Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
You have to buy goalies time to see if they're going to be the goalie of the future. But yeah I agree he's far from a sure thing.
I guess his mental make up and resume have me thinking he's a better bet than most.
But imagine signing a then 30+ year old Babrovsky to a six year deal paying him $8M per season, and then have him falter and be untradable and suddenly you have one of Gillies or Parsons demanding the net and you're stuck?
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I'm not keen on signing a UFA goalie for big dollars or acquiring one on a long contract. The fear is all about the decline in their game as they age, much like Smith.
However, I don't think blocking the young goalies should really factor into it. All players are just assets. If Gillies, Rittich and / or Parsons really develop into what you hope, then they will have value and you trade them. Blue chip goalie prospects or seasoned backups looking for a no. 1 job have great value.
Schneider landed a top 10 pick in a strong draft for the Canucks. Grubauer got the Caps a 2nd and cap relief. I'm guessing the asking price for Matt Murray before he became their no. 1 was likely a 1st round pick in the top half of the draft.
At this stage, none of the Flames goalie prospects are blue chippers. Ideally, one of them would have already become one this year, giving the flames a clear succession plan after Smith.