I could see Stevie acquiring Steen from the Blues or Stastny from Vegas with a couple 2nd round picks attached to them. Tyler Johnson from Tampa could still be possible. Or we could be the third team in a MAF trade? Perhaps we take Loui Eriksson with Demko to "help" the Canucks? So many possibilities...
- gergeswillems

Mornin', G. Ready for the day....have my work calendar kinda cleared out, and am able to keep tabs on the blog. Coffee in hand, ready to rock!!!

I'm totally undecided on what the way ahead looks like. There are TOO many potential trades to be made with our cap space.

TJ to DET?!?! Yes, please.

Eriksson PLUS Demko?!?! Ummm….HECK YEAH!!! I think the MAF deal is dead, from Ek: "Hearing from NHL teams the ask to take on Marc Andre Fleury and his 7 million AAV is not just a 1st & 2nd rounder as reported, but also that the club must pay a minimum of 33% of the salary!" Seems like a no-go right now.

You know I'm a BIG G guy, but MAF might seem like a dead deal if we can snag Demko, who would become the face in net for the future. I was flat-out shocked w/Raymond, dude. Askarov at #10 wasn't a surprise, really. I figured he'd go higher. Every draft pick is a risk, so why should G be any different? All that aside, I see Demko as a legit target.

Or, my coffee has yet to kick in and I'm still asleep and this is alllll a bad dreaaammmmm

1) The correlation between draft position and NHL success is extremely weak for goalies. Much weaker than with skaters. Teenage goalies are notoriously hard to project and high end talent is often available in later rounds.

2) It is not nearly as hard to acquire an elite goalie as you think it is. Over the last 10 years combined, a narrow majority of Vezina finalists were playing for a team other than the one that drafted them.

Askarov was probably picked about where he deserved to be IMO. High potential reward but also high probability of busting too.
- Sven22

He was just tops in stats for the KHL at 18 before being injured...

And on top of that they draft a guy who tanked in his first pro season?

Makes sense, skip drafting the elite goalie that is seemingly ready for NHL and instead grab a guy who clearly won't be ready, if at all, for years to come.

Obviously making the decisions is easier from where I'm sitting than Stevie, but despite what anyone has to say there is absolutely no reason to skip on a clearly elite goalie. Draisitl and McDavid can't even make the playoffs but Raymond is supposed to be a better pick than elite level goaltending? I don't buy it