Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Sleepless in Seattle for the Winter Classic episode on the Toronto Maple Leafs, and goaltender market.
** NHLRumors.com transactions
Friedman: “One thing that both amazed me as how Kelly and Kevin were adamant that playing in the American Hockey League is not going to help this. So they’re gonna work on his mental game, they’re gonna work with him. They’re gonna work on his, his practicing and they’ll see where they are in a week.
And the one thing I heard trade wise was, I heard they did not like what was being offered to them. I heard that it wasn’t, like someone was saying to me, they were saying okay to we throw like a sixth-rounder out and get someone and they didn’t even like, like teams apparently were saying no, we like we want a prospect or something. So that’s how crazy the market is.”
NHL Rumors: Which teams need to acquire a goaltender the most?
Marek: “Like is that the marketer or is that specifically Toronto?”
Friedman: “Well, I know, cause like Carolina would have made a goal, a deal for a goalie if they could have. New Jersey would probably have made a deal for a goalie if they. Edmonton would have.
It’s like, like, I just think like these, like even the middling goalies are, the prices are, are crazy. These teams are so, the tough thing with (Eric) Comrie is, I think Comrie is a better goalie than he’s shown. The salary is the killer at $1.8 (million).”
Marek: “$1.8 (million).”
Friedman: “Nobody’s really got, but you know, someone was saying to me that they think with like Anaheim for the trade for Gibson and the retention.”
Marek: “That’s huge.”
Friedman: “Enormous.”
Marek: “That’s huge. Elliotte, I know you always roll your eyeballs when I say first rounder but retention will get you a first rounder.”
Friedman: “No, I’m not rolling my eyes.”
Marek: “I really believe that.”
Friedman: “I’m not rolling my eyeballs at that. And if I was before, I’m not anymore. Like I do think if you want Anaheim to retain.”
Marek: “It’s going to cost a lot.”
Friedman: “It’s gonna cost. Now it’s still, but who can take that contract all by itself?”
Marek: “They can’t. But you’re you’re gonna attach something to it.”
Friedman: “And you know, I think the same thing with Jake Allen like he’s what, $3.85 (million) next year. I think that that’s another one. I don’t think the price for Allen is obviously as high as it is for Gibson. It’s interesting though, like I’ve had teams say to me that there’s what Montreal has asked for and what people think they’re really willing to do. And the question is when you move them to what they’re really willing to do?
I’ll tell you this. One goalie whose name I heard a little bit was (Kaapo) Kahkonen from San Jose.”
Marek: “Expiring deal.”
Friedman: “Expiring deal. And if you look at the underlying numbers, MoneyPuck numbers, very good goals saved above expected, and the team’s underlying numbers that we don’t see, do contribute to that. I think there’s a few teams that kind of thought about him. Number one, what’s the price? Number two, the only negative I heard was that you just don’t know. He’s never really had to do it before.
Say that he’s having a great year. He, they people think he’s good. But it’s like that Flacco thing that kind of talked about..”
Marek: “Yeah,”
Friedman: “You know, like, I in my point was like, Oh, my God, I can’t be a system goalie because you know, San Jose’s giving up a lot of goals, so you have to like him. But I just think that, I know there’s some teams out there with a little bit. What price am I going to have to pay for a guy haven’t seen yet but teams like him? They do.
Well, this conversation started to heat up now. And we’ll see what happens with the Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres.”