As of now, there are several goalies on the trade market including Cam Talbot, Craig Anderson/Robin Lehner, Eddie Lack, and Martin Jones. The NHL season just ended this a few days ago, and teams are just beginning to get back into trade talks before the draft. But there will surely be plenty of talk and rumours up to the draft, as there are up to seven teams interested in this list of goalies.
Compared to last season, the buyers market for goalies is pretty solid. That’s bad news for the Senators, as teams can almost pick and choose which goalie they want. It looks like Talbot of the New York Rangers could be the first one to go, as Darren Dreger said on That’s Hockey last night that he could be moved within the next couple days.
Also, Dreger is reporting that five teams are interested in Talbot:
Cam Talbot is a hot commodity. Edmtn, Cgy, SJ, Dallas + Florida have expressed interest. Multiple trade offers. First 3 most likely targets.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 18, 2015
You might notice that four out of the five teams have also been linked to Ottawa, and that’s no coincidence. Since Talbot will most likely be the first to go, the teams who lose out on him will then move to Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner. I’m not sure why the Rangers are in such a rush to trade him, but it certainly looks like New York will set the stage for all other goalie trades this summer.
Furthermore, in Elliotte Friedman’s most recent 30 thoughts, he had this to say about the available goalies:
That’s interesting to me, because first of all it makes sense that Talbot will be the first to go if he’s the hottest commodity. But secondly, this unnamed GM is ranking Lehner behind Lack in terms of value, which isn’t great for the Senators. In the end I really do believe that Senators fans will be disappointed with the return because goalie trades rarely work out.
The rankings of these three goalies are also a bit puzzling because all of a sudden everybody is very high on Talbot. He’s 27 years old (same age as Andrew Hammond), and he’s only had 57 games of NHL experience. Sure, he’s been sensational in those 57 games, but before that he never looked like he had a future as a professional.
He didn’t have a good college season until he was 22, and he wasn’t above average in the AHL until he was 25. Lehner is still only turning 24, so it’s odd to me that he has such little value. Tyler Ray on twitter had similar thoughts:
People can rightfully dismiss Hammond's run this year as a SSS deviation. So I'm not quite sure why Cam Talbot is thought of so differently.
— Tyler Ray (@DefenseMinister) June 19, 2015
I think Talbot could be a solid 1B option in net, but it is a bit strange that he is valued quite high right now.
Nevertheless, that’s how he’s perceived, and it’s not the greatest sign for Ottawa. If it is true that even Lack has more value than Lehner, then they won’t be receiving much. The Vancouver Canucks have been seeking only a 2nd round pick for Lack, which isn’t too bad of a deal. But he’s also 27 years old and doesn’t have the upside that Lehner has.
And if Ottawa is going to add in a bad contract to a trade, there may be no value at all coming back. That’s why I think it’s a bad idea to attach Colin Greening or David Legwand to a deal, although Ottawa’s return still may not be too amazing anyway.
If Lehner’s actual value is say a bit less than Talbot’s but higher than Lack’s, it still won’t seem like very much. Even Talbot may not be able to fetch a first round pick:
Instead, talks are turning to the Rangers receiving a second round pick, although it may be a high pick like the Oilers 33rd overall. Still, I’m not sure if there will even be another asset attached to that deal, and if it is it will be a B level prospect at best.
Once several teams lose out on Talbot, they will come rushing to Ottawa asking for Anderson or Lehner
A Talbot trade should happen quite soon, and when it does Ottawa will know what they can get. The sad thing is, it will probably be less than what the Rangers receive. Last year it was a similar situation when the Canucks had Ryan Kesler, and he was the first domino to fall before Jason Spezza could be traded. At the time Vancouver got crucified for the return, but in reality it looks like a better return than what Ottawa got.
Neither are too amazing, although it still depends on how Jared McCann and Ottawa’s 2nd round pick pan out.
You can bet that once several teams lose out on Talbot, they will come rushing to Ottawa asking for Anderson or Lehner. The good news for those teams is they will be able to get a shiny new goaltender at a reduced price. I’m hoping that the Rangers get a big package in return, but I have my doubts.
Goalie trade talks with other teams are going to strongly influence the Senators trade returns, and the best thing possible would be for buyers to overpay. However that seems like a bit of a pipe dream.
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