Value of: Sabres need an NHL-calibre goalie

[explore]

Per title. Every major and minor media source pointed out that the Sabres had one of the worst goalie tandems in the league and the Sabres did nothing to address it.

The Sabres are now in need of a goalie after Brandon Montour decided to take out Carter Hutton for reasons unknown to man and elves alike. Ulmark is also out for personal reasons and it's unknown when/if he'll return.

The Sabres are willing to trade draft picks (up to top-15 protected first, or multiple seconds), but not core roster players, so we aren't looking for superstar-calibre goalies, just goalies who are around the NHL average.

Are there any goalies like that available?

EDIT: Linus Ulmark is back with the team. He was out because his father passed away. The Sabres still need a goalie upgrade, but it's not as desperate a situation as it was previously

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[kthx]

Could be a long shot but Fleury?

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Could be a long shot but Fleury?

I doubt he waives to go to Buffalo

 

[explore]

Could be a long shot but Fleury?

I doubt he waives to go to Buffalo

Fleury is a better option than the AHL goalie Buffalo will have to rely on, but salary will have to be balanced since the Sabres don't have the cap space to absorb Fleury's $7 million salary (Buffalo currently has around $400,000 in cap space not counting Girgensons $2.2 million salary on LTIR)

That's also ignoring the big issue of whether Fleury would be willing to waive to go to Buffalo, but he would at least know that he'd be guaranteed to start.

The question is since Fleury isn't considered to be an in-demand goalie, what kind of compensation would Vegas want? The Sabres would need to send back almost $7 million in cap to Vegas to make the deal work, and the Sabres aren't going to give up core players, so that leaves other undesirable players on the Sabres roster

 

[DingDongCharlie]

Arizona has 2 good goalies and needs picks. Seems a no brainer to make a deal.

Raanta for a pair of picks.

 

[Gecklund]

Martin Jones for Jeff Skinner (retained so both Sharks and Sabres have the same cap hit and we can suffer together)

Kind of joking.

 

[Yatzhee]

Martin Jones for Jeff Skinner (retained so both Sharks and Sabres have the same cap hit and we can suffer together)

Kind of joking.

I did chuckle. Nice.
But, I like the thinking 0utside the box.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Could be a long shot but Fleury?

Yeah a very long shot, Seriously doubt that Marc Andre-Fleury waives from a contender to a Non-Contending team like Buffalo.

 

[explore]

Arizona has 2 good goalies and needs picks. Seems a no brainer to make a deal.

Raanta for a pair of picks.

This looks like the most obvious option. Again, salary would need to be balanced, but Buffalo would be happy with either Keumper or Raanta. I think Arizona would rather trade Raanta since he's a UFA at the end of the season, but he'd be a huge improvement over current Sabres goalies.

Would a basis of Carter Hutton ($2.75 mm salary, UFA at end of season) + 2nd + 3rd for Raanta ($4.25 mm salary, UFA at end of season) work for Arizona?

 

[moosemeister]

This looks like the most obvious option. Again, salary would need to be balanced, but Buffalo would be happy with either Keumper or Raanta. I think Arizona would rather trade Raanta since he's a UFA at the end of the season, but he'd be a huge improvement over current Sabres goalies.

Would a basis of Carter Hutton ($2.75 mm salary, UFA at end of season) + 2nd + 3rd for Raanta ($4.25 mm salary, UFA at end of season) work for Arizona?

yes it would.

 

[explore]

yes it would.

Awesome. There's the question of whether Hutton can be traded since he's currently injured, but I'd like to hear the opinions of a few more Arizona and Sabres fans to see if this is a good basis for a trade.

If we get a consensus, maybe some folks from the Sabres and Coyotes can get the ball rolling

 

[JohnnyJacket13]

Dubois+Korpisalo/Merzlikins (your choice) for Eichel

 

[explore]

Dubois+Korpisalo/Merzlikins (your choice) for Eichel

Literally bolded in the OP: The Sabres are willing to trade draft picks (up to top-15 protected first, or multiple seconds), but not core roster players

also, lmfao no

 

[Yatzhee]

Chad DeDominicis is posting up on Twitter nothing close but Sabres have/are speaking to a handful of teams on goaltending in the past 72 hours.

Tells me the Ullmark situation is more serious then I suspected.

 

[explore]

Chad DeDominicis is posting up on Twitter nothing close but Sabres have/are speaking to a handful of teams on goaltending in the past 72 hours.

Tells me the Ullmark situation is more serious then I suspected.

When was the last time that guy called anything before major outlets?

Still, if he's not just making stuff up for clicks I'll be happy that the Sabres are at least reacting to something this obvious

 

[tsujimoto74]

Yeah a very long shot, Seriously doubt that Marc Andre-Fleury waives from a contender to a Non-Contending team like Buffalo.

Bet he would waive to go from being an alienated backup to a starter. But also, unless Okposo is going the other way, lol cap.

 

[KingTech]

Any interest in Quick ? Hutton 2nd and a d prospect ? or a short term defense cap dump

 

[Djp]

Buffalo does not have cap space

 

[_Del_]

yes it would.

Still feel as though Hutton is Buffalo's problem. Now that AZ is under the cap, and the schedule is compressed, there's no need to give away Raanta AND take bad money back. If you have to take money back, at least get someone usable like McCabe.

You can either use Raanta or wait for someone else to step up to the plate.

 

[Stickpucker]

Nedelovic (no one can spell it) is as NHL ready as he can be. He won the calder in charlotte and is on an ELC so no cap problems.

Buff 2nd for Needaspellcheck + car 3rd.

 

[moosemeister]

Still feel as though Hutton is Buffalo's problem. Now that AZ is under the cap, and the schedule is compressed, there's no need to give away Raanta AND take bad money back. If you have to take money back, at least get someone usable like McCabe.

You can either use Raanta or wait for someone else to step up to the plate.

I mean of course. But it’s not a terrible offer. This is the kind of offer that’s likely the best on the table, and holding out for a better price with Raanta is a big concern. Dude might get injured eating yogurt tomorrow. I’d take what we could get and if it’s a 2nd, 3rd and LTIR candidate, it’s worth it.

 

[is the answer jesus]

Any interest in Quick ? Hutton 2nd and a d prospect ? or a short term defense cap dump

Quick looks toast. With that contract I wouldnt take him for free.

Nedelovic (no one can spell it) is as NHL ready as he can be. He won the calder in charlotte and is on an ELC so no cap problems.

Buff 2nd for Needaspellcheck + car 3rd.

Nedeljkovic just went through waivers. That isn't to say he's awful or anything, he'd be better than anything Buffalo currently has, but you're probably looking at a mid round pick at best.

Of all the options Raanta makes the most sense. He'd be a legit guy to ride the rest of the year out with.

 

[PAZ]

I don't see Arizona trading Raanta if they're competing for a playoff spot. A quality backup goalie is gold in a condensed season, and if any team is pushing for the playoffs I don't see them trading their backup until they're out of the playoff race. I think outside of a few teams that are clearly rebuilding (Chicago, LA, Detroit) there is the 'what if' factor of making the playoffs in a condensed season.

 

[explore]

Any interest in Quick ? Hutton 2nd and a d prospect ? or a short term defense cap dump

Quick has been pretty bad, and he's signed for two more years after this one. I think Buffalo would be very hesitant for those two reasons alone. Plus he has a $5.8 mm average until 2023, so to make the cap work LA would need to take someone like Okposo who makes $6 mm average until 2023.

I also think Quick would be pretty upset at being shipped from sunny LA to wintery Buffalo, but he doesn't seem to have a NMC so I guess there's nothing he can do about it

 

[Kaibur]

I mean of course. But it’s not a terrible offer. This is the kind of offer that’s likely the best on the table, and holding out for a better price with Raanta is a big concern. Dude might get injured eating yogurt tomorrow. I’d take what we could get and if it’s a 2nd, 3rd and LTIR candidate, it’s worth it.

With goaltending right now, it's a sellers market. The Coyotes should be in no rush to trade a goalie unless there's an overpayment. A 2nd and a 3rd is the type of return I would expect at the trade deadline if they're out of contention.

I think the schedule is a consideration too. The Coyotes play 3 games against Vegas through Sunday. There's several teams starting to see injuries and become a little more desperate to acquire competent goaltending.

Raanta for Hutton and Mittelstadt