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Playoff Puzzle: Western Goaltending Experience

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Corey Crawford must feel like an old man these days. When the Chicago Blackhawks goaltender looks around at the creases of his main rivals in the Western Conference, one thing is constant: inexperience. He knows it well, from when he took on the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 as a rookie. At the other end of the rink was a 31-year old Roberto Luongo, who had already been through three playoff runs and was about to win the Jennings trophy for dominating in the regular season.

Crawford and the Hawks would lose in seven games, but it was an important step towards their cup win in 2013 when he would post a .932 save percentage—still the best mark of his career. It’s not easy to backstop a team to the Stanley Cup, even if you do have an excellent group in front of you. Just ask Martin Jones, who actually played his best hockey last year in the Finals against Pittsburgh, despite losing. It took a while for him to really find his groove and even then it wasn’t enough.

So when Crawford sees the standings and notices a trend among the biggest contenders, it might make him even more confident heading into this year’s tournament. Perhaps even if he is a bit older, that experience will pay off in the toughest two months of any sport.

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Friedman’s Latest: Deadline Dealing

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In his latest 30 Thoughts column, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet gets into some of the details of trade deadline day. It’s a wonderful read as always, from one of the most connected men in hockey.

  • Friedman reports that there was a lot of interest in Detroit Red Wings forward Riley Sheahan before they ultimately decided to keep him. Sheahan has zero goals this season and has been part of the problem in Detroit, but could be part of the solution too. The former-first round pick still has excellent upside and could be a huge part of a Red Wing rebuild. With another year on his current deal and a restricted free agent afterwards, Detroit wasn’t pressured to move him now.
  • The Boston Bruins were in on both Radim Vrbata and Dmitry Kulikov before eventually settling for just Drew Stafford on deadline day. Arizona essentially dug in their heels at a certain asking price—Friedman thinks a second-round pick—and were happy to keep him.
  • The Calgary Flames are mentioned in association with both Ben Bishop and Marc-Andre Fleury, though obviously both never materialized. The situation in Calgary is an interesting one, as Brian Elliott has turned around his play recently and muddled the situation once again for this summer. If they think it was just a comfort thing, perhaps they will look to get back into a contract negotiation with the 31-year old netminder.
  • Friedman also touches on Kelly Hrudey’s rant about the way trade deadline coverage has evolved, making note of a player who texted him upset about potentially being involved in a deal. In the Maple Leafs game last night, the broadcast crew also touched on how it looked as though James van Riemsdyk had a piano lifted from his back after two weeks of constant rumor. As Greg Millen of Sportsnet put it after a particularly good shift from van Riemsdyk: “If you don’t think it affects these players, you’re wrong.”

Deadline Primer: Calgary Flames

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With the trade deadline now just over a week away, we continue to take a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

The Calgary Flames kicked off their trade deadline a bit early this season, acquiring right-handed defenseman Michael Stone from the Arizona Coyotes on February 20th, before many other teams have even decided whether they’re true buyers or sellers. With Stone, Calgary is getting one of the top rental defenseman on the market, whether you believe in his underlying numbers or not. Depth on the blueline is no longer much of an issue for the Flames, who are still currently in a playoff spot.

While they likely won’t catch the leaders in the Pacific, they are right in the thick of the wildcard hunt with 62 points and a good young team. It’ll be an interesting deadline to be sure, as the team doesn’t seem like it is finished just yet.

Record

29-26-4, 4th in Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$2.67MM – full-season cap hit due to LTIR space, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: CGY 1st, CGY 2nd, CGY 4th, CGY 5th, CGY 6th, CGY 7th
2018: CGY 1st, CGY 2nd, CGY 4th, FLA 4th, CGY 5th, CGY 6th, CGY 7th

Trade Chips

The Flames used a couple of picks to grab Stone, and it looks like if they want to do anything else it would be more of the same. The Flames don’t have much off their roster that they would be willing to move outside of Dennis Wideman who is making too much money for too little performance for anyone to want him. The team could trade Micheal Ferland or Matt Stajan if they thought they could upgrade in the bottom-six, but it would be tough to find a deal that makes sense for either one. Sam Bennett

The most talked about name going into the deadline will be Sam Bennett, but without much cause. The team doesn’t seem like it is anywhere close to accepting the idea that they need to move on from the former 4th-overall pick, despite his down season. Bennett is only 20, and if teams gave up on their top picks that early they’d find themselves in the lottery more often than not.

In terms of prospect capital, the Flames could waive Hunter Shinkaruk or Tyler Wotherspoon around hoping for a bite, though neither would get the return that the team would jump at. There system is filled with former top prospects who are almost getting to the point where they need to be tested in the NHL, and perhaps a rebuilding squad would take a chance on one or two of them.

Five Players To Watch: G Brian Elliott, D Dennis Wideman, F Micheal Ferland, D Jyrki Jokipakka, F Kris Versteeg

Team Needs

1) Goaltending – It almost stops here (no pun intended) for the Flames after they addressed their second defense pairing with Stone. Their goaltending has simply not been good enough for a team that wants to make a splash in the playoffs. Elliott hasn’t been anything close to what the team had thought they were getting, and Chad Johnson has been admirable but average in his takeover. If the Flames could find a legitimate number 1 goaltender it would be a big help, but even a capable 1A guy that can split the rest of the season with Johnson could be helpful. If Mike Smith hadn’t been told he’s staying in Arizona it would be a perfect fit.

2) Third-Line Center – Though the team shouldn’t give up long-term on Bennett, they need to find a capable leader for their third line that isn’t him. Stajan is no longer capable of that kind of role, and the bouncing ball of wingers isn’t helping. If the Flames could find a legitimate shutdown center capable of driving that line, their forward group would get a lot more dangerous as a whole.

3) Top-Six Right Winger – If they can’t find the center, then adding a better option than Versteeg or Troy Brouwer on the top line is a must. Though both are capable of 20+ goal seasons at their best, they haven’t shown that ability this season. Replacing Versteeg with a more dangerous scoring threat would take some of the pressure off the kids up front and allow Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan to show what they can do offensively.

Blues Notes: Ribeiro, Hitchcock, Johnson, Armstrong

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The Blues may be one of the more interesting teams leading up to the trade deadline. The team has talent, but has underachieved this year and is battling just to make the postseason as a wild card. St. Louis took the surprising step of firing highly-respected head coach Ken Hitchcock, who had already announced he was retiring following the 2016-17 season, but more changes could be on the way.

Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hosted his weekly chat with Blues fans today and tackled several queries regarding what steps the team might take next. It goes without saying but the whole post is well worth your time. Regardless, here’s a compilation of a few of the highlights:

  • Rutherford has long suggested the Blues need help at the center position and with Mike Ribeiro hitting the waiver wire today, one reader wondered whether St. Louis would take a chance on the talented pivot. While Ribeiro has a solid track record of offensive production, Rutherford just doesn’t see the soon-to-be-37-year-old as a fit for the Blues, citing the fact he has been a healthy scratch in Nashville on several occasions this season. Ribeiro does have 25 points in 46 games this season but only four goals. It’s likely the Predators sought potential trade partners prior to waiving Ribeiro and it would seem there wasn’t much interest. It’s possible someone besides St. Louis in need of center help will take a chance given the pivot is in the final season of his contract and wouldn’t come with much risk as a result. He did register a 50-point campaign in 2015-16 and tallied 62 the season before, suggesting he might still be able to help a team offensively.
  • The scribe also addressed whether Hitchcock’s name might come up in connection with the Las Vegas head coaching job. Rutherford is of the impression the veteran bench boss wouldn’t be “keen” on the idea and while he doesn’t specify as to why, it’s possible that the 65-year-old is simply at a point in his career where he wouldn’t want to take on the challenge of building an expansion franchise from the ground up. However, despite the fact he was set to retire after the 2016-17 season, many in the industry have said they wouldn’t be surprised to see Hitch back in the league at some point.
  • The Blues and Lightning have been linked as potential trading partners, given St. Louis’ issues in goal and the possible availability of pending free agent netminder Ben Bishop. However, Rutherford has heard that the Blues have interest in another Tampa Bay player: center Tyler Johnson. Johnson would make a ton of sense for the Blues. The team likely still fancies themselves as Stanley Cup contenders – if not necessarily this year – and a hypothetical deal for Johnson not only addresses a weakness now but would add a talented player who can be controlled as a RFA beyond the current campaign. Rutherford doesn’t specify what Tampa Bay would want in return but it’s safe to say a top-four defenseman would have to be part of the discussion.
  • Lastly, Rutherford’s colleague with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jesus Ortiz, argues that the Blues “fired the wrong guy” when they dismissed Hitchcock. Ortiz is of the belief the team should instead have given GM Doug Armstrong his walking papers. He points to the hiring of Mike Yeo as “head-coach-in-waiting” as potentially undermining the authority of the veteran bench boss. In the press conference following the firing, Armstrong made a reference to “independent contractors,” when describing some of the players on the team and it’s fair to wonder if that condition is related to the team’s overall approach to the handling of the coaching situation. Ortiz also suggests that allowing Troy Brouwer and David Backes to depart as free agents hurt the team both on the ice and from a leadership perspective. Additionally, the team’s decision to trade goalie Brian Elliott and install Jake Allen as the undisputed #1 seems to have backfired. Hitchcock has long been able to coax above-average play between the pipes due in large part to his strong defensive structure. That hasn’t been the case this season as each of the team’s goalies, Allen and Carter Hutton, has a S% below 0.900. However, it should be noted that Elliott is also struggling in Calgary, and there is no guarantee he would have duplicated his success from last season had he remained with the Blues.

Snapshots: Vegas, Klefbom, Calgary Goalies, Red Wings

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Assuming owner Bill Foley’s final expansion payment goes through as expected by early March, the Vegas Golden Knights will be able to make trades right away.  As Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski points out though, there will be some restrictions early on.

GM George McPhee will not able to acquire any active player off an NHL roster.  However, he can still trade for draft picks, unsigned prospects, plus make any agreements pertaining to the expansion draft.  They’ll also be allowed to sign college free agents and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them active in that market early on.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly also told Wyshynski that while the name Golden Knights is currently under scrutiny in terms of a potential trademarking issue, the name won’t be changed although the process of getting that resolved is likely to take some time.

More news and notes from around the NHL:

  • It’s rare for an everyday player to have not taken a single penalty by this point of the season. It’s even rarer for a defenseman to be in that situation but as Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun notes, that is the case for Oilers blueliner Oscar Klefbom, who has to be whistled for a penalty through 51 games.  Head coach Todd McLellan attributes Klefbom’s high-end skating as a big reason for him being able to stay out of the box.  This isn’t just a one-time fluke either; Klefbom had only recorded ten penalty minutes in 107 games heading into this season.  His last penalty came back on November 18, 2015, a hooking minor against Columbus.
  • The Flames plan to employ a ‘win and you’re in’ strategy when it comes to their goaltending for the foreseeable future, reports Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun. Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson have been consistently inconsistent for most of the season and as a result, Calgary finds themselves in a tight battle for a Wild Card spot in the West.  Elliott, having picked up a win in their last game before the break, will get the nod against the Wild tonight.
  • If the Red Wings are going to make a real run at extending their 25 year playoff streak, it will have to be on the back of their power play, Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News suggests. Detroit finds themselves with the worst man advantage in the league coming out of the break with a success rate of just 11.1%, a number that drops to just 5.7% on the road.

Unfortunate Extensions: Jake Allen & Petr Mrazek

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When the St. Louis Blues went into this offseason, they had a problem. Some may call it a good problem, but it was an issue all the same; what to do with the tandem of Brian Elliott and Jake Allen? The team had gone to the Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years, and did it on the back of two outstanding seasons from their pair of netminders. Allen had a .920 save percentage in 44 starts, while Elliott carried a .930 mark through his 38 starts and continued his dominance into the playoffs, essentially moving Allen to the bench.

But when the summer came, the team decided it was time to move on from one of them and traded Elliott to the Calgary Flames. With just a year left on each goalie’s deal, the Blues wanted to get ahead of the controversy and establish Allen as their true franchise netminder. They signed him to a four-year, $17.4MM extension on the first day of free agency, locking him in long-term as their starter. After all, he was coming off the best season of his career and was still just 25-years old.

That decision hasn’t turned out too well for the Blues, who last week sent Allen away from the team, not even bringing him on a road trip to Winnipeg. Allen is sporting a .897 save percentage through the first half of the season, easily a career low for him. While some of that is a much weaker team in front of him defensively, not all of the blame can removed from his shoulders. He simply hasn’t been good enough for the Blues, and now it comes time to wonder about the decision to extend him in the summer.

With a $4.35MM cap-hit going forward, it’s not like the Blues will be completely hamstrung by his deal. There is room to get a quality veteran to split the season with him like Florida is doing with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer, but it is far from ideal. A team that has pending unrestricted free agents in Kevin Shattenkirk and Patrik Berglund, along with big RFA deals with Robby Fabbri and Colton Parayko looming in the next couple of seasons, needs their cap space used in effective manners. A long-term extension for a struggling goalie is not that.

In Detroit, a similar goaltender situation played out last year when Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard split the duties and pushed a underwhelming team into the playoffs. While Howard struggled during parts of the season and in the playoffs, Mrazek looked like a lock as a starting goaltender and perhaps even all-star going forward. The Wings were locked into Howard for another three seasons, but looked like they wanted to give the number one job to Mrazek after his great stretch run.

The team likely shopped the veteran Howard around but found no takers, and eventually decided on just a two-year deal with Mrazek when it came to free agency. Had they been able to find a taker for Howard and his $5.3MM cap hit, they probably would have tried to work out a longer-term deal with the younger netminder. Perhaps their inability to move Howard was a blessing in disguise however, as Mrazek has imploded in the Wings’ net, posting an .894 save percentage behind a reeling team. Howard was actually off to a great start before suffering an injury, making the decision even harder this summer.

Howard is still likely on the move out of town as the Red Wings start a rebuild, but luckily they haven’t committed to Mrazek long-term. If they decide he’s not the goaltender they thought he was, and in a year choose to go in a different direction he’ll be a hefty trade chip on the market. If he rebounds and shows them that this was just a blip on what will be an otherwise excellent career, they can then lock him into a longer deal.

For St. Louis though, they have to hitch their horse to Allen and hope he can pull them out of it. With another four-years after this dedicated to the former second-round pick, they basically don’t have any other choice.

Blues Notes: Allen, Bishop, Shattenkirk, Hunt

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Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch conducted his weekly chat and understandably touched on several trade-related topics. It’s well worth a full read but here are the highlights.

  • The Blues dealt goaltender Brian Elliott this past summer under the belief that Jake Allen was ready to be a full-time starter. It made sense in theory as the former second-round draft pick won 26 of his 44 starts and posted a GAA of 2.35 with a S% of 0.920. Unfortunately, Allen has struggled as the #1, allowing nearly 0.50 goals-per-60 more than he did in 2015-16 and stopping fewer than nine of every 10 shots on net. Rutherford feels that while Allen is certainly to blame for the soft goals he has allowed at times this season, the team in front of him simply isn’t good enough this year.
  • Because of Allen’s struggles, some have suggested the team should look to acquire a proven starter with Ben Bishop’s name surfacing as one possibility. In fact, one reader speculated on a possible Kevin Shattenkirk-for-Bishop swap since on the surface it addresses issues each team has. Rutherford pours cold water on that hypothetical scenario, however, citing uncertainty regarding whether Tampa Bay will be a buyer, seller or choose to stand pat at the deadline. Additionally, he questions whether the Lightning would be willing to pay a hefty price for a rental, assuming they remain either on the outside looking in or on the fringes of a playoff berth. It should also be noted that with several key RFA’s to re-sign next summer, it’s not likely that the Lightning would target a pending UFA with any notion of extending him beyond his current term, further diminishing the possibility GM Steve Yzerman engages the Blues in discussions for Shattenkirk.
  • Speaking of Shattenkirk, Rutherford calculates the potential returns the Blues can expect if moving the skilled blue liner both as a rental and a sign-and-trade scenario where the acquiring team is allowed to negotiate an extension with the player. As a rental the scribe feels he can net the Blues a “pretty good prospect.” Even as part of a sign-and-trade, Rutherford is unsure whether the Blues would be able to attract offers including more than a “good player.” He reasons that teams would simply prefer to wait until Shattenkirk hits free agency as opposed to sacrificing valuable assets now. Either way, Shattenkirk is going to get paid and it might behoove teams to wait until the summer to make their move. Based on what significant rental players have cost acquiring teams in the past, Rutherford might be undervaluing Shattenkirk. Last year Carolina received a prospect and two draft choices for a couple months of Eric Staal. Winnipeg dealt Andrew Ladd and received a prospect (Marko Dano) and a first-round pick in return. Teams will pay steep prices for premium rentals. The real question, in my estimation at least, is whether St. Louis would be willing to move Shattenkirk for futures or if they will insist on receiving an NHL or NHL-ready contributor. If they have designs on competing for a Stanley Cup in the near future it’s more likely they’d prefer someone who can step in and play right away.
  • Lastly, readers wanted to know why the Blues couldn’t find a trade partner for defenseman Brad Hunt rather than losing him for nothing on waivers. The undersized Hunt has been excellent in the AHL, netting 29 points in 23 games for the Chicago Wolves but as Rutherford points out, he has yet to see any game action since joining Nashville. Hunt also spent three years in the Edmonton organization, a team lacking NHL-quality defenders, yet saw nothing more than a cup of coffee with the Oilers. Could Hunt be an example of a player overlooked? Perhaps, but more likely he is what they refer to in baseball circles as a “4A” player; too good for the minors but not quite good enough to secure a permanent role in the big leagues.

Pacific Notes: Oilers, Flames, Holland, Marleau

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Although the Edmonton Oilers find themselves comfortably in a playoff spot, TSN’s Darren Dreger doesn’t expect GM Peter Chiarelli to make any big splashes, he told TSN 1260 in Edmonton (transcription courtesy of Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“I don’t project that Chiarelli is going to be doing any big game hunting. That’s not to say he’s not listening, and if another defenseman was thrown into the market that the Oilers wouldn’t try and acquire that piece – or perhaps some depth on the wing, or maybe a little bit of insurance at center ice as well.”

Dreger suggests that one area that the Oilers could try to land an upgrade for is rookie Drake Caggiula’s third line center spot.  The youngster has fared okay in that role but the belief is that he’s more comfortable on the wing and given his smaller stature (5’9), he’s not an ideal fit down the middle.

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Although he passed over goalies like Ben Bishop and Marc-Andre Fleury to acquire Brian Elliott from St. Louis last summer, Calgary GM Brad Treliving would be wise to reconsider those two options, suggests Jared Clinton of The Hockey News. Elliott has had more down moments than good ones and currently boasts a subpar 2.92 GAA and a .891 SV%.  Basically, he’s not the starter of the future to build around.  Backup Chad Johnson has fared better (a 2.41 GAA with a .917 SV%) but he isn’t viewed as a long-term starter either while youngster Jon Gillies is scuffling this year as he battles back from an injury-plagued 2015-16 season.  The Flames were active on the goalie market last summer and it’s shaping up to be that way again this coming offseason.
  • Arizona center Peter Holland was fined just over $3,600 for an unsuspecting punch to Tampa Bay’s Ondrej Palat, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link). The incident occurred on Saturday night and the fine represents the maximum allowable under the CBA.
  • San Jose’s Patrick Marleau had quite the third period yesterday. He became only the 12th player in NHL history to score four goals in a single period and was the first to do in nearly 20 years (Mario Lemieux matched that feat on January 26, 1997 against Montreal).  As CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz notes, Marleau was dropped down a line prior to the third and clearly the move paid immediate dividends.  After a quiet start to the year, Marleau has 16 goals on the season and sits three away from 500 for his career.

The 2016 All UFA Bargain Team

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Organizations generally wait until around the quarter mark of the campaign before making determinations on their team. Are they contenders or pretenders? Do they anticipate being buyers or sellers at the deadline? These are among the questions teams begin to ponder at this point in the season. Subsequently, now seems like a good time to look back at the summer’s free agent signings to see which are outperforming expectations and can safely be called free agent bargains.

Forward

Eric Staal (Minnesota) – Three years, $10.5MM: After a down season in 2015-16 split between Carolina and the New York Rangers, questions surfaced about whether Staal was a legitimate top-line center or if his decline in production was representative of a player past his prime. Staal recorded 10 consecutive seasons – 2005-06 through 2014-15 – in which he recorded at least 53 points but stumbled to a 39-point output last season. Those concerns led to a discounted contract which compensates Staal at the level of a well-paid third liner as opposed to a top-line player.

Staal has rebounded this season and through 20 games with the Wild, the 13-year veteran has registered 15 points. Perhaps a better sign his early-season production may be based more on ability than on luck, Staal is back to averaging close to three shots per game. Last season he averaged just 2.4 shots per contest and for his career he is at 3.3. Staal is currently tied for 57th among forwards in points-per-game; a rank perfectly in line with that of a top-line forward.

Jonathan Marchessault (Florida) – Two years, $1.5MM: Marchessault could prove to be the steal of the summer. He signed a two-year deal with the Panthers worth just $1.5MM this summer after failing to find a permanent role in either Columbus or Tampa Bay. Through 20 games in South Florida, the 25-year-old forward has nine goals and seven helpers and is on pace for a 65-point campaign.

While Marchessault struggled to earn regular NHL work prior to this season, he has an excellent junior and minor league track record. In 306 AHL games, the 5-foot-9, 174-pound wing tallied 98 goals and 262 points. That success at least suggests Marchessault can continue to produce at the level of a top-six forward. That’s a steal for $750K.

Michael Grabner (New York Rangers) – Two years, $3.3MM: Grabner was a solid producer while with the Islanders, averaging 0.30 goals-per-game over parts of five seasons. But after registering just nine goals and 18 points in 80 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2015-16 campaign, Grabner was available at a bargain price for the Rangers.

All he’s done for the Blue Shirts is register 12 goals, all at even strength, and 16 points in 22 games with the Rangers. He ranks third overall in goals scored while his total at even strength leads the league. He’s also tops in the NHL in plus-minus with a rating of +20. His penalty-killing ability has also been welcome on Manhattan. Perhaps he won’t continue to produce at this level but even then, he’s well on his way to a 20-goal campaign which would be a tremendous return on a $1.65MM investment.

Defense

Brian Campbell (Chicago) – One year, $1.5MM: Campbell was dead set on returning to Chicago as a free agent this summer and he did, at a rate the cap-strapped Hawks could afford. Campbell has eight points in 22 games this season, despite seeing nearly four fewer minutes of ice time per contest than he averaged in 2014-15. Currently, the 37-year-old blue liner is on pace for a 29-point campaign, which is pretty good value relative to Chicago’s minimal commitment.

Patrick Wiercioch (Colorado) – One year, $800K: Wiercioch inked a one-year contract with Colorado after his previous employer, the Ottawa Senators, elected not to submit a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent. Wiercioch has been a good fit on the Avalanche blue line, ranking fifth on the team in scoring with eight points and leading the club with a +2 plus-minus rating. The 26-year-old has been utilized primarily as a third-pair defender and is fifth among the team’s blue liners in average ice time at 17:27 per game.

Goaltender

Chad Johnson (Calgary) – One year, $1.7MM: Johnson was signed by Calgary to ostensibly serve as the understudy to summer trade acquisition Brian Elliott. But while Elliot has struggled in his new surroundings – 3.43 GAA and a 0.882 Save % – Johnson has provided the Flames with steady play between the pipes. In 11 starts this season, Johnson has a GAA of just 1.98 and a Save % of 0.928. Only five goalies who have appeared in at least 10 games have a better GAA than Johnson.

 

Possible Goaltending Options For Vegas Golden Knights

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When the expansion draft comes around this June, George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon will have some tough decisions to make all over their team. They are having mock-drafts each month to prepare for the event, but there is one position that shouldn’t cause any headaches over how many solid options there are.

With each team only able to protect one goaltender, front offices around the league will have to either move a netminder before the draft, or risk losing one for nothing. While that would protect them from losing anyone else, it’s been clear this year more than maybe any other that an all-world goaltender can make your team special right from day one.  Here are a few options for Vegas in net come the summer.

Pittsburgh – Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray

In what will be the most interesting situation around the league, the Pittsburgh Penguins are currently required to protect Fleury over Murray due to his no-movement clause. While they’ve said time and again that they’re fine with keeping both through the year, Murray’s play at such a young age makes him a mouth-wateringly attractive asset.

It’s in Fleury’s court at this point, as he’ll have the option to waive his clause for any trade before the deadline or prior to the draft to make him eligible. If he does, it’s not certain that the Vegas team would select him, but he’d obviously be an elite option. At 31, Fleury is having one of the worst seasons of his career, but is still a two-time Stanley Cup champion with an impressive life-time record.

The Penguins must find a way to protect Murray, or he’ll surely be the pick to start in game one at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas.

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