Sorting Out All the Veteran Goaltenders on the Move

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Earlier this week, the whirlwind goalie merry-go-round in free agency was initiated when the Minnesota Wild traded Devan Dubnyk to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a fifth-round pick. The cause and effect was almost overwhelming; more than a handful of veteran goaltenders have changed teams in the young offseason, surely making the first couple months of the upcoming season — projected for January — very strange.

Henrik Lundqvist signed a one-year, $1.5 million dollar deal with Washington, teaming himself with longtime post-season nemesis Alexander Ovechkin to pursure his first cup and another for one of the greatest to ever play the game. The Rangers also picked up ex-Devil Keith Kinkaid as a supplement to the exciting young goalie talent that is set to take over New York in the King’s absence.

As for Washington’s previous netminder, Braden Holtby, he’s off to the Western Conference, signing a two-year, $8.6 million dollar deal — pretty good money for the 31-year old Stanley Cup winner —  with Vancouver. A bit of a surprise here, as Holtby’s history with Washington was nothing if not great. He was certainly a franchise goalie; the five-time NHL All-Star was a Vezina winner in 2016 and handled the bulk of the load during his time there, including the Caps’ 2018 Stanley Cup season.

So as Vancouver brings in Holtby, Calgary picks up their previous starter Jacob Markstrom. The 30-year-old behemoth commanded $6 million per year over six years.

Going back to the move that started the flurry, Minnesota brought in journeyman Cam Talbot to patch the hole the Dubnyk deal left. Talbot, a former backup to Lundqvist, inked a three-year, $11 million deal. This is possibly my favorite of the goaltender moves this off-season, as Talbot proved he can handle starting during his run in Edmonton from 2015-2019. He finished fourth in Vezina voting in 2017 and might have the most upside of these now-veteran goalies.

The Islanders moved on from Thomas Greiss, who signed a two-year deal with Detroit, and the Isles look to Semyon Varlamov to handle the load next year. Pittsburgh Penguins also moved on from Matt Murray, trading him to Ottawa for prospect Jonathan Gruden and a draft pick.

Longtime Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford was reportedly “devastated” before signing with the New Jersey Devils, and you can’t blame him. A lot of these veteran goalies have been with their respective teams for a long time, and as I mentioned in the Henrik Lundqvist article, it’s difficult for fans and franchises to move on from their guys, underperforming or not.

We will see a lot of new looks in net next year, as there are many more free-agent goalies out there, and it will certainly be an adjustment seeing veteran goalies sporting new colors and new gear.