As far as EJ goes, I bet they have to give the extension to get him to waive.

That being said, I’d rather target Gudas

Correct about the extension and even if it's a bit high, doesn't hurt the cap

Not bad, think they could get the same for cheaper in FA, but for a 4th.

I really dont think Lou will move Varly but if he does, Id imagine its for nothing less then a pair of 2nds, or a 2nd and 3rd. Kuemper was traded for prospect, a 1st and a 3rd. While I believe thats an overpay for sure, Varly is still a staring goalie and an immediate upgrade for the Sabres

Was going to come in and say that Lou would notice all those second rounders in 2023 and ask that you up your offer.

COL accepts.
EJ is better than Gudas as an option

I just don't think the value's there for Varlamov. He finished the year with a .911 SV% and 4.6 GSAA in 31 games, so solid 1B numbers in my book. If we're looking at a summer trade for a goalie, I think we have to look back to the Darcy Kuemper trade for context instead of looking at the deadline deals (especially considering MAF had considerable control over his destiny.)

Kuemper was traded from Arizona to Colorado, with Arizona retaining $1M, for a 1st, a conditional 3rd, and Connor Timmins, a recent 2nd round pick who'd already debuted in the NHL at 21, after putting up a .907 with -0.6 GSAA in 27 games with the Coyotes. The retention brought his cap hit down to $3.5M, so that's worth noting, but it's hard not to notice that Varlamov is an incredibly similar profile - last year of his deal, better numbers actually, and a $5M hit before retention vs. a $4.5M hit for Kuemper. Varlamov also has more playoff experience than Kuemper at this point, which is something I think GMs are going to find important.

With all that, I don't feel like it's outlandish to expect a 1st and a B-level prospect back for Varlamov. Isles would most likely have room to retain some money on that deal this season if need be, so his cap hit is something that can be made more manageable.

I'm offering the 41st overall pick for an old goalie who has no term, makes 5 million and is a clear back up.

This site is so broken sometimes

How old was kuemper? You mentioned salary. How different is the sabres 2nd and Colorados 1st? Save percentage in Arizona quite different than playing in trotz system etc etc etc

Also look at kuempers 2 seasons before then.

Come on

Kuemper was 31 when he was traded; Varlamov just turned 34. I don't think that's an insane age difference worth pointing out - they're both over 30 in this comparison.

Again, salary isn't really a huge issue because the Isles wouldn't have a problem retaining money to make Varlamov's hit more sustainable for a team acquiring him.

Buffalo's 2nd round is 41; that's going to be 10-15 picks behind Colorado's pick. For argument's sake, let's give the Avs pick 28.

Here are some guys picked #28 from 2010-2019: Charlie Coyle, Zack Phillips, Brady Skjei, Morgan Klimchuk, Josh Ho-Sang, Anthony Beauvillier, Lucas Johansen, Shane Bowers, Ryan Suzuki, & Nils Lundkvist. 3 bonafide NHL players, 4 guys that didn't make it, and 3 guys who are firmly in "too soon to tell" but seem to have high upside - both Lundvkist and Suzuki peaked as the 2nd ranked prospects in their respective systems.

Here are some guys picked #41 from 2010-2019: Patrik Nemeth, Dmitirij Jaskin, Mitchell Heard, Robert Hagg, Joshua Jacobs, Ryan Gropp, Nathan Bastian, Jarret Anderson-Dolan, Bode Wilde, Kaedan Korczak. 4 guys who bounced around the fringes of the NHL, 3 guys that never made it, and 3 prospects that are ranked towards the back of their respective team's top 10s.

So, to answer your question, I'd say it's a pretty sizable difference between the 2.

By saying "look at Kuemper's 2 seasons before then" you're completely contradicting your "save percentage in arizona is quite different than playing in trotz's system" point - Rick Tocchet was Arizona's coach for all 3 seasons, so presumably Kuemper put up that .907 in the same system he put up those back to back .925/.928 seasons, no? And if you want to play that game, Varlamov's two seasons prior to this were .929 & .914, plus a .922/2.31 in 34 playoff games (Kuemper put up a .913/3.47 in 9.)

Just because -you- don't think Varlamov is worth a similar package to Kuemper doesn't make it true. And again, at this point the Isles seem content to mostly run it back without any major changes to their lineup for next season, so it's going to have to be something much better than a 2nd & a 5th to get Varlamov.