Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson (36) is honored as one of the Stars of the Game after an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings at T-Mobile Arena Saturday, March 19, 2022.
Friday, Aug. 12, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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Those clamoring for Logan Thompson to be the Golden Knights’ starting goaltender might get their wish sooner than expected.
Vegas’ goaltending situation was already clouded with their top two goalies on the injured list. With Robin Lehner now expected to miss all of next season following hip surgery, it goes beyond cloudy. A full storm might be on the horizon.
Thompson will get a chance to show last season was no fluke. The rookie nearly led the Golden Knights to the playoffs singlehandedly following late-season injuries to Lehner and Laurent Brossoit. The latter is also recovering from offseason hip surgery and his status going into training camp is uncertain, hence the Golden Knights' signing of veteran Michael Hutchinson to a one-year deal.
Thompson played his way to a long look as the backup next season. Even in limited reps, Thompson was on par with Lehner.
His high-danger save percentage at even strength (.836) was better than Lehner's (.828) on a far more limited yet still impressive scal. But Lehner’s goals saved above expected — a metric determined by the number of goals saved based on the quality of shots — was 11th best in the league (9.89) among goalies who played at least 44 games. Thompson was still a net-positive (2.2), well better than Brossoit (-2.05).
When healthy, Lehner is still good, and his absence on the ice is going to hurt the Golden Knights over the course of an 82-game season barring a Herculean effort from the rest of the team.
The good news for Vegas is, as Thompson told the Sun in May, he’s not afraid of the moment. Giving him the chance to be the guy will put him to the test, especially since this roster — also when healthy — can be a championship contender and will likely be a motivated group under new coach Bruce Cassidy.
Which now begs the question: Where do the Golden Knights go from here?
Lehner, carrying a $5 million cap hit, will likely move to long-term injured reserve. According to CapFriendly, the Golden Knights have about $2.15 million in cap space to utilize once Shea Weber’s contract is moved to LTIR.
It’s widely expected that forward Nolan Patrick ($1.2 million cap hit) will also wind up on LTIR due to an ongoing upper-body issue that has been troublesome since early last season. The savings from his and Lehner’s contracts would create another $6.2 million in relief, more than enough to pay remaining free agents Nic Hague and Jake Leschyshyn.
The remainder would open up new possibilities for the Golden Knights.
One is to explore the trade market. Given the Golden Knights’ recent donation of Max Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlan to Carolina for future considerations, teams helping Vegas via trade market will be far and few between.
A quick glance at prospective goaltender moves suggests another conversation with Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell wouldn’t be a bad place to start for veteran Antti Raanta. The 33-year-old goalie was terrific in the playoffs for the injured Freddie Andersen, but the development of Pyotr Kochetkov could make him available.
A name that’s been explored before, as well, is Jake Allen in Montreal. Again, another team that’s done business with Vegas this summer (acquiring Evgenii Dadonov from Vegas for Weber’s contract), Allen was great for the worst teams in the league in 2022 and could benefit greatly from being on a contender. With Carey Price’s health in question, though, it could take a hefty price to entice the Canadiens to move him.
The free agent market has dried up considerably, at least in the unrestricted free agent pool. Braden Holtby could be an option at 32 years old. Vegas fans will remember him well from hoisting the Stanley Cup at T-Mobile Arena in 2018. He went 10-10-0 with the Dallas Stars last season.
There’s also 36-year-old Cory Schneider, but there’s a reason he’s played 40 NHL games the past three seasons. His .898 save percentage and 3.21 goals-against average are all you need to know.
Would Vegas dip its toe in the restricted free agent goalie pool? Dallas netminder Jake Oettinger still hasn’t signed a new deal, and local reports say that standoff could go longer. If so, would the Golden Knights entertain an offer sheet for the 23-year-old after a strong rookie season? It would take a hefty number given Vegas still has to sign Hague and Leschyshyn, but Dallas still needs to make room for 40-goal scorer Jason Robertson.
File that option under ‘highly unlikely,’ but the Golden Knights have surprised everyone before.
Either way, it’s looking like Thompson will get his chance to further improve from last season. It would be a tall task heading into a crucial season for everyone involved amidst an improved Pacific Division.
A quiet offseason has turned to turmoil in a hurry. And there’s still five weeks until training camp.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
