just picking nits, but i'd push for a 2023 2nd from Buffalo (we've got all our 2023 picks and having an extra 2nd might be a way to trade back into the 1st if the opportunity arises) if Varlamov is okay going upstate. Also don't -hate- Salo as LD3 but I'd want a little more experience out of our 7th D if you're putting him in the starting lineup - maybe a guy like Marc Staal or Brad Hunt signs for less than $1M to do that? Let Hutton play every day in Bridgeport and be first man up in case of injury.

I don't know if Edmonton accept this trade

BUT good job buddy

With the way Goalies are flying off the shelf this morning Lou better have a backup signed before moving Varly.

Sorokin made 52 starts in a weirdly compressed schedule this year, I could see them getting him 60 starts in a season where he has more normal rest patterns in the second half - which makes me fine shopping in the bargain bin for a backup goalie. Maybe even taking a flyer on a guy like Martin Jones or Keith Kinkaid to see if they can put up decent numbers behind a strong defense.

Not saying he cannot make 60 starts, but he has not yet. May not need someone as good as Varly but definitely need a solid established goalie to be a #2.

I wonder if Romanov was acquired so they can have a Russian on the team if they move varlamov

Sabres would be better suited to do the Knights 2nd next year. That’s fair

They aren’t trading Varlamov.

Says who

I had the exact same thought earlier reading the Kurz article on the Athletic - I think Romanov definitely makes Varlamov more expendable. Not saying it guarantees a trade, but I could easily see it happening. And it definitely helps that Detroit came out and took one of the bigger potential UFA pieces off the board this morning - if you need a goalie, you're basically down to Kuemper, Campbell, or trading for Varlamov.

I think you can push him a little bit with a more traditional schedule as opposed to the constant 4-5 games per week they were playing the last couple months of this season. Perfect breakdown for me would be getting Sorokin in the 55-60 start range, getting Backup Goalie To Be Named 15-20ish starts, and getting Jakub Skarek up from Bridgeport for a handful of NHL games to see if he can grow into the backup role eventually.

I think it's worth exploring trading Varlamov now, especially with Detroit pulling Ville Husso off the board. Right now, if you want a solid goalie, you're down to Darcy Kuemper or Jack Campbell in free agency, or you're trading for Varlamov. I think cashing him in now would be worth it instead of hanging on to him for those 20ish starts next season, and I feel more confident about moving him after the Romanov trade since Ilya has an old teammate in the room and won't feel as isolated as he might've before with a Varly trade. I think you can either grab a guy like Thomas Greiss or Martin Jones out of UFA for those 15-20 starts, or even swing a deal where Vegas attaches an asset to dump Laurent Brossoit's $2.325M deal (my own little pipe dream). Point is, I think the market is hot and Varly would get a big return from a team trying to shore up in net.

If he was going it would have been before the 2nd round started. Lou is not going to be looking for 2023 picks for Varly unless the Isles are out at the TDL and Varly agrees to a trade.

The Isles are going with Sorokin, Varly next year.