Philipp Grubauer

Snapshots: Crawford, Edler, Grubauer, Domi

February 21, 2018 at 7:25 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

While Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville had been expecting goaltender Corey Crawford to return at some point this season, he acknowledged to reporters, including Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, that he isn’t hopeful now that the netminder will play again in 2017-18. Crawford has been out of the lineup with a head injury since late December and the team has struggled considerably in his absence. With Chicago falling well out of the playoff race, Quenneville admitted that their placement in the Central Division may play a role in deciding if he returns, even if he gets the green light from team doctors.

Elsewhere around the league:

Canucks defenseman Alex Edler does not appear to be willing to waive his no-trade clause if Vancouver was to reach an agreement on a trade involving him, reports Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy (Twitter link). With Vancouver sitting well out of the playoff picture and many contending teams coveting defensemen, the 31-year-old will undoubtedly be of interest to many teams around the league. However, it appears he’ll be sticking around into the offseason at the very least.
Although the Capitals could generate some interest in goalie Philipp Grubauer, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post reports that the team is hesitant to move him now as they don’t have a reliable option behind him if Braden Holtby was to get injured. Prospect Ilya Samsonov is believed to be willing to join the Caps next season so while a Grubauer trade is unlikely now, that should change in the offseason.
The Canadiens have had discussions with the Coyotes regarding center Max Domi, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). However, it appears that Montreal was viewing him as a buy-low candidate while Arizona isn’t willing to do a deal like that at this time. Domi has had a tough 2017-18 campaign with just four goals in 59 games and will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Capital Notes: Trade Deadline, Beagle, Grubauer, Burakovsky

February 11, 2018 at 11:28 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Don’t expect the Washington Capitals to be “all in” at the trade deadline like they have been in recent years. While the team sits atop the Metro Division once again, it is believed that general manager Brian MacLellan is taking a more measured approach to this season. A good, but not necessarily dominant team that has very little cap room to wiggle with, the Capitals are making a lot of key decision with next season in mind as well.

The extension of center Lars Eller Saturday was a critical move for MacLellan, who needed insurance the team wouldn’t have to replace a center next season, according to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. If they hadn’t made that move, then the team would have been looking for a future center via trade using more of the team’s assets. The team has now started contract negotiations with pending unrestricted free agent John Carlson, which is their top priority. Depending on how negotiations go will have an effect of whether they pursue a blueliner at the trade deadline if they feel they can’t sign Carlson to an extension.

In the same story, Khurshudyan writes that with Eller on board and if the team manages to extend Carlson, that could likely end the tenure of veteran center Jay Beagle. The 32-year-old fourth-line center has been with the Capitals for his entire career, but will be an unrestricted free agent next year. He has six goals and 11 assists in 54 games. He had a career best 13 goals and 30 points last year and currently makes $1.75MM.
Khurshuyan also adds that the team is likely to trade backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer this summer. With starting goaltender Braden Holtby still under contract for another two years after this one, Grubauer has become expendable. The 26-year-old is ready for an increased role, which the team cannot provide. The backup will be a restricted free agent next year and should make quite a bit more than the $1.5MM he makes currently.
NBC Sports’ Tarik El-Bashir writes that despite trade speculation surrounding youngster Andre Burakovsky, head coach Barry Trotz and MacLellan have given the 23-year-old votes of confidence. A winger with top-six potential, the former 2013 first-rounder has just four goals this year in an increased role and has spent some time in the press box as a healthy scratch. “[Burakovsky] got off track with his injury and missed some time and got out of sync,” MacLellan told reporters on Saturday. “I’m really confident that he’s going to be a good player here. He’ll find it down the stretch for us.”

Washington Capitals Working On Ilya Samsonov

December 12, 2017 at 9:56 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Washington Capitals don’t have a goaltending problem. Braden Holtby hasn’t been quite himself this season, but is still one of the more consistent netminders in the league. Behind him, Philipp Grubauer also hasn’t had quite the season some had hoped, but his is a small sample and could turn at any moment.

Still, the team is looking towards their future in goal. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Capitals GM Brian MacLellan is in Moscow to speak with Ilya Samsonov’s representatives, as they try to bring him over to North America after his current deal is up. Samsonov is under contract with Magnitogorsk through April 2018, after which he could sign his entry-level deal with the Capitals.

It’s not often you see teams spend first-round picks on goaltenders anymore, as so many have been burned by the inconsistent development of young netminders. The Capitals weren’t afraid though when they strode up to the podium in 2015, selecting Samsonov 22nd-overall even while other names like Brock Boeser, Travis Konecny and Jack Roslovic were still available.

Samsonov showed why the Capitals were so high on him the next season, when he jumped into the KHL and recorded a .925 save percentage in 19 games. He would even play in six postseason games and help Magnitogorsk win the Gagarin Cup as a rookie. He also took home a silver as part of the Russian World Junior team. All he did the next season was post a .936 save percentage in 27 KHL games and take over the net for the World Junior squad, earning a bronze medal this time around, but being named a tournament All-Star.

It’s clear that Samsonov is a top goaltending prospect, even if this year his numbers are down a bit on a worse KHL team. He stands 6’4″ at age-20, and has the potential to be an elite goaltender in the NHL one day. Getting him signed and into the Capitals development system is the next step, especially with Grubauer a restricted free agent once again this summer and Holtby only signed through 2019-20.

Petr Mrazek & The Goaltending Conundrum

December 11, 2017 at 5:36 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, the venerable hockey insider reports that the Edmonton Oilers at one point had some interest in Detroit Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek. Friedman writes that Edmonton may have backed off after watching the 25-year old goaltender struggle recently, something that seems to be a common thread all around the league.

Several other teams are looking for goaltending help—Friedman himself mentions Florida and Pittsburgh—but there isn’t a shining option on the market at the moment. Mrazek could have been that star, if the aforementioned struggles hadn’t crept up on him again. Though he was once heralded as the goaltender of the future for Detroit, Mrazek has clashed with the front office in contract negotiations, and been generally outplayed by a resurgent Jimmy Howard over the past two seasons.

This year, Howard has taken the lion’s share of the work in the Detroit net, starting 22 of the team’s 29 games. He’s recorded a .905 save percentage in those games which, while not even league-average, is quite a bit better than his counterpart. Mrazek’s .888 mark is tied for fourth-worst in the league among goaltenders who’ve made at least 10 appearances. Only Maxime Lagace, Laurent Brossoit, Chad Johnson have been worse, while James Reimer clocks in at the same number.

Mrazek is young enough to improve, but his contract status as a pending restricted free agent that is already making $4.15MM is likely off-putting to many teams. A qualifying offer is likely too expensive for any team as a backup, and there is no guarantee he’d accept a lower number on a longer-term deal.

So, where else can you look around the league for goaltending help? Michael Hutchinson has been in the rumor mill lately, as the Winnipeg Jets get Steve Mason back healthy tonight. Unfortunately, Hutchinson injured himself in a minor league game this weekend (though the injury seems minor) and has been underwhelming at best during his NHL career.

Jonathan Bernier was signed by the Colorado Avalanche as potential trade deadline bait, but has been nearly as bad as Mrazek so far this year. His .891 save percentage doesn’t inspire much confidence, as consistency continues to be Bernier’s downfall.

Even a goaltender like Philipp Grubauer, who has been a potential trade target for some time due to a combination of outstanding play and clear role as the backup to Braden Holtby, hasn’t played well enough to trust this season. He, like Scott Darling and Antti Raanta this offseason, was seen as a future starting goaltender in the league just waiting for the right opportunity.

There’s not an easy answer here to the goaltending problems around the league. For teams like Edmonton and Florida, who already find themselves struggling to stay relevant in the playoff race, dealing assets for anything but a sure thing isn’t very appealing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Washington Tried To Make Expansion Draft Trade

October 18, 2017 at 1:39 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

One of the smaller notes in Elliotte Friedman’s outstanding “31 Thoughts” column this week, surrounds the Washington Capitals’ continued search for defensemen. The Capitals lost several players through various means this summer, and when Matt Niskanen went down to a hand injury early in the season the lack of depth started to show. Last night the team had to rely on John Carlson to play more than 27 minutes, while limiting Taylor Chorney, Christian Djoos and Madison Bowey to fewer than 15 each. With no word on how long Niskanen will be out, an upgrade seems inevitable.

While Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner left through free agency, it was obviously why Washington had let them go. The team simply didn’t have the cap space to fit them in, or likely the desire to give them the term they wanted—remember, the four-year deal Shattenkirk signed in New York was shorter than what he likely would have demanded elsewhere. The most interesting name that is no longer with the team is Nate Schmidt, who was lost in the expansion draft to the Vegas Golden Knights. Schmidt played just 60 games for the Capitals last season, but was the easy choice to replace the outgoing veterans in Washington’s top-four. Something Friedman mentioned on NHL Network on Monday night, and now again in the Sportsnet column, is that Washington tried to make a trade at the expansion draft concerning Schmidt and Philipp Grubauer.

While losing Grubauer wouldn’t have been a perfect outcome of the expansion draft, replacing a backup goaltender is a lot easier than finding defensive depth. Though Schmidt was a restricted free agent, he ended up signing for just $2.25MM per season and likely could have been fit into the tight Washington cap situation (especially given their willingness to trade Marcus Johansson to clear room).

As Friedman and others have written, while Vegas continues to shop some of their defensemen a market has yet to materialize. It’s hard to find takers for players like Jason Garrison and Brayden McNabb when they aren’t playing, as teams try to wait out the Golden Knights and snatch someone off waivers. While the Capitals would love to play that game as well, claiming any veteran off waivers is almost impossible for them. As they stand, they’re pushed right up to the cap even carrying nine players that earn less than $1MM. Their move will have to come in trade, with salary headed the other way.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Washington Capitals

August 20, 2017 at 4:16 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Washington Capitals

Current Cap Hit: $70,910,107 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jakub Vrana ($863K, two years remaining)

This is where the Capitals have gotten themselves into trouble. Playing to win it all for the last couple of years has taken a toll on the depth of the team’s roster as they have chosen to go with veterans rather than allow youngsters to work their way into the lineup. Now that those contracts have become too much and the team has had to purge a number of free agents to stay under the cap, suddenly there is no depth to look to when they really need it.

Vrana, a former 2014 first-rounder returned to his team in Sweden after being drafted, but signed at the end of the 2015 season and joined the AHL Hershey Bears for three games, tallying five assists. He then added six points in 10 playoff games to establish himself as a top prospect. He scored 35 goals over the next two seasons in Hershey before being promoted to Washington last year. In 21 games, he tallied three goals and three assists and appears ready to step in to a bottom line role this year.

There are a number of minor leaguers that may be ready to step into the lineup such as defenders Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos, but none have seen any NHL action so far in their careers and there is no guarantee they will make the team out of training camp.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D John Carlson ($3.96MM, UFA)
F Lars Eller ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Tom Wilson ($2.0MM, RFA)
F Jay Beagle ($1.75MM, UFA)
G Philipp Grubauer ($1.5MM, RFA)
D Taylor Chorney ($800K, UFA)
F Devante Smith-Pelly ($650K, RFA)

The team has already lost several key defenseman in the past few months, including Kevin Shattenkirk, Nate Schmidt and Karl Alzner. Could Carlson be next? While the team still has several veteran remaining on their roster, the team might be hard-pressed to avoid losing another veteran defenseman. Currently penciled in to play next to Orlov, at 27 years old, he would be a big loss if the team is unable to bring him back. However, the team will be paying Orpik, Niskanen and Orlov, more than $16MM combined next year. Will Washington find the money for Carlson?

Wilson is a player who the Capitals have high hopes for. The 23-year-old wing is a former 2012 first-rounder and has played four years with the team already, usually among the bottom-tier lines. However, with smoe of the team’s losses on offense, including Marcus Johanson and Justin Williams, this might be the year that Wilson breaks out. He is currently penciled in on the team’s second line and while he managed just seven goals a year ago, he did put up three playoff goals, showing he might be ready for an enhanced role. As a restricted free agent in 2018, the team will have some control on managing his salary.

Perhaps one of the more interesting decisions the team must make is what they plan to do with their backup goalie. Grubauer is considered to be one of the top-young goaltending prospects and while he was not chosen by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, many feel that he could be a solid starting goaltender. However, with Holtby in front of him and locked up for three more years, that role would not likely be given to Grubauer in Washington. With minor leaguer Pheonix Copley looking ready to become the team’s backup and the presence of 2014 second-round prospect Vitek Vanacek and 2015 first-round prospect Ilya Samsonov, the team is loaded with goaltending talent. It seems far more likely the team will move Grubauer at some point, maybe at the trade deadline next season to add much needed depth.

Eller is at best a third line center, who averages between 10 and 15 goals per season. Barring a breakout year and he’s already 28 years old so that seems unlikely, Eller at $3.5MM might be too expensive to bring back in a year, but it’s too early to tell. Beagle did have a career year last year and should challenge Eller for that third-line center job with the loser likely to man the fourth line. Beagle, a faceoff specialist, scored 13 goals last year. If the team can bring them back on relatively cheap deals, they might be able to retain them.

Chorney was used primarily as an extra defenseman last year and only managed 18 games last season. With the team’s lack of depth after their top four, Washington may have no choice but to give Chorney a chance to win one of the last spots. The 30-year-old did manage to get into 55 games a year ago. Smith-Pelly, a quiet free agent acquisition this offseason, scored four goals in 55 games for New Jersey last year. Their futures will be decided by whether they make the team and how they perform.

Two Years Remaining

D Brooks Orpik ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Andre Burakovsky ($3MM, RFA)
F Brett Connolly ($1.5MM, UFA)

At 36 now and 38 years old when his contract expires, Orpik’s days could be numbered. While he’s never been a major offensive presence, his defense has helped anchor a Capitals team for several years since coming over from Pittsburgh, but his skills are already beginning to diminish and this deal is considered by many to be one of the worst deals the Caps have made over the last few years.

The player to keep an eye on is Burakovsky, who many believe might have a breakout season now that the team has lightened their forward depth. Burakovsky, a first-round pick in 2013, has 38 goals and 95 points in three seasons and is currently expected to move onto the team’s second line. In two years, he should be a restricted free agent and could ask for quite a contract if he can put together a couple of big seasons for the Capitals. Connolly is another player for the team to keep their eyes on. While the 25-year-old wing had a career year with Washington this year (15 goals, 23 assists), but the team will need to see what he does over the next two before awarding him another deal.

Three Years Remaining

F Nicklas Backstrom ($6.7MM, UFA)
G Braden Holtby ($6.1MM, UFA)

Both players would seem like obvious candidates to be brought back in three years, but there are a lot of factors that determine that. Backstrom will be 33, while Holtby will be 30, so both should still be in their prime. Backstrom’s 23 goals and more importantly, 63 assists were critical to the Capitals success this last year, while Holtby is the cornerstone in goal. There is no guarantee that any youth will step in and supplant them although the Capitals are strong in goaltending depth.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Alex Ovechkin ($9.54MM through 2020-21)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7.8MM through 2024-25)
F T.J. Oshie ($5.75MM through 2024-25)
D Matt Niskanen ($5.75MM through 2020-21)
D Dmitry Orlov ($5.1MM through 2022-23)

The Capitals have a great core and the team has obviously planned to put most of their money and years towards Kuznetsov, Oshie and Orlov as well as Ovechkin and Niskanen.

The team’s success has revolved around Ovechkin since the day he was drafted and little will change. He is locked up for another four seasons and no one would be surprised if they brought him back after that at age 35. Even though there was some trade chatter about moving on from their star, Washington will likely do everything it can over the next four years to compete for a championship. However, Ovechkin didn’t fare as well this year. After three 50-goal seasons, the 31-year-old wing dropped to a 33-goal season. Still great, but not his usual standard. Can he take his game back to that previous level?

The team then inked three of their stars to long-term deals this offseason. Kuznetsov is just 25 and should be solid for years, but was he worth $7.8MM per season? That’s a lot of money for good, but not great production. He suffered a down year compared to his 2015-16 season, but he’s coming off a 19 goal, 40 assist season, the Capitals have to hope he can take his game to the next level and fill in the offense they will lose this year. Otherwise that’s a lot of money spent on an average center.

Orlov also was extended this offseason. The 26-year-old defenseman signed a six-year, $30.6MM deal to remain with Washington. He finished the season with six goals and 33 points and may be ready to take over the defensive reigns. Many people thought Oshie would leave during free agency due to the Capitals’ cap issues, but the team found a way to keep the 30-year-old forward, signing him to an eight-year extension at $5.75MM. Whether he will be worth that much in his late 30s is unknown, but his 33 goals last year was a career high.

Niskanen remains solid on defense and will be needed even more with some of the offensive losses. The 30-year-old defenseman put up another solid season, scoring five goals and 34 assists for 39 points.

Buyouts

None

Best Value: Backstrom
Worst Value: Kuznetsov

Looking Ahead

The Capitals are a well-run franchise that has done an excellent job of spending money on their core of stars, while drafting well enough to have talent ready to go. They may have overreached themselves this past year as they lost quite a bit of talent and have several gaping holes on defense, but the team seems to have put together a great team that just has not been able to get themselves to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ovechkin still has a number of years left, so expect the Capitals to be aggressive and make moves to add more scoring and more defense over the next year or two. Don’t be shocked to see a goaltender get moved to make room for their prospects, but also to find new talent they can plug into their lineup.

Philipp Grubauer Re-Signs With Washington Capitals

July 6, 2017 at 10:32 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The Washington Capitals have reached an agreement with another arbitration eligible player, signing goaltender Philipp Grubauer to a one-year, $1.5MM contract. Grubauer didn’t file for player-elected arbitration yesterday, which was a clear sign the two sides were closing in on a deal. Washington now has dealt with all of their restricted free agents except for Liam O’Brien, who does not have arbitration rights.

It looked like the Capitals would be in trouble this season getting all of their restricted free agents under contract, but after losing Nate Schmidt to Vegas and trading Marcus Johansson to New Jersey, the team has everyone signed with a few million to spare in cap space. They’ll have to still make some small additions to the fringe of their roster, but have all the big names locked in.

For Grubauer, this deal actually will leave him as a restricted free agent one more time next summer. If he can perform in a similar fashion to this season, he will deserve even more money and could price himself out of Washington’s plans. Grubauer put up a .926 save percentage last season in 23 games, placing him among the elite backups of the league. That mark was actually slightly better than Braden Holtby, making the tandem one of the best in the NHL.

The 25-year old Grubauer is ready for a bigger role in the NHL, and according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post didn’t file for arbitration because he did not want the Capitals to pick a two-year term for him. Though that would take him to unrestricted free agency, it would also lock him in as a cheap backup for an extra year. With more leverage next summer, he may be in line to be moved out before he earns a bigger reward.

Metropolitan Snapshots: Grubauer, Kovalchuk, Ryan

June 25, 2017 at 3:53 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Not that there are a lot of starting goaltending options available, but the Washington Capitals may have to move their backup Philipp Grubauer after all. With the impending defensive losses of free agents Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner, who the team likely cannot afford after the team locked up T.J. Oshie to an eight-year deal, and the loss of 25-year-old top-four defender Nate Schmidt to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, the team must find a way to replace their blueliners.

With cap room almost entirely used up and with several restricted free agents still to lock up, the Capitals have only two places to look to fill those holes – either from within or via trade, according to J.J. Regan of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The team still retains several key defensemen, including restricted free agent Dmitry Orlov, veterans Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen as well as John Carlson. From within, the team has 22-year-old Madison Bowey on hand, who might be ready to make the jump to the NHL. He was out with an ankle injury and missed a lot of the AHL season a year ago, but still had 14 points in 34 games. Still, he may not be the player you count on to jump onto a playoff team’s defensive line.

Therefore, the lack of depth on defense could easily force the team to move Grubauer, who was often talked about as an expansion candidate for the Golden Knights. However, since Grubauer has little chance to grab a starting gig in Washington and isn’t even the future of the franchise as that role likely belongs to 2015 first-round pick Ilya Samsonov. There are still several teams who need a quality, young goaltender and they may be able to offer an inexpensive blueliner to fill Washington’s needs.

While there have been dozens of teams linked to Ilya Kovalchuk over the past two months since he announced he’d like to return to the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets are one team that have shown interest in the 34-year-old Russian winger. However, while that interest still exists, Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline tweets that the team, as of today, are not in full pursuit of Kovalchuk, and are currently searching for a Top-6 center to fill in the gap.
The Carolina Hurricanes are closing in to signing Derek Ryan to one-year deal, tweets Edmonton Oilers radio analyst Bob Stauffer. Ryan, was a Masterson Trophy finalist this past year, which goes to a player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey. At age 30, the center finally broke through into the NHL after years of playing in Europe and the AHL, finishing the season with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points and being credited for helping change the culture of the Hurricanes locker room. He is coming off a one-year, $600,000 contract and looks to be getting a solid raise.

Vegas Will Not Select Capitals’ Philipp Grubauer

June 21, 2017 at 5:46 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

For all the talk of the Vegas Golden Knights potentially loading up on goaltenders, news continues to come out that makes it seem as if they have instead decided to do the opposite. After reports that GM George McPhee passed up on both the Red Wings’ Petr Mrazek and the Rangers’ Antti Raanta, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post has confirmed that they have also decided not to select Washington Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer was heavily rumored to be a target of the Knights, especially given that McPhee was the general manager in Washington when Grubauer was drafted. Instead, it will be another one of his teammates who gets the call.

Grubauer, still just 25 years old, has been putting up excellent numbers in the shadow of Vezina-candidate Braden Holtby for years now. This past season, Grubauer made a career-high 24 appearances and posted a .926 save percentage and 2.04 goals against average. Due in part to Grubauer’s efforts – though he did not play enough to get actual credit – the Capitals allowed the fewest goals in the regular season this year and Holtby was named the recipient of the William M. Jennings Trophy. Many feel that the young German keeper has outgrown his role as backup and there was a feeling among those same people that he might fit in nicely as the 1B to Marc-Andre Fleury’s 1A in Las Vegas. Instead, he will stay in Washington, as the Knights have passed on his services. The Capitals still have the option of trading the restricted free agent, but will probably be relieved to have him back and will look to retain their talented backup instead.

So who might be the pick now? Khurshudyan suggests that, if not Gruabauer, it must be promising young defenseman Nate Schmidt, who Capitals fans were equally nervous about losing. However, assuming that many of the leaked names hold true, Vegas has not exactly chosen their team according to what most thought they would do and with many defenseman already confirmed, perhaps Schmidt won’t be the pick. We’ll know one way or another in a matter of hours.

Should Vegas Corner Goalie Market?

June 19, 2017 at 6:07 pm CDT | by Seth Lawrence 10 Comments

With the recent trade of Mike Smith to Calgary, the market for starting goaltenders is dwindling even further. An interesting dynamic for the Vegas Golden Knights as they choose their team will be whether they opt to select every quality goalie out there in order to flip them to other teams. There are quite a few available – Marc-Andre Fleury of Pittsburgh, Eddie Lack (and Cam Ward) of Carolina, Calvin Pickard of Colorado, Antti Raanta of New York, Petr Mrazek of Detroit, Roberto Luongo of Florida, Jaroslav Halak of the Islanders, Michal Neuvirth of Philadelphia, Peter Budaj of Tampa Bay, and Philipp Grubauer of Washington, with a few interesting prospects also exposed. As we’ve seen in the past few seasons, dealing a goaltender for anything remotely resembling fair value can be an enormous challenge. The salary cap has really warped the value of a solid starting goaltender in a way that has not been totally beneficial to the players.

One down season and a tender’s value goes down quite heavily. The top ten goalies in the league always seem to find a home on the rare occasion they hit unrestricted free agency, but that has been a rare occurrence. Many might point to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final when they isolate a particular moment that the highly-paid goaltender became an oddity. In that Final, Michael Leighton, third-string for Philadelphia, faced off against the very pedestrian Antti Niemi, who was then sacrificed for cap reasons. With the whole league watching, these teams ascended to hockey’s main stage with relative no names in the crease. While that moment may have been particularly damaging, the moment for me was the fiasco that was the Luongo and Cory Schneider trade saga in Vancouver, which lasted parts of 2 seasons. Then Canucks GM Mike Gillis had a terrible time finding a suitor for Luongo before finally being forced to ship Schneider off in the 2013 offseason for a 9th round pick. This too, was terrible value, considering that Schneider was one of the best young goalies in the league and coming off a scorching season where he had a .937 save percentage. This ordeal took place less than two years after Luongo had taken the team to its first Final since 1994. Granted, Luongo’s contract was considered a bit of an albatross, but it very publicly cemented the value of goaltenders on the trade market as minimal.

Looking forward to the present day, and the last two goaltenders have been traded for rather uninspiring returns. Arizona’s Smith only fetched a 3rd rounder, and Ben Bishop only netted a 4th from Dallas. GM George McPhee could end up hosting a goaltender buffet, with few paying customers. He would be wise to gauge the interest of other teams before deciding on their selections in net. They obviously want to draft a solid starter and a few young goaltenders as future cornerstones. They need to draft 3, and it’s difficult to envision them drafting less than 4 with the enticing names available out there. But if they decide to go into 5 or 6 goaltender territory, McPhee could manufacture a logjam that could be difficult to sort out. After all, only the WInnipeg Jets are truly desperate for a starting goaltender, and that’s assuming they don’t want one of Brian Elliott, Mike Condon, or another UFA to be their partner for Connor Hellebuyck. Philadelphia could be interested in a younger asset, and there are always teams who will desperately seek a starter mid-season when a keeper inevitably goes down to injury. That said, the market simply doesn’t favor the strategy of going all-in in net.

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