Quote:
Originally Posted by dfsflamesfan
Just take a deep breath off the ledge... The trade didn't happen so you can breathe/sleep easier. Sounds like you aren't convinced that your team's contention window is now, similar to NJ's GM.
Fitzgerald wasn't willing to pony up to go all in for his team like Zito, McCrimmon, or even Alvin to a certain extent. He should've always knew that it would need to be an overpayment to even consider getting any "elite"/"good" midseason goaltender that you've listed like Hill, Ullmark, Markstrom, or Saros. You know what good goaltending gets you? Usually a winning record and nothing to mess with internally!
He's literally asking any team with good goaltending (Nashville or Calgary) to throw their own seasons down the drain like NJ after knowing they had bad goaltending. He really didn't need to come out saying he was being extorted when no one was even looking to trade their "good" goaltenders and messing with something good in their own house. Which is why people laugh at his comments.
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All of those teams have older cores. NJD is still a top 5 youngest team in hockey. If we make the playoffs we'll be the youngest team in the playoffs.
This is absolutely not the time to go all in.
Let's look at 3 of the goalies you mention and their acquisition costs for their current team:
Adin Hill: 4th/free to retain as UFA
Jacob Markstrom: free as a UFA
Linus Ullmark: free as a UFA
Again it's why I scoff at the idea that you can only get a top goalie via massively paying up in a trade. It is virtually the only position where you can in fact find a top guy without breaking the bank. You can't get a C like that. Even a 2C will cost you boatloads in free agency (see the ridiculous contract asks of Elias Lindholm)
Calgary was willing to offer Elias Lindholm 9 mill a year from age 31-38.
Mercer will cost at most around 6-6.5 mill AAV from age 22-29.
Personally I'd much rather have mercer over that time frame straight up, not even including the 24 million dollars you'd save