The 2023-24 season seemed ripe for a goalie trade.
It just didn’t happen until there were two Stanley Cup Final games left on the schedule.
The Jacob Markstrom trade did two things. It finally kick-started the goalie market. And it took the New Jersey Devils, a team desperate for an upgrade in net, off the board.
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Just hours later, the Los Angeles Kings made their move by bringing in Darcy Kuemper. The Kings may not be finished just yet, but likely aren’t in the market for anything splashy.
And then on Monday night, just before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Boston Bruins shook the goalie market even more by trading Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, and taking back Joonas Korpisalo in return.
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Even if the Kings, Devils, and Senators are out on the remaining goalies, there should be teams looking for a goalie boost this summer. Some could turn to the free-agent market to avoid having to pay anything other than cap space for a goalie, but the options are slim.
Anthony Stolarz, Kevin Lankinen and Scott Wedgewood could serve as solid 1B options after their impressive 2023-24 campaigns. Ilya Samsonov, on the other hand, doesn’t quite meet the “safe and reliable” profile some teams may be searching for. Chris Driedger brings an element of uncertainty as well. Cam Talbot, Laurent Brossoit, Martin Jones, James Reimer and Antti Raanta would be more fitting in backup capacity at this point.
That makes the goalie trade market all the more intriguing this summer.
Which goalies are on the trade market?
Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
A year ago, a Filip Gustavsson-Jesper Wallstedt crease could have made sense for the 2024-25 season. Gustavsson was coming off a career year when he saved 24.5 goals above expected in 39 games, which landed him seventh in the league. As impressive as his year was, it wasn’t clear just yet if that caliber was a sign of things to come considering his track record to that point. That’s why the Wild took a more cautious approach last offseason with a three-year contract worth $3.75 million a year, on average.
That looks like an even better decision after Gustavsson’s 2023-24 season. In 17 games, he allowed almost eight goals more than expected when accounting for his workload. While the Wild had some serious penalty kill struggles to open the year and the defense showed cracks without Jared Spurgeon, more was expected from the goalie they penciled in as their 1A for the year.
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So now that Marc-Andre Fleury signed a one-year extension in Minnesota, it seems like Gustavsson could be the odd man out with Wallstedt waiting in the wings to jump up to the NHL level full-time. A three-goalie situation may give a team options, but it usually doesn’t benefit any of the players involved.
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Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Juuse Saros is one of the biggest wild cards in the goalie market because Nashville could extend him long-term this summer. He’s eligible for an extension as of July 1, which could end up as high as the $9 million range.
While general manager Barry Trotz intends to talk to Saros and his representation this summer, his name will likely be featured in trade rumors until an extension is done. As much as the Predators may not want to lose their workhorse starter, the big question is whether it makes sense for the team to ink their starter and block prospect Yaroslav Askarov’s path.
Not every team will be able to afford a Saros extension or even the cost of acquisition. It’s going to be steep for good reason — this is a workhorse goaltender who can be counted on to start a lot of games at a high level. Last year he was not only one of the best goalies in the league, but in the analytics era. And even this year after a slow start, he bounced back when it mattered most to help the Predators’ playoff push.
John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
Of the potentially available goalies, no one’s name has been in the rumor mill as long as John Gibson’s.
Gibson’s timeline doesn’t line up with the rebuilding Ducks, so it may be in management’s best interest to move him sooner rather than later before they risk losing value on him. Lukas Dostal’s progression and push for more playing time could hurt Anaheim’s leverage in this situation.
Gibson has another three years under contract at $6.4 million a year, on average. If the Ducks leverage their cap space and three retained salary slots, they could bolster a potential return for Gibson. The goalie has some say in his landing spot, with a 10-team no-trade list. But unlike Saros, his next contract isn’t of concern so the Ducks can truly consider 22 different landing spots for him.
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The big question with Gibson is what he has left in the tank and how much the Ducks’ defense has weighed on his game. He finished slightly above average relative to his workload this past season but has four iffy years behind that. In some years, he starts strong before really dropping off in the second half, and the team in front of him likely has a lot to do with it. Still, Gibson’s durability and caliber have dropped since his three excellent seasons between 2016 and 2019.
Which teams are looking for a goalie, and which ones make the most sense?
Colorado Avalanche
Alexandar Georgiev rebounded from an awful start to the postseason, but at a certain point, Colorado may want more certainty in net. The Avalanche don’t need perfection with all their strengths in front of the blue paint. But the team may want two things: 1) less of a wild card as their starter 2) and more support behind them. With only a year left on Georgiev’s contract, management has to decide whether or not he is the starter to invest in despite some of his flaws.
Gustavsson carries some risk but is pretty inexpensive. Getting him at a bargain could make sense for a team without a ton of assets to spend. Even Gibson with salary retained could make sense. Maybe in return for a goalie upgrade, Ross Colton could be of interest.
Detroit Red Wings
Alex Lyon and Ville Husso are both signed for next season, so technically the Red Wings could maintain the status quo. But management will still look to the goalie market to see if there are any sensible options out there.
Steve Yzerman already acknowledged that he doesn’t want to move too many prime assets for a short-term option. So maybe that takes Gibson out of the picture if the price hasn’t come down over the years; at least management could have some confidence that he can handle playing behind a less-than-stout team. With the Senators trading for Ullmark, that takes another goalie out of the mix.
Saros (plus an extension) could click if Nashville decides to move on from their starter, as well. With Lyon and Husso, the Red Wings technically have a 1B at the ready so they may not need to go that big anyway.
Vegas Golden Knights
Big names on the trade board? That’s the Golden Knights music!
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Adin Hill was excellent with Vegas on its way to a championship in 2023. And he put up some quality play both in the regular season and postseason for the Golden Knights this year. But there were some inconsistencies in his game, which led to Logan Thompson taking over more down the stretch. Plus, there are durability concerns. That could give Vegas pause on extending him when his current contract expires in 2025.
Ullmark would have made sense here. But maybe instead, Gibson could with salary retention. It’s a pretty safe bet that he would rebound considering the differences between the Golden Knights’ defense and the Ducks’ defense. And we can never count out Saros if he becomes available considering their trade tendencies.
How can Vegas swing this deal when it has no cap space? When there’s a will, there’s a way even if it means dumping cable players off for nothing but cap space in return.
Carolina Hurricanes
In each of the last two postseasons, the Hurricanes have turned away from starter Frederik Andersen for a game or two. The 34-year-old has another year on his contract, but maybe it’s time to look in a new direction.
Carolina may not need a true number one of Saros’ caliber, and should instead splurge on a scoring winger. But they could use another goalie partner for Pyotr Kochetkov. Gibson should have an easier time getting back to his heights behind the Hurricanes’ stout defense. Or maybe it’s worth giving Gustafson a look as a 1B, if none of the free-agent options appeal.
Washington Capitals
Like Carolina, the Capitals don’t need to go big. By trading the remainder of Kuemper’s contract to the Kings, Washington management signaled that they’re ready to roll with Charlie Lindgren as their No 1. Lindgren earned the starter’s net and was pivotal down the stretch. At this point, the Capitals could just go for one of those backup free-agent goaltenders to complete their crease. But maybe Gustavsson could be worth betting on as a reclamation projection, especially if Lindgren falters in this new role.
Calgary Flames
The Flames could proceed with the status quo now that Markstrom’s been traded, and just lean on Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar. But there could be room for improvement in Calgary, as well. Calgary is retooling and doesn’t need a Saros right now. But Gustavsson could make sense, especially if the team is worried at all about Wolf’s readiness at the NHL level full-time.
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The Flames and Capitals could both be in the goalie market post-trade, and that could be the case for Anaheim or Nashville (for backup-1B types) depending on how they proceed. Say a team like Utah moves Karel Vejmelka, who is in the last year of his deal, then maybe they join the conversation. Even recent extensions can change the makeup of the trade market; Joseph Woll extending (per Kevin Weekes’ report) in Toronto for three years should take the team out of contention for a starter. At most, maybe they aim a bit lower for Gustafson or Gibson to solidify the crease with Woll’s durability in mind. But like the aforementioned teams, that could be a backup plan if they don’t land one of the higher-end 1B options on the free-agent market.
— Data via CapFriendly and Evolving-Hockey
(Top photos of Filip Gustavsson and Juuse Saros: Derek Cain / Getty Images and David Kirouac / USA Today)