Sometimes, it’s fair to wonder if the sport should simply be renamed “goalie,” because if you don’t have one, you can’t win.
The position is a rollercoaster. Success is hard to find and harder to sustain. Season-to-season performance is erratic. There are maybe seven or eight truly “elite” goaltenders league-wide that can be relied upon without question to carry a team.
At any given point, nearly one-third of the league is looking for goaltending. More than half the NHL makes a change in net every summer and takes a spin in the game of goaltending musical chairs at the starter or backup position. Organizational depth at the position has never been more important.
Here’s a deep dive on what the NHL’s goaltending market looks like ahead of the March 21 Trade Deadline:
Teams in the Hunt
Toronto Maple Leafs
Level of Concern: High
Scoop: Jack Campbell is battling. Petr Mrazek has been given every opportunity to seize the crease and hasn’t taken hold. The fact is: Since Jan. 1, the Maple Leafs have allowed four or more goals in 14 of their last 26 games, including each of their last four outings. It hasn’t felt that rough because they’re 16-8-2 in those 26 games. Their high-octane offense has been able to paper over most of their mistakes. Will GM Kyle Dubas be willing to bet this roster on the goaltending rounding into form in time for the Stanley Cup playoffs? It’d be a gamble, given Toronto’s playoff scoring woes, and because you can’t survive a four-round slog giving up four goals a night.
Edmonton Oilers
Level of Concern: High
Scoop: This is not breaking news. Edmonton’s goaltending has floundered for months. Oilers GM Ken Holland has turned over just about every rock in search for help – but has run into two main issues: There aren’t many true difference-makers available and/or the acquisition cost is a high for a netminder who is a bit of a gamble as an upgrade. Edmonton ranks 24th in save percentage with sub-.900 goaltending. Now, any trade may be too little, too late. The Oilers are a 50-50 shot to make the playoffs and have a lot of work to do to get in.
Seattle Kraken
Level of Concern: High
Scoop: Undoubtedly, this is an offseason move, but Seattle’s spectacularly bad goaltending should be noted. The Kraken rank 32nd (they have a banner retiring that number) in save percentage at .875. It’s not just the worst goaltending of the salary-cap era. You’d have to go back 26 years, all the way to the 1995-96 San Jose Sharks (.869), to find a team that’s gone a full season with a worse save percentage. Many years, the league worst hovers around .893. The difference between .875 and this year’s league average of .903 is 62 additional goals that Kraken will have allowed compared to the average.
Vegas Golden Knights
Level of Concern: Medium
Scoop: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on TV. But I can tell you that Robin Lehner indisputably has a torn labrum in his shoulder. It requires surgery at some point – as indicated in our original report. He’s admirably playing through it. Will it hold up through the duress of a playoff run? What if it doesn’t? The Golden Knights have perused the goaltending market. We know they’ve asked about Marc-Andre Fleury and Alexandar Georgiev. How big a level of concern is it for GM Kelly McCrimmon? Vegas has assembled an incredible (and incredibly expensive) roster when everyone is healthy. It’d be a shame to see Lehner’s injury flare up after the trade deadline, leaving Laurent Brossoit to shoulder their Cup-or-bust load.