The problem is that outside of Pittsburgh MAF's image is not that great. He has always been looked upon as a good not great goaltender. But there a many of those guys in this league. All those wins with a team that has firepower and starpower is really not that impressive. His stats are middle of the road as far a goalies are concerned. That is why there has been no real rush to acquire him. Pittsburgh fans have a different view of him. To them he is Mr. Beloved. Truth be told he is just an average NHL goaltender playing on a very good team for a long time. Switch him and Carey Price and there is no telling how many Cups would have been won in Pittsburgh
He would have folded like a cheap suit with the pressure of being a goalie for Montreal
- holeinone

Again goalies cant win ups by themselves you need to be a solid team top to bottom, if the last 7 seasons teams were better constructed who knows how many cups he would have. There were a few years there where MAF was a basketcase during the playoffs as well but there also were a couple where he was the best player the pens had. And if Price is so great why does he have zero cups, if as you say, goalies win cups?

Maybe the Sens would trade for MAF if Pitt ate $1.5M per season and took Anderson back.

To PITT:
- Anderson (You don't have to protect him since he doesn't have a NMC or NTC)
- Borowicki (contract dump)
- 2nd rd pick (42nd overall)

To OTT:
-Flower ($1.5M per year retained)
- riceroni

Are the Sens close to the cap limit? Are they tight on cash? Why would retaining Fleury's salary (which I highly doubt the Pens will ever do) important?

Maybe the Sens would trade for MAF if Pitt ate $1.5M per season and took Anderson back.

To PITT:
- Anderson (You don't have to protect him since he doesn't have a NMC or NTC)
- Borowicki (contract dump)
- 2nd rd pick (42nd overall)

To OTT:
-Flower ($1.5M per year retained)
- riceroni

If your including Borowicki, the Pens can't retain any cap. That's pointless for the Pens

Are they Sens close to the cap limit? Are they tight on cash? Why would retaining Fleury's salary (which I highly doubt the Pens will ever do) important?
- MattStrat

Pretty sure they are an "internal" cap team

Pittsburgh has leverage....they can keep him. He isn't a must move. I know I know the expansion draft, he can be traded before and up to February '17.....or if the savior in Murray falls to earth Fleury can remain with the Pens to be starter.
- kgrpitt

Denile ain't just a river in Egypt where crocodiles eat people every day

Maybe the Sens would trade for MAF if Pitt ate $1.5M per season and took Anderson back.

To PITT:
- Anderson (You don't have to protect him since he doesn't have a NMC or NTC)
- Borowicki (contract dump)
- 2nd rd pick (42nd overall)

To OTT:
-Flower ($1.5M per year retained)
- riceroni

That's the type of trade we do if Murray's about to be exposed. Complete desperation move

Yup, JR can go fck himself if he wants the #6. The way things are shaking out out I would offer your pick of Klimchuk (our 2013 1st we got from you in the Iggy trade) or Hickey (offensive D at BCollege that played on Canada at the WJC) & our 3rd #66(ironically Marios old # ) & call it a day.Someone better go smack JR in the side of the head or he'll be deciding whether he wants Niemi or Lehtenan back in the deal.
- Kevin R

(frank) THAT!

Yup, JR can go fck himself if he wants the #6. The way things are shaking out out I would offer your pick of Klimchuk (our 2013 1st we got from you in the Iggy trade) or Hickey (offensive D at BCollege that played on Canada at the WJC) & our 3rd #66(ironically Marios old # ) & call it a day.Someone better go smack JR in the side of the head or he'll be deciding whether he wants Niemi or Lehtenan back in the deal.
- Kevin R

I'd take Kilmchuk and Hickey and you can get you draft picks. Hickey would be right what we need.

I suspect they talked to Tampa much earlier than 9h ago
- Redmile247

Personally, I don't think you can win a cup anymore with MAF in net. You can have your pick of all sorts of tenders that won't help you win a cup.

I am not fond of any sort of quality assets being moved for MAF.

There's always a chance something comes out of left field. This is the NHL where last names artificially inflate value. St Louis traded good assets for Miller when they already had Halak, for Christ sakes!
- Victoro311

This is my thought process too ...if any team thinks fleury os an upgrade to what they have than why not ask Pitt about him

Are the Sens close to the cap limit? Are they tight on cash? Why would retaining Fleury's salary (which I highly doubt the Pens will ever do) important?
- MattStrat

We're poor as fack... Melnyk has bleed the team dry worse than Trump on the RNC...

Fluery trade won't come until draft day... Just sit back and watch it all unfold

Mason is a true number one starter, you as well as everyone else have not seen enough of Murray to know if he can be. He won't always have a desperate to win team laying in front of 50% of the shots. Mason is top listed goalie on an expansion draft for a reason, a true #1 for 4 mil. If murray does turn out to be the real deal you think he won't take more money than that?
- vanhileman

I think he's already a better player than Mason and Mason is ALWAYS injured. If Murray turns out to be the real deal? It's not like he came out of nowhere. At the beginning of the season Murray and Vasilevsky were considered the best goalies in the world not in the NHL yet. Murray did make team North America before he even played a game in the NHL. It's like say if Connor McDavid is the real deal because he missed most of the season.

Bob Mackenzie tweeted it ....there is no more reliable source in hockey
- Redmile247

Only second to Eklund.

You sound worried... I think you'll be jumping for joy if you get fleury for the right price.
- nelson911

Personally, I think Bishop over Fleury all day long & twice on Sunday but I just didn't expect Yzerman to move Bishop this summer so really never thought about him. The biggest thing that scares the bejesus out of me is the price of Bishop. I think Fleury is the better fit. Good enough to get us back to the playoffs & gives Gilles 2 years to ripen in Stockton & then Fleury can mentor him in that last year. The price of a prospect, a 2nd & the cap space is a win win. But if one side gets greedy, well I guess there are other options in this league.

The pressure isn't all on Pitt. If the flames don't get Bishop or fleury they are in a heap of trouble next year. There has to be some worry too that Bishop will want a raise on his next deal which they can't sign to until July 1.

Yup, JR can go fck himself if he wants the #6. The way things are shaking out out I would offer your pick of Klimchuk (our 2013 1st we got from you in the Iggy trade) or Hickey (offensive D at BCollege that played on Canada at the WJC) & our 3rd #66(ironically Marios old # ) & call it a day.Someone better go smack JR in the side of the head or he'll be deciding whether he wants Niemi or Lehtenan back in the deal.
- Kevin R

Hard pass. Nothing of value there. You forget the Flames need Fleury as much as we need to trade him. And we have zero pressure to move him right now. We can move him to Ottawa or Dallas right before the draft for basically the same thing you are offering (Very little)

I think Niemi is a fringe starter. He'd be excellent as a backup while Murray continues to develop. Still next year is a big extension year for us so taking on Niemi would be risky, but doable. If all else fails, as you said buy out is an option

I know we want different things from a potential Dallas trade but I've been kicking around the idea of a Dallas trade too. The big inhibitor is Lehtonen. I don't think Dallas can take on Fleury's contract with Lehtonen sill on the team and his deal is too big to buy out. They'd have to move him for a Fleury Dallas trade to be realistic, IMO.
- Victoro311

Niemi is making 4.5 it's only a million more. I know ideally they would like to shed Kari but realistically they are going nowhere with the goaltending they have so to get to the next level they have to do something. Bishop is waaaaayyyy to much money and they have a nice looking young d coming up, they could put at least 3'of them on the roster with Klingberg and have a defense similar to ours, as long as they send us Honka back in the trade that is. We don't need any forwards right now.

I would not be surprised if JR sticks to his higher demands for Fleury.

JR said he'd like to have both and I think he's being honest with that statement.

The only proven goalie he has is MAF.

Sure Murray just won a cup but we all know the dream he just had might not feel or look the same next year during the reg season and playoffs.

I think it's smart of JR to only go for great deals...if Fleury wants out...have him ask.

If not...the Pens could keep both...see how the season plays out...then deal MAF later in the year if needed.

Personally, I think Bishop over Fleury all day long & twice on Sunday but I just didn't expect Yzerman to move Bishop this summer so really never thought about him. The biggest thing that scares the bejesus out of me is the price of Bishop. I think Fleury is the better fit. Good enough to get us back to the playoffs & gives Gilles 2 years to ripen in Stockton & then Fleury can mentor him in that last year. The price of a prospect, a 2nd & the cap space is a win win. But if one side gets greedy, well I guess there are other options in this league.
- Kevin R

Agreed. I think bishop and fleury are 1 and 2 on the market and the price will be as such. I do think some teams will look to upgrade their goalie as well with bishop. So it's not just 1 or 2 team race all the time.

I would consider buying him out depending on where the next kid up is development wise. Niemi is still not as bad as Kari Let-em-in and by taking Niemi off of Dallas' hands Pittsburgh would get more value back I terms of picks and prospects, after Niemi we should stay away from all their roster players not named Klingberg, Benn, and Seguin which we would never get anyways. I see the Dumoulin bridge at about 3.3 for 2'years unless he improves as much next season as he did this season then it might be more (hopefully enough to buy some good taste in music.)
- Dcoms

Bridging Dumoulin will put you in a Niskanen situation. Also does dumo have 1 or 2 years of RFA after next season. I'd rather lock him long-term before UFA which I'm guessing is around 5/year.

Not sure I have seen this question come up......
Murray is entering the final year of his ELC, so the Pens can extend him this offseason. If JR extends him now and gives him a full NMC/NTC, how would the expansion rules deal with having 2 goalies with clauses? I guess the only hiccup could be when Murray's NMC kicks in relative to when the expansion draft occurs next year.
- Rawdog9755

I think he's too young to get a NMC but I could be wrong. I don't have the rule book handy like some and I'm not about to look it up.

I'd take Kilmchuk and Hickey and you can get you draft picks. Hickey would be right what we need.
- Dcoms

We actually could afford to trade Hickey with Kyllington & Andersen looking real good last year. Brodie & hamilton are young, so our top pairing is pretty well nailed down. Klimchuk is a few years away but is tracking to be a solid defensively 3rd line winger. That is probably a pretty fair deal for both. You guys have been buyers at the TDL for so long that you need prospects like that in your system.

Maybe the Sens would trade for MAF if Pitt ate $1.5M per season and took Anderson back.

To PITT:
- Anderson (You don't have to protect him since he doesn't have a NMC or NTC)
- Borowicki (contract dump)
- 2nd rd pick (42nd overall)

To OTT:
-Flower ($1.5M per year retained)
- riceroni

How does this help us what so ever? No way!

We actually could afford to trade Hickey with Kyllington & Andersen looking real good last year. Brodie & hamilton are young, so our top pairing is pretty well nailed down. Klimchuk is a few years away but is tracking to be a solid defensively 3rd line winger. That is probably a pretty fair deal for both. You guys have been buyers at the TDL for so long that you need prospects like that in your system.
- Kevin R

I would rather trade Kylington than Hickey....I think Hickey might be our best D prospect!