young goalies

[Kwazzie]

looking for a third string goalie in a 20 team h2h league... got rask + lehner, mrazek on the farm. im looking for a guy to step in and spot start here and there who preferrably has starter upside long term.

i have my eye on what i deem to be 3 goalies that fit that description who are available for pick up.

kuemper
hackett
grubauer

all have goalies in front who have a starter in front of them and in most cases a back up for the time being.

i don`t see harding threatening kuemper.. gustafsson tho i hear may be a different story, but he`s still overseas so likely behind a year development wise.

hackett has enroth + miller in front, my guess is one is dealt, how soon and which one can make all the difference in the world for his value.

grubauer has holtby + neuvy in front, but neuvy i see getting dealt or KHL bound if he isn`t. thus paving the way for him to step in and be the new back up for the caps.

i wanna go with kuemper due to backstrom`s age. hackett has the pedigree tho + if miller is dealt he has a legitimate shot at starting in the next two years. talent alone i feel grubauer may have a leg up ever so slightly on the aforementioned, so i am really indecisive on who to go with.

i don`t know that i could make a bad selection between the three, but i am having trouble settling on a particular one. not much analysis available since the trade deadline of outlooks on hackett + kuempers respective futures yet. nor could i find much from teams stating long term plans with them being a part of it.

[roenick27]

All 3 are certainly intriguing. My personal Favorite is Kuemper, but all 3 have starter potential. The key to your question though, is unknown as of yet.
All young goalies need the opportunity to start (i.e Miller being dealt) and none of those have happenned yet.
I would go with Kuemper or Hackett for these reasons:
1. Buffalo looks to be rebuilding, so my guess is they do move Miller and go with Hackett and Enroth for next year. I like Enroth, but I don't know if e can be a starter and handle the workload on his own. I would think Hackett will have the inside track there.
2. Minny has a wealth of youth (Granlund, Coyle, Brodin, Zucker, Dumba etc) that is their future, and basically ready to produce now, along with Parise and Suter (who are the vets --really in their prime) and may look towards a Kuemper in the next 2 years to take the reins. Backstrom will need to be re-signed (I believe?) and won't be cheap, especially for a team with 2 massive contracts on it already, and a reducing cap. Harding is solid, but we all know he has some question marks now with health. Plus, they moved Hackett, which shows me how they value Kuemper, as Hackett was supposed to be the guy to take over.


I would go:
Kuemper
Hackett (close, close 2nd)


Grubauer (I don't know as much about him as the others, but I think his opportunity isn't near the other two)