How about backstopping them to their 2nd cup final appearance in 6 years?

This was before that and didn't want to jinx anything bc it wouldn't be fair to that fanbase

San Jose cleared cap/money in what was a very tight cap environment. They actually lucked out at the time to even be able to move his cap hit at all, let alone get a pick for him.

He wasn't likely to play well enough on a basement team to increase his value. I also doubt he would have re-signed there.

He was a solid 1B type goalie for Vegas in the regular season. That alone made the trade a win for them. With that said, Vegas winning doesn't mean San Jose lost.

Goalies are Voodoo

Funny how seemingly insignificant moves can sometimes turn out to have a huge impact.