With Robin Lehner set to miss the entire 2022–23 season, Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said his team will use Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson as their goaltending tandem next year.
Lehner is having double hip surgery and has already had a procedure done on one side, McCrimmon said.
McCrimmon addressed reporters Thursday after the Golden Knights signed forward Phil Kessel to a one-year contract the previous evening.
Lehner, 31, has three years remaining at a $5 million cap hit on his current contract. He posted a 23–17–2 record and a .907 save percentage in 44 games with the Golden Knights during the 2021–22 season.
Now, the Golden Knights look to be handing the reins to a pair of relatively unproven goaltenders — one who has been a regular NHL backup for the last five seasons and the other an AHL All-Star with only 20 games of NHL experience.
Brossoit, 29, has played 106 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons with the Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers. He went 10–9–3 with an .895 save percentage in 24 appearances with Vegas last year and is signed for the 2022–23 season at a $2.325 million cap hit.
Thompson, 25, could potentially steal the Golden Knights’ starting gig by the end of the year. The Calgary product was named the AHL’s top goaltender in 2021 and posted a 10–5–3 record with a .914 save percentage in 19 games with the Golden Knights in 2021–22. Thompson is under contract at a $766,667 cap hit for each of the next three seasons.
The Golden Knights finished fourth in the Pacific Division with a 43–31–8 record in 2021–22, missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
More must-reads: