Recent History Shows Adequate Goaltending Can Win Titles
Recent history shows that not all Stanley Cup-winning teams had star goaltenders.
In fact, during the last decade, Andrei Vasilevskiy and early-career Jonathan Quick are the only bona fide stars who took home a title.
This is because of a combination of extreme variance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the inability for all but a few goalies at any time to string together several great seasons in a row.
The other goaltenders on the list of cup winners include Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights, Darcy Keumper of the Colorado Avalanche, and Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues among others.
There is a better-than-even chance your team can win a championship in the newer, parity-driven NHL, without a top-level goaltender. Obviously you have a better chance if you have a better goalie, but outside of Vasilevskiy and Helleybuck, are their any sure things in the NHL?
And given the cost to acquire someone like Markstrom or Saros, do you want to spend the assets required to only get a slightly better shot? A star skater is much more likely to repeat his star performance than a star goalie, and they are often cheaper to acquire beacuse they are less rare.
Therefore, from a risk/reward standpoint, the use of assets to acquire a defenseman or forward is likely to yield better results and be a better investment.
It's a calculated gamble for the Toronto Maple Leafs to continue with their current crop of goaltenders in their quest for a championship. Yet, giving up important assets for an unnecessary risk would be irresponsible.