Philipp Grubauer - Destination: COL
Stays in Colorado, I see no reason for the Avs to let him go. He was fantastic at times during the year and in the playoffs yeah he wasn't elite but I blame the Avs defence for losing to Vegas more than id pin it on Grubauer. I definitely can see him being the starter on a championship team.
Mike Smith - Destinations: EDM, BOS, WPG, PHI, or TOR
I think the Oilers should keep him and have him be the backup as opposed to starting yet again, at 39 years of age he's still a solid net minder, but if they can get a good/great number 1 it wouldn't be inconceivable that this team makes a finals run.
Mikko Koskinen - Destinations: ARI, CHI, NJD, BUF or DET.
Opposite if Smith, he's overpaid and realistically is more of a solid backup who should play maybe 28-35 games a year. The best thing about him is at least theres only a year left on the deal so trading him won't be too hard.
Tuukka Rask - Destination: Boston or Retirement.
He'll probably resign at like 1 year 4mil or even less if he's ok with taking less to help the team have another run. While I think Swayman is the guy of the future its good to bring Rask back, at least for 1 more year. He wont be ready till probably February tho cuz of hip surgery so I wouldnt be surprised if they sign like a David Rittich to share the net with Swayman for the first couple months of the season.
Chris Driedger - Destinations: SEA, CAR, WSH, SJS, DET, CHI or TOR.
With Bob's contract and the emergence of Spencer Knight theres no way Dreidger stays. A lot of people link him to Seattle and I think he'd be a great 1st starter for the franchise. The sample size is small so I honestly doubt he gets a large contract, maybe 3 years at best. I think he'll see his deal fall in a range similar to that of Merzlikins or Jarry.
Freddy Andersen - Destination: EDM, CHI, WSH, or PHI.
I honestly think he's going to get a 1 year prove it contract, probably worth about 3-4mil. I think it's a 50-50 for me on having a good year. The positives about Freddy is that he's had 6/8 seasons with a 0.914sv% or higher, he has 1 Jennings and consistently has been a solid/good playoff performers. The negatives is that the 2 years in which he has had lower than 0.914sv% have both been the last two seasons, and he's coming off his worst season this past year. Injuries are also a risk for Freddy, the Leafs pretty much played him into the ground prior to this year and all that work takes a toll.
Jonathan Bernier - Destinations: PHI, DET, BUF, NJD, SJS, or VAN.
He had a strong year and proved to be very reliable between the pipes. I believe Philly is the optimal destination for him, he can help out Carter Hart who had an atrocious year, but we all know his potential. Bernier can be a nice compliment to the kid and could easily play 30-35 games if they him to.
Marc-Andre Fleury - Destinations: PIT, BOS, or CAR.
I definitely want to see Fleury back on the Pens, I think while it'll be tough for Vegas to move on from Fleury especially coming off a Vezina winning year, but I think having a combined 12mil invested into your goaltending is a mistake and that his 7mil in cap space could be spent wiser. He's got just 1 year left and his value is probably the highest it will ever be for the foreseeable future.
Linus Ullmark - Destinations: BUF, ARI, CHI or SJS.
He's a very underrated goalie who's been stuck on some bad Buffalo teams, but I doubt he goes to a team that has playoff hopes as he's too much of a wild card. He's definitely got potential to be a really solid starter and he can clearly play well despite his team not being great. I most want to see him return to Buffalo or go to Chicago to for a 1A/1B situation with Kevin Lankinen.
Antti Raanta - Destinations: NJD, CGY, MIN, WSH, DET, TOR, BOS, NYI, PHI, NSH or VAN.
He could go anywhere honestly, when he's on his game he's great but he can't stay healthy and his numbers are declining. A good vet, who id honestly love to see play for Toronto to form a good tandem with Jack Campbell. If healthy I think he could definitely play 30+ games for the Leafs while giving them probably a 0.915+sv%.
Petr Mrazek - Destinations: CAR, BOS, COL, SEA, VGK or NSH.
I think this a 1 year prove it deal for Mrazek, he's been inconsistent in his career and honestly to me is just an average goalie. If you have high expectations for him you might be disappointed. I think it's in his best interests to return to Carolina on a 1 year 2.5mil deal. The Canes have an elite defence (and team as a whole) and playing in their system again should help his numbers be good/great and open up more options in 2022 FA.
Semyon Varlamov - Destinations: EDM, CHI or SJS.
Ive seen people say Varly is on his way out, I think he's a very solid goalie coming off arguably his best season since 2014. I don't know if he gets a team over the hump but if a club is looking for a reliable starter there are much worse options out there.
Darcy Kuemper - Destinations: EDM, WSH, PIT, BOS or SJS.
He had a rough season especially when you take into account how amazing he was in 2019 and 2020, with 1 year left on his deal there definitely will be a plethora of suitors. I'm not 100% sold on if he returns to the level he showed during his first couple of years for the Yotes but he's definitely worth taking the chance on if goaltending is an issue for your club.
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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