Goalie Roulette in NHL

It began earlier in the week and continued right through the first day of free agency. Some of the goalies that everyone knows, even if they don’t play on your favorite team, were getting moved around. While there were a couple of trades, the bulk of signings naturally came during the start of free agency.

Some of the most well-known goalies who have established themselves in particular jerseys, including Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby found themselves moving on in what has been the strangest of NHL years.

The COVID-19 pause in March delayed the playoffs, which of course delayed everything else. So, instead of free agency frenzy beginning on July 1, this year it began on October 9. And it likely won’t be long until these goaltenders are suiting up in their new practice jerseys, as the start of a condensed 2020-21 season is scheduled to launch on January 1, 2021.

As mentioned, Henrik Lundqvist will not be suiting up for the New York Rangers. He was bought out of his remaining year’s contract allowing him to sign a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals. The 38-year-old netminder may have seen the writing on the wall after the Carolina Hurricanes took all three games in the Qualifying Round and Lundqvist was benched in preference for rookie Igor Shesterkin who got the nod for the third game, playing in his NHL postseason debut. Lundqvist had made 129 consecutive postseason starts up to that point.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Braden Holtby found himself signing on the dotted line with the Vancouver Canucks – getting a two-year deal that will hit the Canucks cap annually for $4.3 million. Holtby has spent all of his NHL career—ten years—with the Capitals, garnering 35 shutouts, a record of 282-122-46 and a goals-against average of 2.54. He won one Vezina Trophy, a Stanley Cup and the William M. Jennings Trophy during his time in Washington.

Another surprise was the announcement that Corey Crawford had signed with the New Jersey Devils. His two-year deal with the Devils earns him $7.8 million, with an annual hit on the cap at $3.9 million. Like the others discussed, he has spent all of his professional career with a single NHL team; the Chicago Blackhawks organization starting with the 2005/06 season. After playing the bulk of his games for their AHL affiliates from 2005/06 through 2009/10, he found himself firmly on the NHL team beginning with the 2010/11 season. With Chicago he won the Stanley Cup twice (2013, 2015) and the William M. Jennings Trophy those same two years (though he shared the 2015 honors with the Montreal Canadiens’ Carey Price).

The other signings include:

It will be interesting to see how these changes between the pipes benefit the various teams and of those who spent most of the previous season in the AHL, if they can push for a spot with the big club.