Yes. Having a fairly young "stud" goaltender with a long-term contract kicking in and then using not one but two picks on goaltenders in yet another year with less than the allotted 7 picks, reeks of more than simply "keeping the cupboard stocked".
You've got a good point there. Especially in light of how quickly Hogberg was signed after the season concluded.
And one of those selected goalies was in his last year of eligibility and is already seeing KHL action, so he's at an advanced stage for a freshly baked draftee. This is not to mention the Naumovs connection.
Of course - and this is just a minor observation - neither Tikkanen nor Lennox has given us any indication of being an NHL option one day, even if Tikkanen's freak size and several overly solid AHL games last season can let us dream a bit.
Can't believe Skarek is still hanging around.
I'd say the fact that they got an older, already NHL-tested, European UFA goaltender who has spent 3 straight seasons being one of, if not the best, goalies in the SHL as opposed to one of the many current NHL-level 3rd stringers or fringe NHL goalies ultimately available means that they're not just trying to be smarter than everyone else while knowing that Sorokin is in a bad place, but rather are still counting on Sorokin fulfilling his desired role while aptly safeguarding themselves against that worst-case scenario.
Knowing Lou, the team prolly wanted a goalie like Hogberg because A) they felt he could actually deliver back-up style NHL minutes in a pinch (or beyond) and B) if all goes well with Sorokin and Varlamov, much less someone like Tikkanen steps up to the plate as a rising option, they can always just let Hogberg go back to Sweden, where he'd be welcomed with open arms by a plethora of teams.
But like I (think I) mentioned when we signed Hogberg, I cannot envision this goaltender having been signed and ready to come back over without knowing that he has a very viable opportunity to see NHL minutes. I've read Swedish interviews and I know he's at a point in his career where he had more than enough feature comforts. The only way to get him over here was with some type of situational description that basically promises some NHL time.
Fun fact:
In Swedish, his name is pronounced more or less "Hughk - berry".
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