3 Biggest Goalie Names Still On The Trade Block

The goalie market has quieted down in the second half of August as teams are starting to get ready to get going in training camp. There were some big names that were rumored to not only be traded last season, but during this offseason. It looks as if most teams are set in net for now, but once training camp concludes and the regular season gets underway, that could change. With that, let's look at the three top goalies you should still be watching for to be traded this season.

Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck isn't going to re-sign with the Winnipeg Jets, and with one year left on his deal, the team can't afford to lose out on the massive amount of value that could be coming their way if they trade him. He has one year left on his deal and becomes a UFA, so that means the Jets had this offseason or have some time before the trade deadline to trade him. Teams' need will surely reveal themselves throughout the season and the Jets will have options, but they might also have to lower their asking price, but not too much because this elite goalie is a game-changer and under contract for $6 million AAV. Winnipeg will have to recover in some way as they already dealt Pierre-Luc Dubois and bought out Blake Wheeler.

John Gibson

The Anaheim Ducks have been at the bottom of the standings for a number of years now, and it has impacted the very good start to John Gibson's career that he had. The Ducks' starting goalie's numbers have dropped significantly, but that is to be expected on a team that has played with little NHL talent and given up a ton defensively. Gibson was once considered elite, and if he was on a better team, I believe he still would be. The Ducks are on the rise, but not yet. With four years left on his deal at $6.4 million AAV, a team might be wary of acquiring the entire salary, but could still take a chance. It doesn't seem like he wants to be there any longer and continue losing.

Carter Hart

The Philadelphia Flyers have seemingly gone into full rebuild mode. They have acquired some very good prospects and traded away some mainstays from their team, but still have more to move. It doesn't make sense for them to hold onto a young-ish talent in net like Carter Hart if they are potentially going to be rebuilding for a number of years. The best case for them is to acquire a good deal of value in return for him. He had a strong season in 2022-23 on a bottom of the league Flyers team. His cap hit is under $4 million AAV for this year and becomes a RFA at the end. The smart move is to trade him with this ideal cap hit before he earns a bigger payday or refuses to sign in Philadelphia.