New day, new goalie rumors in the NHL
Marc-Andre Fleury to Minnesota. Henrik Lundqvist to Washington. Corey Crawford to Colorado. Or is it, Fleury to Pittsburgh, Lundqvist to Colorado and Crawford staying in Chicago?
“My advice to goalies is: 'Don’t get caught without a chair,'… NBC analyst Ed Olczyk said. “You just make sure you have a crease to stand in.…
With goalies such as Fleury, Lundqvist, Crawford, probably joining Jacob Markstrom, Braden Holtby, Matt Murray, Cam Talbot, Anton Khudobin, Thomas Greiss and Darcy Kuemper among others. It’s even possible Boston’s Tuukka Rask could be available for a trade.
With so many goalies in the marketplace, it’s a buyer’s market. There may be more goalies available than teams shopping for a new goalie. Plus, NHL GMs are dealing with a flat salary cap caused by the pandemic.
“You may think you are worth $6 million, but you might have to accept two years at $4 million,… Olczyk said.
Already, the Vegas Golden Knights have signed potential UFA Robin Lehner, 29, for five years at $5 million per season. Tristan Jarry, projected to be Pittsburgh’s No. 1 goalie in 2020-21, signed for three years at an average of $3.5 million. Brian Elliott took a $500,000 pay cut, signing for one season at $1.5 million, to remain as Carter Hart's backup in Philadelphia “I think Markstrom will be your first domino and then teams will react from there,… Olczyk said.
The Canucks are trying to resign Markstrom, 30, while also trying to trade for his friend, defenseman Oliver Ekman Larsson (Arizona Coyotes). If Markstrom doesn't stay in Vancouver, hee will be the hottest goalie in the marketplace.