai $2,000,000
Vokoun, Tomas $2,000,000
Elliott, Brian $1,800,000
Emery, Ray $1,650,000
Gustavsson, Jonas $1,500,000
Lundqvist, Hiller, and Halak are probably the best of the bunch, and I have little doubt that all of them will re-sign with their current teams. Miller will almost certainly be traded at the deadline, and will also probably either re-sign with his new team, or will command top billing on the open market.
That leaves the head cases: Thomas, Bryzgalov and Emery
· A couple of goalies in or nearing their twilight: Brodeur, Nabokov, Khabibulin, Vokoun.
· A handful of 1A /1B tweeners: Dubnyk, Elliot, Gustavsson.
So, what are the Oilers to do?
I have no doubt that they will be completely out of the running for one of the high-end players, and three of the goalies on this list, Khabibulin, Dubnyk, and Bryzgalov, have all played for Edmonton before, and it is likely that Edmonton will want to go in a different direction. They may wish to re-sign Bryzgalov, but as already noted, he will probably want to test the market. Brodeur will either retire or re-sign in NJ; in the very unlikely situation that he does move on, it will likely be to play for a team that is on the cusp of winning him another Stanley Cup.
The choice then becomes one between a player at the tail end of his career, a mad-man, or an unproven goalie that has not managed to yet seize and hold the starters job for any team.
Good luck with that.