NHL Trade Scenarios: Top 10 Goaltenders Teams Will Be Targeting This Summer

Goaltending is the most important position in the NHL, and numerous times in this year's playoffs we have seen that the difference between winning and losing often comes down to goaltending.

There are several goaltenders such as Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks and Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins that could garner attention in the trade market this summer. Either one would significantly upgrade a team's chances of winning the Stanley Cup.

Let's look at the top 10 goalies teams will target this summer.

Jonathan Bernier, Los Angeles Kings

With Jonathan Quick having the starting goaltender spot locked down in Los Angeles, the Kings may look to deal impressive young backup Jonathan Bernier this summer.

I would expect a team needing a young goaltender for the future such as the Tampa Bay Lightning to be interested in Bernier in the offseason.

Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks

When Antti Niemi won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, the San Jose Sharks were eager to sign him and prevent his return to the champs that summer.

It was a poor move since Niemi was good but not amazing during that Cup run. It's clear that Niemi isn't going to lead the Sharks to a title, so they may look to deal him in the offseason.

Anders Lindback, Nashville Predators

Anders Lindback is a very good goaltender but won't play a lot of games with Pekka Rinne performing like a Vezina Trophy candidate on a yearly basis right now. Rinne is also making around $7 million per season next year.

Lindback could be a starter on many teams, and probably wouldn't be an incredibly hard player to acquire via trade.

Brian Elliott, St. Louis Blues

Brian Elliott's season came out of nowhere, especially after he was a good but not great player with the Ottawa Senators.

The Blues would be wise to capitalize on Elliott's impressive season and trade him for a goal scorer. His poor playoff performance was not very encouraging. If starter Jaroslav Halak is healthy, Elliott should be expendable.

Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks will probably end up looking to trade Roberto Luongo if they part with a goalie this summer, but talented backup Cory Schneider would have more trade value.

He's proven himself as a reliable playoff performer and has a calm, composed demeanor in net. Trading him would be risky, but there would likely be a lot of teams interested if Schneider became available.

Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

The inevitability of Tuukka Rask becoming the starter in Boston has raised questions about Tim Thomas' availability this summer on the trade market.

He's entering the final year of his current contract with a salary of $3 million despite having a salary-cap hit of $5 million.

The Lightning and Blackhawks are to teams who would be wise to make an offer for the veteran goalie. I would still be surprised if the Bruins trade Thomas before the season, however.

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks

After TSN reported that Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo would waive his no-movement clause, everyone got excited about the possibility of him being dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose goaltending problems are front and center.

Leafs GM Brian Burke recently talked about Luongo, saying via the Toronto Sun:

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"There has not been significant discussion (with the Canucks) about that player,” Burke said.

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Luongo's large contract isn't the only reason not to acquire him. Many times in his career, Luongo has failed under pressure, and right now there are few fanbases more frustrated than Leafs fans.

If Luongo goes to Toronto and struggles, he might never recover from a mental perspective. The Leafs would be wise to not make this deal, but they do need to make significant improvements between the pipes before next season.

Nikolai Khabibulin, Edmonton Oilers

With Devan Dubnyk ready to be the starter for the Edmonton Oilers in net, parting with veteran goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin would be a smart move.

While Khabibulin could start on a few teams, he would be a very good backup if he's willing to accept that role.

With a Stanley Cup ring and lots of experience, Khabibulin still has value to several NHL teams.

Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres

Do I think the Buffalo Sabres will trade star goaltender Ryan Miller this summer? No, I don't.

However, if there is a team willing to make a bold move and give up a lot of value to acquire him, he certainly could be moved. I wouldn't consider him untouchable.

We have heard the trade scenario involving the Chicago Blackhawks with star winger Patrick Kane going home to Buffalo in exchange for Miller.

This would be a good move for Chicago, but a poor one for Buffalo. I don't expect the Sabres to trade Miller unless a team is willing to overpay.

Sergei Bobrovsky, Philadelhpia Flyers

Sergei Bobrovsky isn't a star goalie, but he could start on teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning that must replace veteran netminders this summer.

Unless the Flyers can find a way to move or get out of Ilya Bryzgalov's massive contract, there's no need to keep Bobrovsky when he can be used to acquire players that can address the weaknesses of the team.