ESPN NHL

An abundance of quality goalies, or at least able-bodied and capable goalies, has created a buyers' market for netminders in the NHL.

Combined with teams' reluctance to make a move so early in the season, it looks as though a few clubs with excess goalies will have to hang tight until injuries or slumps create needs later in the season. Until then, a few teams will have to keep shelling out big money for a roster spot they'd rather use on a less-expensive and more serviceable skater.

"You can't force these things to happen, regardless of whether you're doing good or bad. If you force it, you usually end up making a bad deal," Thrashers general manager Don Waddell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "If there's a deal out there that's going to make sense, we're going to make it regardless of what our record is.

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