Josh Harding

[Fighting_Emu]

How much of a sure thing is Harding and when will he be a bonafide number 1? I have been offered Harding for my Sam Gagner/Tuuka Rask. Its a hard trade because I got Gagner late in the draft and have loved watching him play- but the truth is I am fairly deep at C and starting goalies are gold in our league. This year is kind of a wash for me so I am really more concerned about their upside in 1-2 years from now. I know Rask is unproven and have even heard reports on him that he isn\'t playing up to his potential lately. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[lockedge]

Josh Harding will be a #1 next year, beating Backstrom out of training camp...well, as much as he can. It\'ll still be a tandem, but he\'ll play 50 and Backs will play 30, or something like that until Backstrom gets traded or his contract expires.

As much as I love Harding\'s skillset and potential, I don\'t like the idea of trading Sam gagner and Tuuka Rask for him.

There\'s just too much potential between the two, and I\'m quite sure Rask will be a solid NHL starter within 3 years, and just as good as Harding.

That\'s my take. Angus will probably be able to tell you a bit more than I can, though.

[angus]

Very sure thing. His rebound control is outstanding.

He will see 30 games this season, and 40+ the next few. Backstrom is still the G there, but as you saw with Fernandez, whoever plays better gets the nod. Harding will be an elite starting goalie for a long time.

Gagner has been outstanding, so moving him would be tough. If goalies are really valuable, I\'d make that move.