Hockey Widow wrote: ↑Fri Mar 28, 2025 4:06 am ....
Im not worried about the playoffs this year either. I am more concerned about building a team that can truly compete next season nd the one after. I am more worried about being able to convince Hughes to finish his career here. If that is keeping both Pettersson and Demko, fine. But if it's trading them to get other pieces so be it.
We're not too far apart, agree mostly with everything you said. The only difference is I'm still not going there with Demko. One reason is I doubt we'll get much for him. For whatever reason good goalies aren't much value in trades. Nor does that really matter for me because the words Demko and trade do not belong in the same sentence. Only way I'll ever give it a thought is if he wants out. Then we're definitely looking at major surgery or a rebuild will be in the offing sooner than later because it won't take long for us to know what it looks like to have a mediocre team with average or slightly above goaltending. Will be ugly. Lankinen's been good. Let's see him do it with all the pressure in the world and no life preserver this time. Though I'm sure they'll get a 1B for him, but won't be the same in what you already have in Demmer.
I think you said it perfectly when you ran through our bloodline of great goaltending for the past 15 years. We've been so spoiled that I think this market has taken for granted the importance of the position. Very impressed with Lank, don't get me wrong, just scares the shit out of me to expect a relative unknown to keep the bloodline going.