What are the Knights goalie options in free agency?

By Danny Webster Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 months ago

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit (39) on the ice with his helmet tipped back waiting f ... — Winnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit (39) on the ice with his helmet tipped back waiting for a face off against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, March 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Vegas Golden Knights’ Brett Howden (21) scores against Winnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit (39) during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Kings goaltender Cam Talbot (39) saves the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

Florida Panthers’ Brandon Montour (62) is pushed down by Edmonton Oilers’ Adam Henrique (19) in front of goalie Anthony Stolarz (41) during the third period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Florida Panthers goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) warms up before Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Nashville Predators goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) defends the goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Nashville Predators goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) watches as a puck gets past shots by Golden Knights right wing Michael Amadio (22) during the third period of their NHL game on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

Dallas Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood turns the puck away during the second period of Game 3 of the team’s NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals against the Vegas Golden Knights in Dallas, Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Dallas Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood looks to the crowd, as spectators throw things onto the ice late in the second period of Game 3 of the team’s NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals against the Vegas Golden Knights, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The Golden Knights didn’t appear to need a goaltender most of this offseason.

They do now.

Free agency begins Monday and the Knights are down to one NHL goaltender in Adin Hill. They dealt goaltender Logan Thompson to the Washington Capitals on Saturday after the 27-year-old requested a trade.

The Knights did acquire 24-year-old goaltender Akira Schmid from the New Jersey Devils later Saturday, but general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Schmid will likely start as the organization’s No. 3 goaltender. Schmid, a pending restricted free agent, was not given a qualifying offer Sunday. That makes him an unrestricted free agent, though the Knights can still re-sign him.

No matter what, the team is looking for a backup for Hill. The Knights have some money to spend — they have approximately $8.53 million in cap space entering Monday with nine forwards, seven defensemen and one goaltender under contract — but plenty to get done.

Right wing Jonathan Marchessault, the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner for playoff MVP, remains unsigned as a pending unrestricted free agent.

There is still a decent list of available goaltenders the Knights could pursue in free agency, including a few Stanley Cup champions.

Here are some names to know:

Laurent Brossoit, Winnipeg Jets

An old friend is back on the market.

Brossoit played a pivotal role in helping the Knights win their first Stanley Cup championship in 2023. He was their starter at the beginning of the playoffs before a lower-body injury in Game 3 of the second round against Edmonton ended a stellar run.

The 31-year-old went 7-0-3 in 10 starts for the Knights in 2022-23.

Brossoit signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with Winnipeg last summer to reunite with two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. Brossoit played for the Jets from 2018-21 before signing with the Knights as a free agent in July 2021.

Last season, he won a career-high 15 games while posting a .927 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average in 23 appearances.

A reunion could make sense. The key question is whether Brossoit’s strong recent form earns him better offers than the Knights can afford.

Cam Talbot, Los Angeles Kings

Talbot, who turns 37 on Friday, played some of the best hockey of his career last season.

He started out 14-6-2 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.06 goals against average his first 22 appearances. Things then spiraled down the stretch. Talbot went 13-14-4 the rest of the way while posting a .905 save percentage and a 2.83 goals-against average.

It didn’t get better in the playoffs. Talbot allowed 16 goals the first three games of the Kings’ first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. He was replaced by David Rittich for Games 4 and 5. Los Angeles moved on in the offseason, acquiring goaltender Darcy Kuemper in a trade with Washington.

That leaves Talbot free to look for his fourth team in four years.

Anthony Stolarz, Florida Panthers

Stolarz, like Brossoit, is a backup that will be in high demand.

The 30-year-old made the most of his opportunity with the Stanley Cup champions this season while playing behind Sergei Bobrovsky. Stolarz set new career bests in wins (16), starts (24) and goals-against average (2.03).

His market should be interesting considering how good he was in limited action. Stolarz, who signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with Florida last summer, led all goalies with at least five starts with a .945 save percentage at five-on-five in the regular season.

He also saved 15.19 goals above average at five-on-five, according to the website Natural Stat Trick. That ranked fourth-best in the NHL behind Hellebuyck, Seattle’s Joey Daccord and 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark in Boston.

Kevin Lankinen, Nashville Predators

Lankinen is easy to predict. He’s a solid goaltender that was reliable the last two years for Nashville.

The Predators could be moving on with top prospect Yaroslav Askarov, the 11th overall pick in 2020, waiting in the wings. Lankinen at least deserves a new contract somewhere after posting a .908 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average in 24 appearances last season.

The 29-year-old should be in demand as a backup if he hits the market.

Scott Wedgewood, Dallas Stars

Wedgewood, 31, is coming off an interesting year.

He set new career highs in wins (16) and appearances (32) while serving as goaltender Jake Oettinger’s deputy in Dallas. But Wedgewood’s save percentage also dipped from .915 in 2022-23 to .899. His goals-against average went from 2.72 in 2022-23 to 2.85 last season.

Counting on Wedgewood to continue to win games at a high rate may be a risk. He still got the job done last season despite the numbers, however.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.