Quoting: STLBlues17
I here you but I disagree on Allen. Sone team will take their chance on a .927 goalie even at that price given he’s got only one year left. Bozak could be hairy, but he’s not a cap dump and a team with a center need could be a fit if the Blues retain or take back a little monet
Quoting: Sebybbqpower
I think you don’t understand financial issues teams are facings. There rules that need to be fallow and a team who is rebuilding aren’t targeting 34 years old center. Teams who might have interest in bozak have financial obligation and will probably have to move a bad contract to make it happen so the blues will fave the same problem. Jake allen won’t be traded unless the blues retain a major part of is deal or without taking a contract back. I am not inventing the rules here, historicaly there’s some precedent and some constant.
There's a few teams that could use an improvement in the goaltending next season: Edmonton, San Jose, LA, New Jersey, Detroit, Ottawa are the big ones. Philly, Nashville, Minnesota, Carolina, and Colorado would all probably like to do something as well. Maybe Calgary. Montreal and Florida probably too though they don't have the flexibility to. I think there's a pretty good chance that if Allen keeps it up we can find a good home for him. With the way the goalies just fall down and rebound constantly in this game, it makes a lot more sense to try one season of Jake Allen for a mid pick or two versus signing Holtby or Markstrom for a long time and getting screwed with those contracts. (and again, look at Montreal and Florida) There's not too many other good goalies on the FA market besides them- Lehner and Greiss maybe? Allen has been a starter, the stats guys love him, and comparatively he's cheaper than all of those guys except Greiss. And either way, there's more teams than good goalies out there. Someone will have to roll the dice.
This is kind of a weird take, but if we can get away without trading Bozak that would tight. He's having a quietly excellent year at 34, on pace for twenty goals and 45 points, which would be just under his career high in goals and his second highest total in points. Not only that, EvolvingWild has him as one of the best defensive forwards in the league this year. I was skeptical of that contract, but that's worth every penny while Thomas is on his ELC.
I wonder about the possibility of doing something very similar to what the Capitals did after winning their cup, which is trading their backup goaltender with starter salts and a veteran player who they like but just makes too much money to a team who needs goaltending and has cap space and then sign back the vet for less money. For the Caps that was Grubauer and Orpick, for us I think it could be Allen and Steen. That might be the only way to get out of Steen's contract amicably, and we could still have him back the next year at a salary more in line with his production. Would take more than just Allen, probably another forward or defenseman, but we've got some depth to deal there too if it's the right guy.