I still think Lehner is an underdog to be resigned. While I appreciate the move MAF ideas, I think its going to be really hard to move him because he can't be parked and you'd have to find someone who actually planned to use him as a #1 because VGK can't retain that much salary. Plus the whole take advantage of the expansion draft idea is just sitting there for them to take advantage of. Of course the problem is MAF got too much money and too long an extension, but it is what it is. Feels to me like they strike a deal with a team that figures to lose a goalie early on, maybe before the season starts even and its a guy with a future that can take on close to half the load next season and with the understanding he's got #1 duties soon to come. MAF plays a lot for awhile, but also takes some time off as he always does mid season and the transition begins. Then Stastny's contract ends, MAF is only a year from his ending and the Knights continue to be in an offensive position because they have no bad contracts and cap room returns they start using some youth. If you sign Lehner to the deal he deserves and can't move MAF, then you are cap limited and start making moves from a defensive position. And don't tell me you can't win a Cup with MAF and you can with Lehner, teams win Cups with questionable goalies or guys that get hot and then turn out to be kinda questionable later. Matt Murray anyone? How's Holtby doing?
Holtby has had like one bad regular season his entire career and is still playing now.
Murray had a bad regular season. He wasn't bad this playoffs, watched it all and he looked fine, had fine numbers, despite losing and having a poor defense.
None of that has anything to do with our goalies though. Lehner is much better than Fleury at this point of their careers, and probably by a wider margin the next two years, more likely you can win with one a lot easier than the other.
We're a team built along the wings. Stone, Pacioretty, Smith, Marchessault, Tuch. That's where most of our money is tied up in; Karlsson, Glass, Stephenson and Roy should be good enough centers with the line driving wingers we have.