It’s the time of year for difficult roster decisions across the NHL, as teams waive players to trim their roster in time for the regular season. Some of the toughest choices — at least for some teams — are in the crease, where limited roster spots mean talented goalies will hit the waiver wire over the next week.
A third goalie may not seem like an impactful addition on the surface, but there are plenty of examples proving otherwise. For instance, look at Vegas Golden Knights starting goalie, and Stanley Cup champion, Adin Hill.
Around this time in 2022, Hill was heading into a three-way goalie camp battle in San Jose with fellow veterans James Reimer and Kaapo Kahkonen. It wasn’t clear who would be the odd man out by the end of camp, but there was a chance the Sharks would need to waive one of them. Instead, San Jose traded Hill to Vegas for only a fourth-round pick. He went on to post a .915 save percentage in the regular season, and went 11-4 in the playoffs to help lead the Golden Knights to a title.
That’s an extreme example. It’s unlikely to be replicated, but it demonstrates how unpredictable the position can be, and how combing the waiver wire for untapped potential in net can bear fruit. The fact that most teams only carry two goaltenders also means it’s tough for teams to make room to claim any of these waived goalies, but with injuries already starting to pile up, there could be more opportunities available.
This requires a lot of projection, so some of these goalies may never hit the waiver wire, but here are five talented netminders who could be up for grabs before the regular season begins.
Alex Lyon, Detroit
The Red Wings carried three goaltenders for most of last season, but general manager Steve Yzerman said this summer he prefers to move forward with only two on the roster. That means one of Ville Husso, Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon could be waived, and whoever it is likely would be the top target for any team looking for help in the crease.
Husso has the biggest cap hit of the three, entering the final season of his deal with an average annual value of $4.75 million. Yzerman signed Talbot to a two-year contract worth $2.5 million per season just this summer, so his spot on the NHL roster should be secure.
That leaves Lyon, who is also entering the final year of his deal but carries a cap hit of only $900,000. That figure, combined with his wealth of experience, could make him an attractive waiver claim. Lyon had 44 NHL stars last season, posting a .904 save percentage (just above the league average). There were stretches last season when Lyon appeared to be the Red Wings’ best goalie, and he’s only two years removed from starting playoff games in Florida ahead of Sergei Bobrovsky, so the talent is evident. He also showed well in his two starts for Team USA at the World Championships this summer.
As is the case with most goalies looking to establish themselves as NHL starters, consistency is the issue for Lyon. He ended last season on a 3-10-3 run with a .887 during that span. Perhaps Yzerman ends up reluctantly holding three goalies again, but if not, I could see Lyon getting claimed before making it down to Grand Rapids.
James Reimer, Buffalo
Reimer was a part of the goalie traffic jam in San Jose that landed Hill in Vegas, and three years later, he finds himself in another crowded goalie room. He’s currently sitting behind two talented young goalies in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, but showed last year that, even at 36, he still has some good hockey left.
Reimer led all Detroit goalies with 7.06 goals saved above expected in 20 starts last season. He has started at least 20 games in all 14 of his NHL seasons. The Sabres signed him to a one-year deal this summer, but unless they opt to carry three goalies, they could be forced to expose him to waivers.
With Reimer having more than 500 games of NHL experience, teams won’t find a more battle-tested option. Reimer may not have a very high ceiling at this point in his career, but for teams looking to add a steady backup who can provide predictable goaltending on a nightly basis, he’s a good option.
Hunter Shepard, Washington
For the last two seasons, Hunter Shepard has completely dominated the American Hockey League. The 28-year-old has amassed a 47-12-8 record with an impressive .923 save percentage and six shutouts with the Hershey Bears during that span. He’s been just as good in the playoffs, leading the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cups with a .912 save percentage and three shutouts.
It felt like this might be the year he gets a shot with the Capitals, but after Washington traded for Logan Thompson this summer, it appears Shepard is destined to start the season in Hershey once again. He doesn’t have the track record of the goalies above him on this list, playing in his only four NHL games last season. Shepard is also not the most technically sound goalie, making some unorthodox saves at times, but so far it has worked for him at every level and he’s due for a real shot to prove it in the NHL.
Matt Murray, Toronto
It’s been 548 days since Matt Murray’s last NHL game, but how many goalies with two Stanley Cup championships hit the waiver wire? That will almost certainly be the case for Murray, with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz cemented as the top two netminders in Toronto.
With his injury history, Murray is unlikely to be claimed, but he is still only 30 years old and carries a meager cap hit of $875,000. While his days of being a starter are well behind him, Murray could be a stop-gap solution, especially for teams dealing with injuries to the position.
Chris Driedger, Florida
The Panthers brought Chris Driedger back with a one-year deal this summer. He backed up Bobrovsky from 2019-21 before being selected by Seattle in the expansion draft. Florida was looking to fill the vacancy left by Stolarz, who signed with Toronto in free agency, but with 2019 first-round pick Spencer Knight back in the fold, it will likely push Driedger down to the minors.
Driedger spent most of last year in the AHL, where he went 24-7-7 with a .917 save percentage for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He backstopped the Firebirds to the Calder Cup Final, where they fell to Shepard’s Hershey Bears. In his limited NHL action, Driedger stopped 55 of 60 shots for a solid .917 save percentage.
(Photo of Matt Murray: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
