Target Vasilevskiy Or Murray?

[stevegamer]

I think Murray is the safer of the 2 to be a starter next year on is current team, because Fleury has a contract and Murray is really cheap. Vasilevsky is unproven as the main goalie, and is at a salary which means that if they can prefer Bishop, they could leave Vas out there for Las Vegas, who could take him and keep or trade him.

[Chicago Steel]

I think Murray is the safer of the 2 to be a starter next year on is current team, because Fleury has a contract and Murray is really cheap. Vasilevsky is unproven as the main goalie, and is at a salary which means that if they can prefer Bishop, they could leave Vas out there for Las Vegas, who could take him and keep or trade him.

Thing with Murray being on an ELC is that if PITT worked out a deal with Vegas to not draft MAF the Pens could keep both him and Murray at a 6.75 cap hit. If Bishop signed for 6 mil he and Vas would carry a cap hit of 9.5 mil. It could happen that the Pens can keep the two into next season, although doubtful and little if any chance TB keeps both.

Bishop was nearly a Flame as they were hammering out a contract when the Flames instead moved on Elliott. http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/lightn...-close/2292084

[Sulla]

Thing with Murray being on an ELC is that if PITT worked out a deal with Vegas to not draft MAF the Pens could keep both him and Murray at a 6.75 cap hit. If Bishop signed for 6 mil he and Vas would carry a cap hit of 9.5 mil. It could happen that the Pens can keep the two into next season, although doubtful and little if any chance TB keeps both.

Bishop was nearly a Flame as they were hammering out a contract when the Flames instead moved on Elliott. http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/lightn...-close/2292084

There is a part of me that wonders whether it is actually Vas that gets moved....

[Kabonov]

Welcome to the forums!

I prefer Vasilevskiy myself personally.

Another vote for Vasi

[Chicago Steel]

There is a part of me that wonders whether it is actually Vas that gets moved....

Really, you just never know. Logically speaking TB is looking at cap hell. They have 6.5 mil in cap space right now with everyone signed but Kucherov (RFA) and Nesterov (RFA). Kucherov will eat most of that, he's looking at 6 mil or so. Next year everyone is signed but will have Drouin, Palat and Johnson all RFA's and Vasilevisky goes from 925k to 3.5 mil with only Bishop's 6 mil off the books.

The math says no way they keep the 7 footer in goal and if they do resign him they lose Drouin, Palat and/or Johnson. Hell, just not resigning Bishop they still likely lose one, maybe two, of Palat, Drouin or Tyler Johnson. http://www.generalfanager.com/teams/tampa-bay-lightning

But as we know there is more than one way to skin a cat and one risks over thinking the thing. As a Hawks STH I've seen first hand how the cap can gut a team. I still think Murray will have a better career, think Vas is a top 15 guy at least especially behind a loaded and young TB squad with a solid front office and it's unknown how things will shake out in PITT with Murray an RFA after this season and PITT in much better cap shape albeit less talented than TB overall.

[Axeman33]

There is a part of me that wonders whether it is actually Vas that gets moved....

Why would they trade him after locking him up to a solid contract for three years, only to pay a crap load of money to Bishop. That's money that will have to go to Tyler Johnson, Palat and Drouin when all of their contracts expire at the end of next season.

Vasilevskiy isn't going anywhere.

[Eskimo Brother]

Why would they trade him after locking him up to a solid contract for three years, only to pay a crap load of money to Bishop. That's money that will have to go to Tyler Johnson, Palat and Drouin when all of their contracts expire at the end of next season.

Vasilevskiy isn't going anywhere.

And to Kucherov this coming season. Bishop is the one getting moved.

That being said, I think Murray is the more talented goalie.

[Sulla]

Because they have other big contracts too that may work I.e. If Nesterov can show he belongs can they dump a Garrison or Cobirn, with Point, Erne, Gusev, Peca and even Namestnikov showing he deserves bigger minutes could they move Killorn, Flippula, Callaghan? Don't get me wrong I can believe it would cost them additional assets to do that (maybe Drouin does get his trade then...). As someone in another thread mentioned, no one expected Schneider to get moved when he was battling with Luongo, ironically same when Bishop got bumped around before Tampa, teams usually prefer the vet to the youngster and I think there are still so,e twists amd turns to come

[Chicago Steel]

Because they have other big contracts too that may work I.e. If Nesterov can show he belongs can they dump a Garrison or Cobirn, with Point, Erne, Gusev, Peca and even Namestnikov showing he deserves bigger minutes could they move Killorn, Flippula, Callaghan? Don't get me wrong I can believe it would cost them additional assets to do that (maybe Drouin does get his trade then...). As someone in another thread mentioned, no one expected Schneider to get moved when he was battling with Luongo, ironically same when Bishop got bumped around before Tampa, teams usually prefer the vet to the youngster and I think there are still so,e twists amd turns to come

Vancouver mangled that goalie situation, Sulla. Lost two top 15 goalies, think they're paying a good portion of Luongo's contract too, and turned around and gave an aging Miller big money...... Bad example.

Indeed, Stevie Y can, and IMO will, move salary somehow to make room for his "core" when the time comes. And I'd assume he'll do a better job of it than Bowman did in Chicago. ......... I do however think Vas is the 5-6 year answer in TB.