EDM could just sign UFA goalie in 2-3M range and not give up a 1st or 2nd. Almost zero chance Allen is worth a high round pick even with retention

way too risky for edmonton. If they have made the playoffs consistently over the last few years, it MIGHT make sense but, cause of the constant poor performances over the years they can't deal away a potential lottery pick

I completely understand your take, but I would argue that none of the UFA goalies offer what Allen has. He's still young, athletic, has single-handedly won a playoff series (see Minnesota-Blues two years ago), and has proven with three other goalies that he is a better 1B/backup than "the guy."

What say you @mokumboi @BeastModeUnknown @Chopper02 @STLBlues17 @BluesGetTheCup @LGBstl @SammyT_51 @Sicarius @Ragsandbluesfan @BurgerBoss @BluesBandit @Csick123

To be fair, I agree with the guy above. Allen hasn't proven to be a 1G material, and that's what they need since they already have a big question mark in Koskinen taking that slot. They just can't be paying $6-7M bucks for two incompetent goalies. As a DAL fan I know that more than anything. Watching Lehtonen and Niemi was just...atrocious, to put it mildly. And to be fair, EDM isn't the team that can move picks without getting solid players in exchange. Just look at how bad they've been developing their young assets to become solid NHLers... Wouldn't be surprised that Fabbri would end up in KHL in 2-3 years and Allen becomes the next Darling.

As for the BUF trade, I don't think Edmundson is that valuable. Based on what he showed in that BOS and DAL series what I saw, he wasn't even in your TOP6 of your defensemen. All of Petro, Parayko, Dunn, Bouwmeester, Gunnarsson and Bortuzzo performed better. I don't see him getting you a first, albeit it's the last one available and a decent RHD prospect. BUF could do better than that.

Last note, getting Lee at $6,5M is a pretty low offer. His production levels match that of Jeff Skinner's, who got $9M AAV contact. Last two years combined, Lee has had 68 goals and 113 points, Skinner has 64 goals and 112 points. Lee might have bad history in playoffs as you said, but Skinner got that contract, and he hasn't played a single playoff game during his career yet... Not to mention that there's gonna be a load of teams after him...there's a strong likelihood of his salary getting in the range of $7,5-9M.

Poolparty could thrive in STL though.

Buffalo is ok at literally one position. Lhd. I dont think laaksonen or samuelsson are on the table unless its a serious upgrade. Its probably poor value and definitely bad fit. But after last summer, stl would be crazy not to call.

I agree with the Skinner comp (and hate the fact that he got that much money but good for him). You're right, Lee likely gets around $9 million. It's funny you mentioned the Lehtonen and Niemi circus act. They were so bad. Big Ben is the man though. I thought he should have won the Vezina but Vasy is also worthy.

I agree that Buffalo has two good LHD. They do not, however, have an Edmunson kind of guy, and I'd argue that would help them tremendously. They need a no-nonsense defender who will pummel forwards and allow the other more skilled guys move the puck.

Yeah I was disappointed that Bishop didn't win the Vezina. Guess the reason to that is that he had far smaller amount of wins when compared to Vasy.
Vasy did a great job too, so it's not too bad though.

Agreed.

It's understandable that you would like to keep Allen based on experience, but on the now look of it. Allen is being overpaid by a couple million, and he has been pretty inconsistent. Now if you look at it in the way of Experience you might be able to pull that argument, but I would much rather look to bring Husso then get any other guy in.

I think people around the league are interested in Allen but I'm not sure at what rate. Goalies are weird like that. Someone may see him as a bounceback candidate, while others see him as a liability. As for his value, I couldn't even begin to guess. Hell, look at how split our fans are on what Binner is worth. Obviously the more we retain, the better the return. Look for him to be moved during the draft but probably not for a high pick because I don't see us retaining money for multiple years, just not our style. I'd be happy to just give him away completely but if the Blues really like someone in the second/third round, they may package him with retention or Fabbri/Ed to get their guy. IN DOUG WE TRUST.

Blues win the Edmonton trade pretty easily. I still think Fabbri can be a top 6 player. He’s not the kind of player who fits with Berube’s style.

Honestly, I think Varlamov, while not as young, can provide more stability than Allen. Question is what his rate will be. And also, Reimer's name is floating out there. He's not a great 1G, but he's good at taken the pressure off the guy who is supposed to be number 1 and is fairly decent. That stated, I think you have a better chance trading Allen to Carolina or even Columbus