The Winnipeg Jets may need a new backup goaltender next season. Laurent Brossoit, in his return to Winnipeg, did very well behind Connor Hellebuyck but as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) he will get the starting money from someone.
That's good and he deserves it, but it's bad for the Jets considering Brossoit has been the NHL's best backup and gave the team as good a chance to win as Hellebuyck did. Combined, they allowed just 199 goals all season and took home the William M. Jennings Award.
Related: Jets 2024 Unrestricted Free Agent Overview
Thomas Milic, a 2023 fifth-rounder who had an excellent rookie season with the Manitoba Moose and was instrumental in their second-half turnaround, needs one if not two seasons to season in the AHL and there is no other seasoner in the organization anyway. NHL radar. As a result, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will need to look to the free agent market to find Hellebuyck's backup for 2024-25. Here, we'll look at three he can point to.
Pheonix Copley
The Los Angeles Kings' re-signing of the former Jets backup could pave the way for Pheonix Copley to come to Winnipeg.
The Kings recently re-signed David Rittich, who put up solid numbers in 24 games this season after spending 2022-23 with the Jets, to a one-year deal. Rittich, who began the season in the AHL with the Ontario Reign, only got a chance to step into a backup role because Copley injured his ACL during practice in December and underwent season-ending surgery. Before the injury, Copley made eight starts, posting a 4-1-2 record, 3.26 goals against average, (GAA) .870 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout.
Whether the Kings re-sign 36-year-old Cam Talbot – who has made most of their debuts and is a UFA – or grab someone else as their starting goaltender hasn't changed much in Copley, who is looking serviceable.
Copley — 32 and a UFA — has had an uneven NHL career. The North Pole, Alaska native's best campaign was in 2022-23 with the Kings, when he appeared in 37 games and made 35 starts, going 24-6-3 with a 2.64 GAA, .903 SV%, and and one closure.
Before joining the Kings on one-year contracts, he spent five years in the Washington Capitals organization. In 2021-22, playing two games, he entered his first NHL action since 2018-19, when he appeared in 27 games and made 24 starts. He spent the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with the AHL's Hershey Bears, receiving the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award and Zachary Fucale in 2020-21 (equivalent to the NHL's Jennings Trophy.)
Copley, who was undrafted, began his NHL career with the St. In 76 career games and 72 career starts, he has a 44-16-8 record, 2.83 GAA, .899 SV%, and three shutouts.
Chris Driedger
Chris Driedger is a Manitoban who has fallen off the radar due to injuries. Can returning to his hometown get his career back on track?
The Winnipegger played just two games with the Seattle Kraken this season, going 1-1-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .917 SV% as Joey Daccord stole the starting role and Philipp Grubauer backed him up. Driedger's had some rotten luck lately, tearing his ACL at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, missing most of the 2022-23 season as a result, and spending a short healthy half in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Driedger, 29 years old and a UFA, was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft and signed a three-year contract with an average annual salary of $3.5 million with them that summer. He made 24 starts and 27 appearances in their first 2021-22 campaign, going 9-14-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .899 SV% on a bad defensive club while dealing with two injuries that caused him to miss time.
In 67 career appearances and 60 career starts between the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, and Kraken, the 2012 third baseman has a 34-21-5 record, 2.45 GAA, .917 SV%, five shutouts, and 12.7 goals saved. above expectations.
Kevin Lankinen
Kevin Lankinen may be out looking at the state of the Nashville Predators' crease. He could be another goalkeeper who will benefit from a change of position.
The 29-year-old Finn made 17 games and 24 appearances for the Predators this season in his second campaign with the team, going 11-6-0 with a 2.82 GAA, .908 SV%, and one shutout. However, with Juuse Saros a hot youngster and the organization's biggest hopes in Yaroslav Askarov – who has done nothing but win in the AHL for two seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals and looks to be ready for the NHL – Lankinen could find himself on the wagon. an extraordinary man.
Lankinen, a UFA and undrafted goaltender, arrived in North America in 2020-21 after five seasons in the Finnish Liiga to play for the Chicago Blackhawks. Between two seasons with the Blackhawks and two Predators, he made 101 starts and 112 appearances, posting a 3.07 GAA, .905 SV%, and three shutouts.
Martin Jones
Martin Jones is a veteran who expands his career by providing backup or tandem services. He is a known and experienced asset, two attractive traits when it comes to backups.
The 34-year-old spent this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting an 11-8-1 record, 2.87 GAA, .902 SV%, and two shutouts. However, he probably won't be back. The Maple Leafs were Jones' third team in the past three seasons as he played for the Kraken in 2022-23 and the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021-22.
Jones, a UFA and undrafted goaltender, is best known for his six seasons with the San Jose Sharks, in which he played 325 games and led them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015-16. He also won the Stanley Cup in his rookie season with the Kings, the first team of his NHL career. In 466 career games and 488 starts across five teams, he has a 236-171-36 record, 2.72 GAA, .905 SV%, and 30 shutouts. He was an NHL-All Star in 2017 and has appeared in 60-career playoff games, posting a 32-27 record, 2.36 GAA, .917 SV%, and six shutouts.
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