We are into the final days of the courting period before NHL Free Agency opens. While the talk of free agency has mainly been about young, highly skilled RFAs and the top-level UFAs, some of the more important free agents happen to be the players who stop the puck. With Brian Elliott coming off the market after he re-signed with the Philadelphia Flyers for another year, teams are still looking to find quality netminders for the backup position. With only 31 starting jobs in the NHL, the goalie market is flooded with talent, let’s take a look at the Top Five UFA Goaltenders this off-season.
Top 5 UFA Goaltenders
#1 – Sergei Bobrovsky
Age: 30
Previous Cap Hit: $7.425 million with the Columbus Blue Jackets
Bobrovsky, who will turn 31 in September, is the top free agent goalie this off-season. He has made it clear from the start of the season that he is going to test the free agent waters. There has long been a sense that he will not return to the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, who helped the Blue Jackets sweep the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had a goals-against-average of 2.01 in the four-game sweep. These past playoffs were the first time since he had been that the Blue Jackets made it past the first round.
In his career, first with the Philadelphia Flyers followed by a stop in Columbus, Bobrovsky has a record of 255-153-37 with the 2.46 goals-against-average and .919 save percentage along with 33 shutouts in 457 regular season games played. In the four years with the Blue Jackets, Bobrovsky holds the franchise records for most wins with 213 and shutouts with 33. The one knock on Bobrovsky is that he cannot win in the playoffs and his numbers back that up. He has a record of 11-18 with a 3.14 goals-against-average and .902 save percentage in 34 playoff games. Those are subpar numbers for a goalie who is looking to make Carey Price money.
Bobrovsky has been linked to the Florida Panthers as they have the ability to sign him long-term at a big cap number. The Panthers drafted goalie Spencer Knight in the first round and want to be patient with his development. By the time a Bobrovsky contract is over, it is hoped that Knight will be ready to take over the position. Other teams interested are Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Islanders.
#2 – Robin Lehner
Age: 27
Previous Cap Hit – $1.5 million with the New York Islanders
Lehner had a resurgence with the Islanders as he and Thomas Greiss split time in between the pipes over this past season. Lehner signed a one-year deal with the Islanders after the Buffalo Sabres failed to give him a qualifying offer last summer. With the Islanders, Lehner finished a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the league. He also won the Masterton Trophy, which is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
During training camp, Lehner revealed his issues with addiction and mental health. Lehner finished the year with a 2.13 goals-against-average and .930 save percentage. Lehner and Greiss won the William M. Jennings Trophy awarded to the goalies on the team with the fewest goals against. He backstopped the Islanders to a first-round sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lehner could not continue the magic as the Islanders were then swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
Lehner wants to remain with the Islanders as he noted in his acceptance speech at the NHL Awards. The team would alos like to have him back at a reasonable price. Other teams interested are reported to be the Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Panthers.
# 3 – Semyon Varlamov
Age: 31
Previous Cap Hit – $5.9 million with the Colorado Avalanche
Towards the end of the season, with Colorado making their push towards the playoffs, Varlamov was replaced by Philipp Grubauer as their starting goalie. Varlamov did not see action in the playoffs as the Avalanche rode Grubauer all the way to Game 7 of the second round against the San Jose Sharks. Before losing the starter’s job, Varlamov had a record of 20-19-9 with a 2.87 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage and two shutouts.
Varlamov has the numbers to be a starter in the league. In his career with the Washington Capitals and Avalanche, Varlamov has a record of 213-169-50 with a 2.68 goals-against-average, .916 save percentage and 25 shutouts in 448 regular season games. Varlamov could be a starter on a number of teams around the NHL.
The Avalanche would like to keep Varlamov as a backup, in case Grubauer slips up at anytime during the season. Like every team, they are not going to overspend for a backup goalie. Varlamov has options in the league with the Blue Jackets, Sharks, Hurricanes, Oilers, and Flames all potentially looking for starting goalies. You can throw the Islanders and Panthers in the mix just in case they are able to sign the big fish on the board.
# 4 – Mike Smith
Age: 37
Previous Cap Hit – $5.66 million with the Calgary Flames
Over the past season, Smith split time with David Rittich as the Flames finished first in the Western Conference. Smith is a veteran goalie that has played in 571 games with four different teams. He has fought through injuries in his career but has always come back strong. How could anyone forget what Smith did in 2012 as he guided the Arizona Coyotes all the way to the Western Conference Final.
This season, however, Smith showed his age. During 42 games with the Flames, Smith had a record of 23-16-2 with a 2.73 goals-against-average and .898 save percentage. While many will put blame on Smith for the Flames first-round exit to the Avalanche in five games, he played well enough to win some of those games but it was the Flames offence that let the team down. Smith has very good playoff numbers compared to some of the others out there. In 24 playoff games, he has a record of 11-12 with a 2.17 goals-against-average and .938 save percentage.
It will be interesting to see what the Flames decide to do. It is always good to have a veteran presence in the locker room to mentor a young goalie. If Smith were to stay with the Flames he would have to take less salary to be a backup, and his age will be a factor. Since Smith is 37, if he were to sign a long term deal, it would fall under over-35 contract rules. The Oilers have also been reported to have interest in the veteran.
#5 – Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek
Ages: McElhinney – 36 and Mrazek – 27
Previous Cap Hits – McElhinney – $850k and Mrazek – $1.5 million with the Carolina Hurricanes
Goalie tandems seem to be the way teams are heading now. In Carolina, the tandem of Mrazek and McElhinney brought the Hurricanes all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, where the team ran out of steam against the Boston Bruins. Both goalies have made it known that they would like to test the market.
Mrazek seemed to the starter with the Hurricanes, but it was truly close to an even split as he started 40 games in the regular season, while McElhinney started 33 games. Mrazek was the starter in the playoffs, before he got hurt in Game 2 of Round 2 against the Islanders. McElhinney came in and played superbly. For the remainder of the series against the Islanders, McElhinney stole the show with highlight-reel saves and was a big reason why the Hurricanes got to the Eastern Conference Final.
Their numbers are pretty similar as Mrazek had a 2.39 goals-against-average and .914 save percentage, while McElhinney had a 2.58 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. They each had 20 or more wins. McElhinney was a waiver claim by the Hurricanes as his former club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, decided to go in a different direction. Mrazek only signed for one year to prove he could still be a starter in the league.
Both goalies would be ideal for the Hurricanes after the team decided to buyout Scott Darling. However, with Anton Forsberg now in the mix, you have to wonder which goalie will leave via free agency. Teams looking at their services reportedly include the Sharks, Oilers, Flames, Panthers, and potentially the Islanders.
There are other goalies on the market such as Keith Kinkaid, Michal Neuvirth, Cam Talbot, and Cam Ward, but the list above represents the top UFA goaltenders this off-season. Expect them to be targeted as there are a number of teams looking to fill a void.
Main Photo: COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 27: Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) holds up a broken hockey stick during the second period in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Winnipeg Jets on October 27, 2017, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. Blue Jackets defeated the Sabres (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via
