Choose one goalie from this list.

[robmyatt]

The following goalies are available in the upcoming draft. I have the 4th overall pick.. It's 12 teams keep 10 of 25 (bottom team in sig).

Marleau and/or Lucic appear to be the highest value forwards available at 4th overall but I'm strongly considering drafting another top goalie. I already own Quick, Ward & Halak but here's my thought process.....

There are a few teams with very weak goaltending. Some only have 1 goalie keeper. My intention is to draft the best goalie available then trade one goalie after the draft for a high end winger.

The following goalies are available:

Brodeur
Theodore
Reimer
Neuvirth
Bobrovsky
Nabokov
Holtby
Bernier
Lindback

Considering both short and long-term, who would you choose to draft. I would either trade the goalie I draft, or trade one of Halak or Ward after the draft for a winger.

FWIW my first thought is Holtby, but maybe I'm still a bit high on him from his great playoff performance. What's the chances he is the starter this year.

Thanks in advance.

[Laendarian]

Personally with the goalies you already own I would just go ahead an draft the best player available, which with your settings is probably Marleau. None of the goalies there are top tier guys, a few have the upside (Bernier/Lindback would be the best of them in my opinion) but I don't see any giving you more trade value than just drafting a Marleau or Lucic. If you are really intent on drafting a goalie and rolling the dice, I'd probably get Bernier, he has the pedigree, the upside, and you can handcuff him to Quick for the time being to net all of LA's starts.

[blayze]

It's generally a bad idea to draft/acquire someone if your sole purpose is to then trade them away for what you hope will be a higher value. Too many variables, not worth the risk.

I would draft Marleau/Lucic.

[bondon]

I'd also go with a forward but if you had to take a goalie I'd personally take a flyer on Anders Lindback. He probably won't shoulder a large workhorse starter's load this year, but I think he has the benefit of being in line to be the #1

[maya has the knife]

I think taking Holtby entails a bit too much risk, because without the Neuvirth handcuff you could end up getting screwed out of your 1st round pick; and you're certainly not spending another pick on Neuvirth, especially if you plan on trading Holtby. It really makes no sense to take one of those goalies... none of them hold the value of a 1st round pick. Focus on picking the guy who will most help you win this year, and if one of those goalies end up hanging around for a few rounds pick one up then.

[woodrow]

Your goalies are more than good enough to carry the load now. As others have implied, the odds that you can trade for a better winger than Marleau or Lucic for whomever you pick up as a goalie probably isn't too realistic.

I would go with Lucic as he brings much needed PIMs to your lineup. Since Skinner is usually a RW and/or C in most formats that I generally see, picking up either Marleau or Lucic actually gives you a 2nd LW on your team.

Marleau's o/p over the past 2 years may be indicating that his production is slowing down, so be wary of that possibility.

If available, I'd take Lucic in a heartbeat.

[Pengwin7]

1) The league is a 7/3 category split... so it's not terribly goalie-heavy like many other leagues.

2) The categories are W/GAA/SV%. What this means is that once you start getting into the bottom half of goaltending talent you actually start HURTING your GAA & SV% at the benefit of getting... maybe, maybe +1 extra win per week.

3) You can say you are going to trade away a goalie, but then you have to trade away your hot goalie to get a return. If one goalie goes down, now you are rolling three goalies again and you are hesitant to move a goalie.

4) With 24 players, you've got significant value in those 8th,9th,10th best skaters (your 1st round & 2nd round talent).


Summary:
I agree with the others, your goalies are set and the best return for you is to straight-up using that draft pick for a forward. Then again, you know your leaguemmates better than any of us... so if you think you can really get a great return, you should draft the sexiest goalie that you think could shine.

For me, I'd rank sexy as:
1) Lindback (TB could roll this year)
2) Holtby (though I'd feel some pressure to also draft Neuvirth as a handcuff on that investment and now you are using two draft picks on goalies)
3) Brodeur (you make this pick for your own team, knowing that you are really going to consider trading Ward or Halak or Varlamov for forwards. No rebuilding team in their right mind is going to trade FOR Brodeur).

[robmyatt]

thanks for the input folks. Looks like I'll be leaning towards Lucic and if there is still a goalie in the 2nd or 3rd round I might grab one then.
Cheers.

[Shoeless]

You could really use a RWer - who is available in the draft?

[robmyatt]

You could really use a RWer - who is available in the draft?

Alfredsson
Selanne
Cole
Callahan
Williams
Jagr
Doan
Versteeg
Havlat
Hudler
Hemsky

All the Good RWers are taken.
The Team with Giroux and Perry has only MAF as it's keeper Goalie
The team with Gaborik and Backes has only Niemi as it's keeper Goalie.

Maybe I'm just too hung up on the idea of "hoarding" as many starting goalies as I can just so I can hold all the power in negotiating for a strong winger during the 1st month of the season.

[Shoeless]

Don't think you are hung up at all - I tend to agree with you a bit. Lindback gets tucked and now you can afford to swing Ward out as bait - with your cats that would be the guy I would let loose.

One of Doan, Hemsky, Williams will be around on your 2nd pick to balance out your roster. Lucic and Marleau are alright but finding a keeper RW would be a priority (let Richards go next season maybe) and the only way you get there is to have a goalie to deal.

[DerekReese]

thanks for the input folks. Looks like I'll be leaning towards Lucic and if there is still a goalie in the 2nd or 3rd round I might grab one then.
Cheers.

I think this is what you should do. Sound advice.

[robmyatt]

Don't think you are hung up at all - I tend to agree with you a bit. Lindback gets tucked and now you can afford to swing Ward out as bait - with your cats that would be the guy I would let loose.

One of Doan, Hemsky, Williams will be around on your 2nd pick to balance out your roster. Lucic and Marleau are alright but finding a keeper RW would be a priority (let Richards go next season maybe) and the only way you get there is to have a goalie to deal.

Thanks.
Also worth noting that Ryan is often LW/RW once the season begins, although that could change.

[Shoeless]

actually Skinner is C/RW in yahoo - which then would make a Lucic pickup more logical. But then Ryan is only LW in yahoo at the moment. Who is your pool provider?

[robmyatt]

actually Skinner is C/RW in yahoo - which then would make a Lucic pickup more logical. But then Ryan is only LW in yahoo at the moment. Who is your pool provider?

ESPN....
They're often slow and inaccurate on position eligibility.
Regardless, It's starting to sound like Lindback is the safest bet from that list.