Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
Murray is unproven. It is a buyers market. Who is going to take him for more? How many teams need goaltenders? You'd think this guy was Caret Price or something.
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The goalie market is really interesting to me this year. How many buyers do you think there are? Flames and Leafs seem like the obvious ones. I assume the Oilers would at least have a toe in the water. Buffalo has Linus Ullmark as a back up and only $2.225 spent on Lehner, so they're probably at least seeing what the price is going to be. Winnipeg could also be looking for a backup, but they do have Hutchinson, Hellebuyck and Comrie in the system so its unlikely.
So the buyers are:
Calgary
Toronto
Edmonton
Buffalo
Winnipeg
There's really only two sellers in Anahiem (Andersen) and Pittsburgh (Murray), as well as guys like Howard who easily be moved. There's also a wealth of goalies out there in free agency:
Reimer, Raanta, Ward, Khudobin, Stalock, Johnson, Montoya, Hutton
So definitely a buyers market in terms of supply and demand, but I think having guys like Andersen and Murray available (possibly Murray) changes things a bit. Obviously Calgary and the Leafs will push for those two, but I think all the other potential buyers will be in the mix in some capacity too. Plus you have teams like Philly and Winnipeg who don't have a goalie signed past next season that will also be looking.
What makes this interesting is that the free agent market is large, but if you're looking for a number 1 you really only have Reimer, maybe Raanta and a reclamation project in Ward. So if you can't get a deal done for Andersen or Murray at the draft and the talks drag out, do you wait past July 1 to sign a goalie? Calgary is really the only team that doesn't have a number 1 goalie next season of the buyers, so if they don't one prior to July 1 I highly doubt they sit on their hands.
For the sellers, those buyers can quickly dry if they try and hold out for a better deal. Can Anahiem afford to sign Andersen? Maybe, but I would suspect any potential buyer would rather be the one negotiating. If Pittsburgh sits on Murray and then decides on which goalie to move prior to the expansion draft what is the goalie market going to look like then? And if Murray continues to be solid in the playoff it could be the highest his stock gets before the expansion draft.
Lots of unanswered questions in the goalie market going into the summer.
EDIT:
Other options that people have pointed out:
Lighting have Bishop ($5.95 UFA) & Vasilevsky (925K RFA) both expiring after next season.
Blues have Elliot ($2.5 UFA) and Allen (2.35 RFA) both expiring after next season
Calvin Pickard (850.5K) is an RFA in Colorado