The Summer Goaltending Market
If the Penguins thought the goaltending market was bad this winter in trying to move Marc Andre Fleury, wait till the summer where the market is going to be flooded with younger, cheaper capable options.
One of the questions surrounding the Penguins after Fleury was not moved at the deadline or last summer when they might have had the best chance to move him, is whether they will end up regretting not getting ahead of others in what’s going to be a flooded goaltending market in June.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Ben Bishop
Scott Darling
Brian Elliott
Ryan Miller
Steve Mason
Mike Condon
Chad Johnson
Peter Budaj
The market is deep here with a plethora of options for clubs. You have Ben Bishop, a Vezina Trophy finalist who while having a down season, will be the top dog on the market in seeking $5-$6 million per season but there’s a lot of value elsewhere where teams will be able to pluck a goaltender for $2-$3 million per season who can hold his own as a No. 1.
Scott Darling has been lights out this season with a 16-5-2 record, 2.13 GAA and .931 save percentage. Some clubs see him as still having No. 1 potential at age 28.
Steve Mason while having a poor season, had a combined .922 save percentage from 2014-2015 – 2015-2016. His market has probably dropped to the $2.5 million range but he’ll be another intriguing option for clubs and he’s 28.
Ryan Miller whose best days are behind him, is still a capable goaltender for a team that needs a one or two year stop-gap or is looking to go with a 1-2 combo of a young netminder and vet. He won’t fetch more than $3-$4 million per.
Brian Elliott is another serviceable option and who won’t cost teams more than $3 million per season.
Trade Market
Jaroslav Halak, 31 years old, $4.5 million cap hit | Signed Through 2017-2018
Marc Andre Fleury, 32 years old, $5.75 million cap hit | Signed Through 2018-2019
Jimmy Howard, 32 years old, $5.29 million cap hit | Signed Through 2018-2019
Semyon Varlamov, 28 years old, $5.9 million cap hit | Signed Through 2018-2019
Halak will be the most attractive to teams as he was at the deadline because he has just one year left on his contract and the Islanders want to move his $5 million salary for next season in the worst way. The Islanders eating 50% of the cap hit will be a strong possibility.
EXPANSION DRAFT
Notable Goaltenders projected to be exposed in expansion draft
Phillip Grubauer, Washington Capitals
Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
Michael Neuvirth, Philadelphia
Antti Raanta, New York Rangers
Roberto Luongo, Florida
Eddie Lack, Carolina
Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders
Jimmy Howard, Detroit
Anton Khudobin, Boston
Antti Niemi, Dallas
Louis Domingue, Arizona
Aaron Dell, San Jose
Carter Hutton, St Louis
Vegas has a great seat at the table to add two young goaltenders with upside and a veteran or go with three young goaltenders in the expansion draft and nab a veteran via trade or free agency.
Were Marc Andre Fleury to give the Penguins permission to be exposed in the draft, I continue to have a hard time believing Vegas would select him.
This isn’t a knock on Fleury, it just doesn’t make much sense for Vegas to go in that direction.
The Golden Knights plan to select at least two young goaltenders with No. 1 upside and potentially add an established veteran. Washington’s Phillip Grubauer is the hot name in league circles. Just 25 years old, has a .927 save percentage and three shutouts. George McPhee drafted him and other members of the Golden Knights staff were in Washington too then.
Vegas for example could select Grubauer and Antti Raanta and have $1.75 million committed to their goaltending next season while also selecting 22 year old Joonas Korpisalo that makes all of the sense in the world because he’s not eligible for waivers until 2018-2019. It’s an ideal situation for an expansion team as you’re playing the percentages that one of the young upside goaltenders will emerge into a No. 1 by year one or two.
Jim Rutherford has been so calm with regards to the expansion draft that some of the fan base has wondered if Rutherford has a backdoor deal in place with Vegas.
There’s no indication that is the case and I just see no reason why Vegas would make a commitment to the soon to be 33 year old Fleury via trade before the expansion draft or selecting Fleury were he to waive his no movement clause when there are going to be so many cheaper, younger options available in the expansion draft or in free agency.
Because there are going to be so many available goaltenders out there, trading Fleury anywhere before the expansion draft could prove difficult for the Penguins.
For Fleury the destination that quite a few scouts, executives have felt should have happened by now [hide] is Carolina.
#GottaHearIt: #Canes coach Bill Peters rips into Eddie Lack for poor play this season. https://t.co/9JUhXVBf7D pic.twitter.com/6EH7sTbPCa
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 3, 2017
It’s just a perfect fit for the player and team. For Fleury I think he would succeed there. Would be zero pressure on him and off the ice players have always raved about what a great place Raleigh is to raise a family.[/hide]
Coach Sullivan on Letang: “It’s a little more complicated than day-to-day. We’re just hoping it’s not a long-term injury.” What a fraud.
He has a yeast infection.
GMJR played the deadline right but man it sure feels like this team is going to struggle to score in the playoffs. Bonino and Hagelin are off. I’d still keep them with Kessel and I’d like to see Guentzel – Malkin – Horney together.
Wonder what sam was more impressed with last night. Letang’s impressive play? Or the multiple secondary assists that Phil racked up against third pairing dman victor hedman?
This article was written to get yoda posting, as his posts get the most responses calling him a moron. D must really need the money (new baby? Family member bday?) now, so he’s gonna flood the site with Fleury info. D, get a real job you loser.
dude, you can’t deny that st.bleury is the most marketable player in recent pens history. my god people adore him. he would do wonders for the vegas organization.
I mean, you sure did. Otherwise you wouldn’t have trusted him with your asss flower
my god do you seem sensative. the st.bleury situation is the biggest story line going for the pens. how do you move a guy that nobody wants when he is a 6 million dollar cap hit with an expansion draft looming? your post is the classic case of attacking the messanger when they tell you news you don’t like.
Ya, playoff run, team health, youth update on who can be called up to help…f it, lets talk about Fleury for a 3rd article in a row and what do we do with him in 4 months. Trade or buyout, its not that hard. But you think the team sucks and it should be blown up, so I guess Fleury is all that matters to you.
This assholle calling someone else sensitive when he’s triggered hard and the very whisper of MAF lol
i’m not kidding either. the media loves the saint. he serioulsy would be the perfect guy to market a new team. that’s what rutherford should sell to vegas and try to move the saint over there to avoid a buyout or a murray trade.
Not as much as you once did. He only penetrated one of you.
i think if there is any destination where st.bleury will do well it is in vegas. for as bad as st.bleury sucks, we can all agree he is one of the most entertaining goaltenders of all time. he is the best ever at making every play around the net completely dramatic and exciting. that’s why everone loves him. in reality, being positionally sound and boring like matt murray is more effective at stopping pucks, but from a pure entertainment standpoint, st.bleury’s barnum and bailey style of goaltending brings the casual fan to to joy and happiness (everyone loves a clown).… Read more »
Haglin is a 4th liner.
Okay?
i like haglin but he isn’t worth 4million
will vegas be exempt from having to hit the cap floor their first year? If not, they won’t just be drafting young guys, they’ll need to add large salaries.
Nice write up. I think Ruth makes a deal for a draft pick with Vegas to not draft him. Then he asks MAF to waive his NMC to satisfy the draft requirements. After that, one of two things will happen, we buyout MAF allowing him to pick his next team. Or, we trade him with some salary retained. Theres no pretty way out of it.
Theyll give up a draft pick for the opportunity to buyout Fleury after the expansion draft?
https://m.popkey.co/9b3755/1Ze80_s-200×150.gif
No, they’ll give up a draft pick so they don’t have to expose Murray in the draft. He’s the only guy on the roster that qualifies. The only other option is to trade for a goalie during the post season that qualifies.
Do you really believe st bleury will be able to “pick” his team? You do realize nobody wants him right? Have you checked the NHL goalie stats lately?
I realize he wrecked your brown eye.
Malkin is a top 100 player of all time. Ridiculous he was left off the list. Maybe not a popular vote, but with a solid influence campaign from Russia, he would have been selected.
So Ben Bishop and a pile of shlt? Sam “so bad at this” Duranceau-Cloutier has better zingers than this analysis. Jesus.
Hey D, http://www.ihatefleury.com is still available according to GoDaddy.
It’s what happens when you write for the only reader that doesn’t think you’re a hack lol
Give them Oli Maata and a $1.80 to take MAF off our hands.