Markstrom and Gibson would cost too much, but you're asking on Saros?

Not sure if this is the poster's thought but if you're going to pay a large amount for a goalie, it might as well be for a goalie that's actually worth the price.

Goalie valuations are where the biggest discrepancy between actual valuations and fan valuations lie:

Any goalie who's currently struggling is just going through a slump and will bounce back to their previous level of play according to their fanbase.
Any goalie currently doing well is 100% going to sustain his current level of play for the next half decade according to the fanbase.

I could find 30+ goalies who the fanbase would claim is worth a 1st. Meanwhile two reigning top 3 vezina goalies were traded in recent years. Neither got a 1st

Meanwhile in real life:
-Goalies get less money than any other position
-Goalies go lower in drafts than any other position
-Goalies recieve lower trade returns than any other position

And all 3 of those metrics are trending downhill.
Helle and Sorokin just hit UFA and got the same/less than Schiefele and Horvat
Goalies are going lower and lower in drafts
a goalie hasn't recieved a haul in a LONG time

One of these things is not like the others.

Of the seven guys listed, the over/under for number that will be traded on their current contracts is probably 0.5

Saros is two 1sts, a top prospect and another asset

Hey look I found the "Any goalie who's currently struggling is just going through a slump and will bounce back to their previous level of play"

Don’t care. Either give us what we want or we’re not trading him

Goaltenders are never worth 1st round picks, in the draft or via trade. No exceptions.

0.903 goalie asking for more than double the biggest price any goalie has recieved in a decade

Sorokin, Vasilevskis, Hellybuck all recently got large raises, but yes you’re very spot on it’s rare a goalie get what fans expect and that’s because the position is vital but almost Vodoo. You can have a guy lead the leauge on. Year in GSAA only to be bottom 5 next (Saaros anyone!)
And a guy given up for some come out and look like an all stay (Martin Jones)

yea I do have to believe Saaros is a guy who will bounce back and I would
Covet, but anything more than a 1st is crazy… but to be fair sharks gave up a 1st for an unproven Martin Jones back in the day! So it’s not out of the realm of posibility IMO

IMO San Jose's Kapphoken might be a good choice. He's a UFA the summer so he wouldn't cost that much to obtain. He may welcome playing for a better team than San Jose that should improve his stats.

Vasy got his deal a while ago

Yeah but think about the Sorokin and Helle deals.

I’d argue those are top 3 goalies. Top 5 at worst. Usually a top 5 player at a position hits unrestricted free agency they reset the market at that position, or at least matches it.

They got 8.25 and 8.5. That’s 1 mill less than vasy (who I believe might have been an RFA), 2 mill less than price and Bob. With the cap going up like 8 mill since those previous deals, the new crop of elite goalies getting a lot less does not bode well for what teams think of goaltending values.

Is tanner Jeannot worth more than Saros?

Tanner Jeannot at 800k+RFA control vs Saros at 5 million for 2 years.

Jeannot's main piece was also a protected 1st 3 years in the future.

If I value Tanner Jeannot at 4 million, that's 6 mill in surplus value.
If I value Saros at 8 mill, that's 6 mill in surplus value.

But hey if you want our 2026 1st (protected), 2025 2nd, and our 3rd 4th and 5th this year we'd be happy to send that for saros.

And again, if the comp you go to is a 800k RFA winger widely regarded as an overpay, it says a lot.

Mike Johnson of TSN thinks Markstrom is the fit for NJ.

Only 1 I see is Kaapo K, depends what happens to Markstrom? No way Lou trade Varlamov.

Markstrom isn't gonna get moved tbh.
Apparently calgary vehemently opposes retention (see Lindholm, Toffoli, Zadorov trades).

And without retention, a 6 million dollar 34 year old isn't getting particularly meaningful assets, let alone assets enough to get calgary to ask Markstrom to waive.

Calgary is going to have that contract, Markstrom is going to return back to his previous level of play or worse as he ages, and he'll get his 20 mill from calgary

32 thoughts said Calgary isn’t entertaining offers for Markstrom.

It seems the front office has been given an anti retention mandate. And without retention, Markstrom isn't worth much at all.

I don’t know what MAF is planning.

Could see Knight move possibly too.

Even worse for the Flames then retention was taking on 5.5m Kozmenko for the rest of this year and next.
Retention late in the season doesn't cost all that much and buyers often don't have the cap. Pretty sure Hanifan and Tanev will have to be retained when they are traded.

I'd rather Hanifan and build up the defense. I am not paying 6 million for a 30 plus year old goalie who has 3 years left.