[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

It's amazing the hoops the doom and gloom crowd will jump though to try and argue the value of what reputable insiders give a player just because he plays for the Flames and that's their thing.

It's amazing the hoops the head-in-the-sand set will jump through to try and build something out of nothing (see how easy a dumb generalization is to make?). No insider has said what the Flames and Devils are talking about as possible returns. Fitz has said he would be open to moving the #10 pick - if something blew his doors off. You have to be crazy if you think a 34 year old goaltender whose numbers were up and down last season is that something. Team that 34 year old goaltender is coming from is irrelevant. No insider has suggested that the #10 is play for Markstrom nor discussed what the possible return could be. Only the imaginations of the posters here have made that a possibility.

The Devils don't have any option other than Markstrom here.

They have plenty of options. At this time of year everyone is available. The difference is the price they have to pay and the return they're going to get. Fitz has to make the determination of just how much they are willing to give up and for what player.

Saros isn't moving and on the off chance he does a 1st and Mercer + are going the other way, I would put money on that.

So please do. You can bet on almost anything on the internet these days, so please go and place a bet on it and stop saying with any certainty what is going to happen for New Jersey and what is going to happen with Nashville. Who knows, maybe Saros isn't the target for Fitz. Maybe he's thinking long-term and sniffing around a young guy that's about to pop. Maybe a guy like Askarov or Wolf is his real target?

There is no chance the Bruins are going to trade Ullmark to NJ imo, everything I have heard is that's not happening.

We all read the same blogs, listen to the same podcasts, and get the same media feeds as you. You're not breaking anything new or providing information others have not already heard. We understand what the "insiders" are saying. A trade between Boston and New Jersey doesn't seem likely unless Fitz over-pays. He has held firm and has not coughed up anything of value yet. If he does, it will be for a longer-term solution that fits the window of the team.

Conroy holds all the cards here in a deal, if NJ offers a 2025 protected pick and a B prospect Conroy hangs up because he doesn't have to move Jacob Markstrom. Either pay the price or have fun with Jake Allen.

I don't think Conroy holds many cards on the Markstrom front anymore. I think he overplayed his hand and it resulted in a damaged relationship between the player and the team. Based on comments in the media and from the "insiderz" Markstrom wants out. The cards once held are now back in the deck and a new hand has been dealt. We know multi-year retention is not something Conroy has been able to leverage to date, so that may or may not be something he's got on the table. We do know that Markstrom is on the block and what his performance was like after his name came out in trade rumors - it wasn't much better than Jake Allen's. The cards Conroy holds are those representing a 34 year old goaltender with two years on his contract at $6M a season and wanting to be on the east coast. At least that's what all the insiders are saying in the media. A deal is likely to happen, the question remains will the return be like what you're suggesting (10th over all pick plus) or closer to what a 34 year old player will demand? I suspect we'll see a return closer to Hanifin, Tanev, and Zadorov rather than the Toffoli or Lindholm deals. I mean, what would you expect Conroy to give up for a 34 year old with a middling track record of late?