Aarif Deen
As offense continues to shine in the NHL, goaltender contracts have evolved to a place where only the best of the best land big deals.
The level of Igor Shesterkin, Connor Hellebuyck, Ilya Sorokin, Jake Oettinger, Thatcher Demko and other upper echelon goalies are making $8 million+ per season. Everyone else, the B tier of starters, is settling in at a lower rate.
When the Avs acquired Mackenzie Blackwood last December — a goaltender they had been targeting for years — they wanted to solidy a positon that, even throughout their golden era, has never had consistency. Semyon Varlamov and Jonathan Bernier were the tandem to start the playoff run in 2018, but then Philipp Grubauer took over before a one-year stint with Darcy Kuemper led to a Stanley Cup. Just over two years of Alexandar Georgiev followed before Blackwood’s midseason arrival.
And two weeks later, the Avalanche locked him up to a five-year, $5.25 million AAV contract. I spoke to Blackwood at the time and asked him why he rushed into the deal and he said the front office offered him a number he was trying to reach by July. But they offered it seven months earlier.
“So why not sign?” He told me.
Many questioned why Colorado, at the time, would commit to a goalie without much of a consistent track record in both health and play. But the contracts handed out since have proven that the front office was right to gamble on a player with his skill set.
Blackwood finished the year 28-21-6, with a .910 save percentage, and four shutouts. With the Avs, he was 22-12-3, .913 save percentage, and three shutouts.
Here are all the goalie deals handed out since Blackwood signed in late December, and how those netminders compare to Colorado’s new long-term starter.
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READ MORE: Chinakhov Wants Out of Columbus — Why the Avalanche Should Make a Move
Logan Thompson — Washington Capitals — 27 years old
6 years, $35.1 million — $5.85 million AAV
At a year younger than Blackwood, Thompson led the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals to a major bounce back season. He, along with guys like Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, and Matt Roy, turned things around for the once Eastern powerhouse.
Thompson started 42 games, splitting duties with Charlie Lindgren (who we’ll get to shortly) and finished with a 31-6-6 record. His .910 save percentage fell just short of Blackwood and he had two shutouts.
My Thoughts: His number was higher than I expected, but given how important goaltending was to the Caps’ success, I understand why they felt the need to do this. It’s not much higher than Blackwood, and it’s a year longer, albeit he’s a year younger. Solid value for a solid goalie that isn’t quite in that upper level. Thompson, to me, is a goalie that can win you a Stanley Cup. When you have one of those, there’s no reason to give them away.
Kevin Lankinen — Vancouver Canucks — 29 years old
5 years, $22.5 million — $4.5 million AAV
This was probably the best story of the season for a team that barely had anything good happen over a nightmarish seven-month stretch.
Amid all the drama, Kevin Lankinen signed in Vancouver during training camp and had an excellent year. He was rewarded with a $4.5 million AAV and a long-term deal. Lankinen finished 25-15-10, with a .903 save percentage and four shutouts. Not bad for a goalie leading a non-playoff team.
My Thoughts: At that number, Lankinen’s contract is moveable and probably will be moved at some point. He’s making a smidge more than someone like Petr Mrazek, for example, so it’s a fine deal. I do wonder how the Canucks are planning to deploy him and Demko (another guy we’ll talk more about soon).
Charlie Lindgren — Washington Capitals — 31 years old
3 years, $9 million — $3 million AAV
Lindgren locked up a three-year deal shortly after Thompson. The Capitals went from paying their tandem less than $2 million in total to almost $10 million. Lindgren made 38 starts and went 20-14-3 but had a .896 save percentage and one shutout.
My Thoughts: I don’t love this deal as much as the others. And I think the Caps just didn’t want to ruin a good thing. Lindgren is clearly the 1B of their tandem, but his numbers didn’t shine as much as Thompson. If anything, I’d say the contract is a year too long and a touch too high.
But again, the Caps don’t have much else to pay moving forward. All of their core pieces are locked up and nobody on the team makes $10 million. So it’s a fine deal.
Karel Vejmelka — Utah Mammoth — 28 years old
5 years, $23.75 million — $4.75 million AAV
Karel Vejmelka became the starter after Connor Ingram was granted a personal leave. I do think the Mammoth made a commitment way too soon, though. I’m not sure if this is the guy you want to hitch your wagon to. But perhaps they’ll take the Capitals (or Canucks) approach of overpaying for a tandem because you don’t have a Nathan MacKinnon on their team making big money. They eventually need to find another goalie to make this happen.
My Thoughts: Too expensive for his track record, and a commitment that probably could’ve waited. It could pay off, but we’ll see.
Adin Hill — Vegas Golden Knights — 28 years old
6 years, $37.5 million — $6.25 million AAV
Adin Hill signed only a two-year dealing after winning the Stanley Cup in 2023 because the Golden Knights hadn’t yet seen enough of him for an extended period. It was the right move, and he earned his long-term contract. Hill was 32-13-5 last season with a .906 save percentage and four shutouts. He was also one of the goalies to represent Team Canada at the 4 Nations Faceoff.
Albeit there will be more competition this year with guys like Thompson and Blackwood.
My Thoughts: Solid deal, solid term, and the number is a bit higher than the others because he’s won a Stanley Cup. I have no issues with this deal for Vegas, and it’ll only look better with the rising cap. Hill can lock in during the postseason. We’ve seen it before.
Joel Hofer — St. Louis Blues — 24 years old
2 years, $6.8 million — $3.4 million AAV
Joel Hofer is playing behind Jordan Binnington, but still managed 28 starts. He was 16-8-3 and got a two-year bridge deal as the Blues navigate their current starter and their future.
My Thoughts: Perfect deal. This gives them time to decide who they’re going to keep moving forward. I’d imagine these are the last two years of Binnington’s time in St. Louis, if he’s not traded while Hofer is still playing out this contract. This is all contingent on Hofer continuing to develop in the right direction though.
Ville Husso — Anaheim Ducks — 30 years old
2 years, $4.4 million — $2.2 million AAV
Ville Husso was a salary cap dump by the Red Wings and the Ducks, who also acquired Mrazek from Detroit, signed him to a two-year deal at a low cap hit. He’ll be their third goalie on the the depth chart if they keep everyone. And in 2026-27, he’ll be elevated to the permanent back up.
My Thoughts: Meh. I don’t really have thoughts on this one. The Ducks want to have a security blanket in goal and that’s fine given their cap situation. We’ll get to their starter soon.
Thatcher Demko — Vancouver Canucks — 29 years old
3 years, $25.5 million — $8.5 million AAV
Demko was rumored to be on the trade block after another injury riddled season and the commitment the team made to Lankinen. Instead, the Canucks gave him little term, big dollars, and kept their tandem in tact.
If Demko is healthy, he’s one of, if not the best goalie in the league. But the issue is and always has been his health. Demko was the runner up for the Vezina Trophy in 2023-24.
My Thoughts: I’m not really sure what Vancouver is doing, honestly. Not just with goaltending but in general. At some point, they should probably capitalize on the trade value of one of their goalies. But we’ll just have to see how the season unfolds first. Can Lankinen have another strong year? Can Demko stay healthy?
Jake Allen — New Jersey Devils — 34 years old
5 years, $9 million — $1.8 million AAV
Jake Allen loves New Jersey, loves working with Jacob Markstrom, and, at 34 years old, probably loves not having to play 40+ games anymore. Those are all the reasons why he locked in a long-term deal at a very reasonable cap hit.
My Thoughts: Love the deal for the team and the player. For the Devils, they get a solid backup at a wildly reasonable rate. Which helps as you continue to pay other guys and add more pieces. And for Allen, he’s likely content with his role, and this proves exactly that.
Allen has made a lot of money and he’s been a starter in the league. Athletes are competitive and want to play, but this is a good move for someone near the end of his career. Why sign somewhere that might overplay you and watch your body break down quicker? The Devils are a contender and will be for the next five years. Allen gets to be part of that and can step in as the starter if an emergency arises.
Dan Vladar — Philadelphia Flyers — 27 years old
2 years, $6.7 million — $3.35 million AAV
Dan Vladar was probably the best goalie remaining on the market after Allen decided to stay put. And the Flyers were the team most desperately in need of goaltending. Vladar was just 12-11-6 in Calgary this season, playing behind rookie Dustin Wolf. He had a .898 save percentage.
My Thoughts: Vladar just isn’t that good. In five NHL seasons, he’s only had above a .900 save percentage once. He’s never started 30 games in any year and is more of a traditional backup than a tandem goalie. I’m not really sure how this will help the Flyers other than the fact that he’s better than what they had last year. But that’s not saying much.
Anton Forsberg — Los Angeles Kings — 32 years old
2 years, $4.5 million — $2.25 million AAV
The Kings needed a backup for Darcy Kuemper and this was a solid option for a low cap hit and little term.
My Thoughts: Not much needs to be said. It’s a fine deal for an okay goalie. If you’re L.A., everything will be fine as long as Kuemper continues to be the guy he’s been in basically every stop of his career outside of Washington. Oh, and he’s gotta stay healthy.
Alex Lyon — Buffalo Sabres — 32 years old
2 years, $3 million — $1.5 million AAV
Alex Lyon is the veteran netminder in Buffalo this year — a team that doesn’t yet know what its doing with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi.
My Thoughts: If Lyon plays anything more than 15 games, something has gone terribly wrong. I understand the Sabres wanting that extra help, but at some point, they need to figure out how to get Levi in there full time and splitting duties with Luukkonen.
Lukas Dostal — Anaheim Ducks — 25 years old
5 years, $32.5 million – $6.5 million AAV
The most recent goalie contract, Lukas Dostal — the young up-and-coming netminder for the Anaheim Ducks — locked up a five-year deal at $6.5 million per season. Dostal was 23-23-7 with a .903 save percentage and one shutout. It doesn’t seem all that great, but it was a heck of a run on the 25th place Ducks.
Dostal and the Ducks are looking to take a big step this year and the moves they’ve made are banking on it. Longtime starter John Gibson was shipped to Detroit in the Mrazek deal, meaing it’s Dostal’s team moving forward.
Also, new head coach Joel Quenneville is going to help a lot.
My Thoughts: I love this deal. But I do want to note that this also makes me love the Blackwood contract for the Avs so much more, if that makes sense. Dostal has shown glimpses of being a superstar in this league and he might be that. If that’s the case, and if it happens soon, the Ducks are going to benefit big time from the term of this contract. But even at the end of it, Dostal will be 30 and worthy of a massive payday. That in itself is a great motivator for the player.
At the same time, if Dostal settles into a B tier starter like many of the others on this list, it means he’ll be making more than Blackwood, Hill, and Thompson. It’s not that much more, and not an overpayment. But it just goes to the show that the Avs really got this right with Blackwood.
At $5.25 million, Blackwood is going to be a bargain for a starter on a Stanley Cup contending team, and he won’t be making all that much if or when Ilya Nabokov finds his way into the NHL, as the cap continues to rise.