Quoting: pretzelcoatl
Sure, but name a goalie in the last 20 years who got a return bigger than the one offered here. Vezina winner Fleury got literally nothing in return!
A bigger return than what's essentially one 1st (slightly more or slightly less than a 1st, depending on how much one values Schmid, in comparison to a 3rd)? Let's see...
ARI got a 1st, 3rd & a prospect (Timmins) for Kuemper
ANA got a 1st & a 2nd for Andersen
NSH got a 1st & two 2nds for Vokoun
SJ got a 1st and a prospect (Kuraly) for Jones
WSH got a 1st & a 2nd for Varlamov (just a bit outside the 20 year window)
BUF got a 1st, 3rd, a prospect (Carrier), and a guy they flipped for a 2nd a year later (Stewart) for Miller (with a rental depth piece added by each side)
And how many of those guys were as good as Saros? The goalies never get good returns fallacy persists because star goalies in their prime get traded so infrequently. Everyone just thinks goalies have no trade value because they see struggling/washed up/overpaid ones hit waivers more frequently.
MAF getting traded for nothing was a very unusual situation. VGK was in cap hell, and the guy was 36 at the time. Even then, CHI was still able to get a 2nd for him, as a deadline rental.