DONE DEAL: Jets have completed the deal of a new Goalie.
4 Jets’ Backup Goalie Targets
The Winnipeg Jets will likely be in need of a new backup goaltender for next season. Laurent Brossoit, in his return to Winnipeg, performed excellently behind Connor Hellebuyck but as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) will get starter money from someone.
That’s great and well-deserved for him, but bad for the Jets considering Brossoit was the NHL’s best backup and gave the team just a good of a chance to win as Hellebuyck did. Combined, they only allowed 199 goals all season and captured the William M. Jennings Trophy.
Thomas Milic, the 2023 fifth-rounder who had an excellent rookie season with the Manitoba Moose and was instrumental in their second-half turnaround, needs one if not two more campaigns of seasoning in the AHL and there’s no other netminder in the organization even on the NHL radar. As a result, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will need to look to the free-agent market to find Hellebuyck’s backup for 2024-25. Here, we’ll look at three he could target.
Pheonix Copley
The Los Angeles Kings’ re-signing of a former Jets backup could open a chance for Pheonix Copley to come to Winnipeg.
The Kings recently re-signed David Rittich, who posted strong numbers in 24 games there this season after spending 2022-23 with the Jets, to a one-year contract. Rittich, who started the season in the AHL with the Ontario Reign, only got an opportunity to snag the backup role because Copley suffered an ACL injury during practice in December and had season-ending surgery. Prior to the injury, Copley made eight starts, posting a 4-1-2 record, 3.26 goals against average, (GAA) .870 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout.
Whether the Kings re-sign 36-year-old Cam Talbot — who made the majority of their starts and is also a UFA — or peg someone else as their number-one goalie doesn’t change much for Copley, who now seems expendable.
Copley — who is 32 and a UFA — has had an uneven NHL career. The North Pole, Alaska native’s best campaign was 2022-23 with the Kings, when he appeared in 37 games and made 35 starts, going 24-6-3 with a 2.64 GAA, .903 SV%, and one shutout.
Prior to joining the Kings on a pair of one-year contracts, he spent five years in the Washington Capitals organization. In 2021-22, by playing two games, he got into his first NHL action since 2018-19, when he appeared in 27 games and made 24 starts. He spent the entire 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, earning the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award with Zachary Fucale in 2020-21 (the equivalent of the NHL’s Jennings Trophy.)
Copley, who was undrafted, began his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues, making one relief appearance in 2014-15 and one start in 2015-16. In 76-career games and 72-career starts, he has a 44-16-8 record, 2.83 GAA, .899 SV%, and three shutouts.
Chris Driedger
Chris Driedger is a Manitoban who has fallen off the radar due to injuries. Could a return to his hometown get his career back on track?
The Winnipegger played just two games with the Seattle Kraken this season, going 1-1-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .917 SV% as Joey Daccord stole the starter’s role and Philipp Grubauer backed him up. Driedger’s had some rotten luck lately, tearing his ACL in the 2022 IIHF World Championship, missing most of the 2022-23 season as a result, and spending the brief healthy portion in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Driedger, 29 years old and a UFA, was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft and signed a three-year deal with a $3.5 million average annual value with them that summer. He made 24 starts and 27 appearances for them in their inaugural 2021-22 campaign, going 9-14-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .899 SV% on a poor defensive club while also dealing with two injuries that caused him to miss time.
In 67-career appearances and 60-career starts between the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, and Kraken, the 2012 third-rounder has a 34-21-5 record, 2.45 GAA, .917 SV%, five shutouts, and 12.7 goals saved above expected.
Kevin Lankinen
Kevin Lankinen may be on the outside looking in at the Nashville Predators’ crease situation. He could be another goaltender to benefit from a change of scenery.
The 29-year-old Finn made 17 starts and 24 appearances for the Predators this season in his second campaign with the club, going 11-6-0 with a 2.82 GAA, .908 SV%, and one shutout. However, with Juuse Saros the bona-fide number-one guy and the organization’s high hopes for Yaroslav Askarov — who has done nothing but win in the AHL over two seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals and looks ready for the NHL — Lankinen could find himself the odd man out.
Lankinen, a UFA and undrafted goaltender, came to North American in 2020-21 after five seasons in the Finnish Liiga to play for the Chicago Blackhawks. Between two seasons with the Blackhawks and two with the Predators, he’s made 101 starts and 112 appearances, posting a 3.07 GAA, .905 SV%, and three shutouts.
Martin Jones
Martin Jones is a veteran who is extending his career by providing backup or tandem services. He’s a known and experienced commodity, two attractive traits when it comes to backups.
The 34-year-old spent this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting an 11-8-1 record, 2.87 GAA, .902 SV%, and two shutouts. However, he’s not likely to return. The Maple Leafs were Jones’ third team in the past three seasons as he played for the Kraken in 2022-23 and the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021-22.
Jones, a UFA and undrafted goaltender, is best known for his six seasons with the San Jose Sharks, who he made 325 starts for and led to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015-16. He also won the Stanley Cup in his rookie season with the Kings, the first team of his NHL career. In 466-career games and 488 starts between the five teams, he has a 236-171-36 record, 2.72 GAA, .905 SV%, and 30 shutouts. He was an NHL-All Star in 2017 and has appeared in 60-career playoff games, posting a 32-27 record, 2.36 GAA, .917 SV%, and six shutouts.
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