Goalie Conundrum

[habfaninvictoria]

I didn't see a thread covering this so merge if necessary.

We have 3 NHL caliber goalies and can't send Tokarski or Budaj to Hamilton without clearing waivers. Bergevin has stated he is willing to keep 3 goalies on the roster to start the season. This only makes sense if Price is still injured. The backup will only play 20-30 games so to kill 2 roster spots makes no sense particularly considering the logjam on D, and the bottom 6 depth.

Logically MB will look to deal one of them (Tokarski would have more value IMO). Obviously teams know he's got this conundrum and in order to get a better return may have to sweeten the pot.

Who are our potential trading partners and who gets bundled in (please don't turn this into yet another DD bash... we get it, most of us want him traded).

I don't really know other teams rosters, from what I can see...

Edmonton ... they'd want a DMan
Minnesota ... With Harding injured they have the greatest need and Tokarski would fit in with the cap. I'd be happy with a second rounder.

Click to read more...

 

[macavoy]

I'd be happy with a second rounder.

You wouldn't even get a 7th for Budaj or Tokes.

 

[capebretoncanadien]

Let Budaj go for whatever.

He's been a decent goalie for us and great teammate but when the chips were down and you needed Budaj to win a game he didn't show up very often.

 

[RealityBytes]

They are only a backup and most teams if they would want one of them, would just wait to claim him off wavers. Doubt you'd get much of anything of value in a trade.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Send Budaj to Hamilton, if he gets picked up then we've lost his contract, if he clears then we have some depth if Price or Tokarski get hurt

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Both goalies play through training camp, possibly preseason, and we waive whoever performs worse.

 

[Corncob]

Both goalies play through training camp, possibly preseason, and we waive whoever performs worse.

This. I don't really see the conundrum, it's really quite simple. And contrary to what people think, there's a decent chance either of them clear waivers.

Edmonton and Minnesota already have two goaltenders each btw ( well Minnesota have three including Harding, plus Bryzgalov on a PTO).

 

[loudi94]

First and probably only goalie that won't pass through waivers without getting picked up is Markstrom in Vancouver.

 

[Agnostic]

No conundrum. No trade value for either backup. Pick one (Tokarski) and send the other to Hamilton. Either will clear waivers. People are placing way too much value on these guys.

 

[Runner77]

A "conundrum" of redundant, disposable assets with no trade value. Good on most of the posters in this thread for deflating it as a non-issue.

 

[Treb]

I didn't see a thread covering this so merge if necessary.

We have 3 NHL caliber goalies and can't send Tokarski or Budaj to Hamilton without clearing waivers. Bergevin has stated he is willing to keep 3 goalies on the roster to start the season. This only makes sense if Price is still injured. The backup will only play 20-30 games so to kill 2 roster spots makes no sense particularly considering the logjam on D, and the bottom 6 depth.

Logically MB will look to deal one of them (Tokarski would have more value IMO). Obviously teams know he's got this conundrum and in order to get a better return may have to sweeten the pot.

Who are our potential trading partners and who gets bundled in (please don't turn this into yet another DD bash... we get it, most of us want him traded).

I don't really know other teams rosters, from what I can see...

Edmonton ... they'd want a DMan
Minnesota ... With Harding injured they have the greatest need and Tokarski would fit in with the cap. I'd be happy with a second rounder.

The Wild have Backstrom and Kuemper plus Bryzgalov on try-out. They have absolutely no need for Tok/Budaj.

 

[BLONG7]

No conundrum. No trade value for either backup. Pick one (Tokarski) and send the other to Hamilton. Either will clear waivers. People are placing way too much value on these guys.

Absolutely agree...

 

[Stjonnypopo]

No conundrum. No trade value for either backup. Pick one (Tokarski) and send the other to Hamilton. Either will clear waivers. People are placing way too much value on these guys.

I don't think I agree. Budaj might be replaceable but a young(ish) goalie with a decent upside has some value. He played well in the playoffs last year so I think it upped his value.

In any case, this isn't really considered a conundrum, it's more of a good problem. Let Budaj and Tokarski battle to see who gets the backup spot.

In the end though I wonder if Tokarski would be happy with a backup role. Budaj has made it very clear that he understands his role and is happy with 10 games a year. It's exactly what we need in a backup, and he's great in the room and on the bench, all of the guys on the team love him. Tokarski might have higher expectations of himself, which is understandable, so in a year we might be in search of another backup and might need to settle with someone worse than either of them.

 

[xposbrad]

conundrum? we don't use these kinds of big words on forums

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I don't see what the big deal is here. Just trade Price for Crosby and we're set.

 

[Dr_Hook]

There is no conondrum. Budaj has zero value ; Tokarsky has very little value ; goalies that small aren't considered viable option for a starting job. 5 good games don't make a career.

If we could find somebody to take Budaj and his whole salary, we could keep a younger and possibly better backup and save almost a million in the process and that would be a huge win in itself.

But none of those guys brings back anything substancial in a trade, that's for sure.

 

[firewagon77*]

Bergevin will try and trade Budaj if no team wants him he will put him on waivers,if he is claimed Montreal pays half the contract 700,000 the team that claims him pays half the contract 700,000.

 

[gusfring]

They didn't have confidence in Budaj in the playoffs. By bye.

 

[Corncob]

Bergevin will try and trade Budaj if no team wants him he will put him on waivers,if he is claimed Montreal pays half the contract 700,000 the team that claims him pays half the contract 700,000.

Um, no, if he was claimed the team that claims him would own the contract and pay it all.

 

[Treb]

Bergevin will try and trade Budaj if no team wants him he will put him on waivers,if he is claimed Montreal pays half the contract 700,000 the team that claims him pays half the contract 700,000.

You're thinking about the re-entry waivers that don't exist anymore under the new CBA.

 

[FerrisRox]

I don't think I agree. Budaj might be replaceable but a young(ish) goalie with a decent upside has some value. He played well in the playoffs last year so I think it upped his value.

He played five games.

GM's aren't like the frothing at the mouth fanboys here. They know that five games means absolutely nothing.

Tokarski has very little trade value at all. I'd be very surprised if he cleared waivers.

I could see one of New Jersey taking a look at Jacob Markstrom when he hits waivers, but beyond that, there are really no openings for a goalie and I don't see any teams that would improve their one-two goalie situation by adding Dustin Tokarski.

 

[Oleg Petrov]

Cap Hit if they waive and loan Budaj: $1037.5
Tokarski at $562.5 + Budaj at $475 ($1.4 - 0.925)

Cap Hit if they keep Budaj = $1.4


So there's a $400K savings for keeping Tokarski around as well - And if Budaj gets claimed it's close to $800K

 

[Runner77]

He played five games.

GM's aren't like the frothing at the mouth fanboys here. They know that five games means absolutely nothing.

5 games don't mean anything but if you go to the Scherback thread, it appears that you can extrapolate way more out of a pre-season scrimmage.

 

[Tyson]

The answer is so easy. When Price went down against the Rangers who was trusted to play?

 

[Habsrule]

What all people have to remember is that for a team to claim someone, that player who gets claimed has to stay in the NHL or else go back in waivers to go back down.

I do not see any goaltending combo in the NHL that could really use Budaj or Tokarski at the potential expense of losing one of their goalies.

I would be willing to bet that both goalies clear waivers.