Not sure why Ottawa would do that. Both guys are LDs, Brannstrom has been progressing really the last few years and has pretty impressive advanced stats this year. Eye test also confirms that he has been playing really well for the most part. He has to find a way to become more productive but overall, he's already quality at the NHL level
Quoting: NJDevils1317
I love Ehlers, but that price is waaaay too rich.
Pionk is also valuable but moot point as it's a lot of cap to take for the Devils
Quoting: tkecanuck341
There's absolutely no way to know that. That's my point. Next season, his play could fall off a cliff and he could suck for the rest of his career. Look at guys like John Gibson, Carey Price, and Sergei Bobrovsky. Thus is the nature of goaltenders.
Wouldn't give up a 1st for a goaltender, ever. Just like I wouldn't draft a goaltender in the 1st round, ever.
My opinion is that only goalies really understand goalies...
Most of what you are saying makes sense but you're forgetting one thing : ability
Like you said, "
their play largely depends on the team in front of them" so there's a limit to what they can do but a goalie with high ability will make things better no matter what, and not just for 3-4 seasons. Hellebuyck is one of these
What can happen though is goalie's play can decline due to injuries. People in general don't consider injuries enough in relation to performance, which is weird because hockey is a highly athletic sport
Also, I kinda agree that you should try to not trade your first for a goalie because they overall should have less value than skaters due to the limited number of jobs to fill.