Should The Blackhawks Pursue a Top Goalie?

The Chicago Blackhawks were pleasantly surprised when Kevin Lankinen, who finished 3rd in the Goalie competition in training camp, grabbed hold of the #1 Goaltender job and didn’t let go. He performed above expectations, but do the ‘Hawks need more in net to take the next step?

Going into the 2020-2021 season, the biggest question mark on the Blackhawks roster was between the pipes. The trio of Collin Delia, Malcolm Subban, and Kevin Lankinen were the rostered goalies who were going to get a chance at winning the job, barring a surprise trade.

Delia was the most familiar to Blackhawks fans, albeit in a very small sample size (18 games). He had mediocre statistics (around .900 save percentage, and GAA of over 3.5) in his limited audition, but he was billed as a steady presence in net, and one the Blackhawks young defensemen could count on when they made mistakes.

Subban boasted the most experience (86 NHL games), and rare athleticism for the position. A former 1st round pick, he had played 20+ games in each of his previous 4 seasons for the Vegas Golden Knights. His GAA was under 3.00 in Vegas, and his save percentage was .901 during his time there.

Lankinen was a wild card. His biggest exposure was leading Finland to a gold medal in the 2019 World Championships, where he was spectacular, with a 1.5 GAA and .942 save percentage in 8 games. But his AHL/ECHL numbers were not indicative of this level of performance.

Delia and Subban were the top 2 going into the season, but an early struggle in net gave Lankinen his opportunity, and he went on to start 37 of the 56 ‘Hawks games this past season, posting respectable numbers at a 3.01 GAA, and a .909 save percentage.

But is respectable good enough to help this team get back to contention? By all accounts, Lankinen is a hard worker who identifies weak spots in his game and improves upon them. Teams seemed to be targeting high blocker side when shooting on him, so that will be one area. The other area is workload.

Lankinen wore down as the season went on, which leads me to think that a tandem in goal might be the best option for him this upcoming season. Playing 40-45 games might be the right mix for him as he gets adjusted to the grind of an 82 game season. So who backs him up? Delia? Subban? or someone new?

The Trade Market

Trading for a Goalie is always tricky, especially if you are looking for a starter. Teams are not especially willing to part with a starting goalie, and the ones that would be willing to part with one give the buyer pause, as there must be a reason why they want to move on from them. But there are goalies for sale in the trade market, and several of them could help the ‘Hawks if they want to upgrade their second slot alongside Lankinen.

Marc-Andre Fleury: There were rumors that started shortly after the ‘Hawks traded Robin Lehner to Vegas that there wasn’t going to be room for both goalies on that team, but they went into this season with both on the roster (to the tune of $12M in cap space), and Fleury went on to have a Vezina-caliber season, with a 1.98 GAA, and .928 save percentage.

At 36 years old, not only was this a great story, but makes Fleury a much more valuable commodity to a team looking for a top-shelf goalie to help them to the next level. He would immediately upgrade the Blackhawks goalie room, and be a solid mentor for Lankinen.

At $7M in cap cost, the ‘Hawks would need for Vegas to either take on salary in return, or retain a portion of his cost to take him.

Braden Holtby: Holtby was acquired by Vancouver as a free agent after a Cup run with the Capitals. However, with the emergence of Thatcher Demko, he is a little expensive for a backup ($4.3M in 2021-22). While doing deals with the Canucks is not ideal, he is definitely a starting goalie in the NHL.

By his standards, the last 2 seasons have been a struggle (under .900 save percentage, and over 3.00 GAA for the first time in his NHL career), but at 31, he is 5 years younger than Fleury, and almost $3M less expensive.

Elvis Merzlikins/Joonas Korpisalo: Columbus has a problem. They have 2 really good goalies who both want to be the man for their team. Korpisalo appears to have the upper hand in how they were viewed, but it’s a new regime in Columbus, so is that changing? With the tragic passing of Matiss Kivlenieks in July, they may not be as likely to trade one of them, but they were considering it prior to that news.

Korpisalo is much steadier in goal, where Merzlikins is more flashy, and might have more upside, which is why he currently is the higher-compensated of the two. There is a connection between Korpisalo and Lankinen, with both being Finnish natives, and knowing each other from growing up and playing in the same circles. That could be a positive situation for both, but might not satisfy Korpisalo’s desire to be the #1 guy, if the ‘Hawks are planning a platoon.

There are rumors that others could be pried away from their respective teams (Kuemper, Price, Jarry, and a few others) but given their teams’ lack of options if they moved these players, I am not considering them in this.

Don’t see anything you like enough to pull the trigger on a trade? Well, there are a lot of goalies out there in Unrestricted Free Agency to choose from.

Free Agency

There are several names out there in free agency to choose from. All have reasons to be in free agency, but they still represent an upgrade to the Blackhawks goalie room.

Frederik Anderson: A solid performer in Toronto for 268 games, he gets a lot of the blame from the Toronto fan base for their lack of playoff success. He has not been above 3.00 GAA until this season, and has consistently posted a solid save percentage (.909 or better until a drop this season). At 31, I view him a lot like Holtby, where he should have gas in the tank, and could rebound with a change of scenery. Probably will get close to the $5M annually he had on his last deal in Toronto, but will come in below that number in my opinion.

James Reimer/Petr Mrazek: Carolina is going with Alex Nedeljkovic in goal, and both Reimer and Mrazek are UFAs this offseason. Both are steady, solid veteran goalies. Neither will set the world on fire, but they can both play in a platoon, or take over for stretches due to injury. Mrazek is 29, Reimer 33. I don’t see either as an expensive option (likely under $3.5M per for either), but both could be upgrades to the goalie room.

Philipp Grubauer: Colorado and Grubauer are reported to be far apart in negotiations for a new deal, which means he will hit the market next week. After a sterling performance this season (1.95 GAA, .922 save percentage in 40 starts), I am sure he feels he deserves a raise from the $3.33M annually he has been earning. Colorado has lots of mouths to feed, but with only Pavel Francouz under contract for next season, they will likely find a compromise around $5.5M for the 29 year-old. If not, could be a solid addition for the ‘Hawks

Linus Ullmark: I am including Ullmark because I believe that a change of scenery is just what this young goalie needs to realize his full potential. Playing for a struggling Sabres team, he has put up solid numbers, improving on his GAA and save percentage each season. At 27, he still has room to get better, and with a move out of Buffalo, he could realize that. He should be in the $3.5-4M range, after making $2.6M this past season.

Blackhawks: Five Central Division Predictions For 2021

If you’re comfortable with Subban and/or Delia backing up Lankinen next season, the Hawks will have more resources to improve the team in front of them. But if you want to see Lankinen as a 1B to a more experienced goalie for a year, any of these options are a possibility, by trade or through free agency. Once Stan gets through the draft this weekend, the real work begins.