Key NHL training camp goalie battles in the Western Conference

Here’s a common hockey phrase: “He won the job out of training camp.” I know you’ve heard it. I’ve even been told it. But how often is a spot actually up for grabs? And is it sustainable throughout the course of a season?

Answering those questions isn’t easy because every team and situation is different. Going into the 2022-23 NHL season, several organizations need clarity in the goal crease. And I’m not convinced it’ll happen until late in the season – if at all.

Here are four Western Conference NHL teams destined for a goaltending battle.

COLORADO AVALANCHE: Pavel Francouz & Alexandar Georgiev

In early July, the Avalanche sent a package of draft picks to the New York Rangers in exchange for Georgiev. And it would have been easy to assume that the 26-year old netminder from Belarus would be the defending Stanley Cup Champion’s new starting goaltender.

But don’t count out Francouz. While he rode shotgun to Darcy Kuemper during the regular season, Francouz played meaningful games during the Stanley Cup playoffs. And he hasn’t had a save percentage below .916 in over a decade of pro hockey across four different leagues.

The only knock is that Francouz is 32 years old and has yet to play more than 34 games in an NHL season. But the experience level is the same for Georgiev, who was unable to claim the Rangers crease over the span of five seasons.

Georgiev’s save percentage has declined every year of his pro career in North America. Last year he saved less than 90 percent of shots faced. That won’t cut it in Denver.

I think Georgiev still has potential. But he’s a project. Francouz is coming off a Stanley Cup championship. Colorado is in win-now mode. And I think Francouz – if he can stay healthy – has the inside track to play more games for the Avalanche.

LOS ANGELES KINGS: Jonathan Quick & Cal Petersen

I don’t think last season went as planned in the Kings goal crease. Petersen was supposed to take over for Quick. But Petersen faltered and Quick started off the season in vintage form. The two-time Stanley Cup champion ended up playing 46 games to Petersen’s 37.

But for all the accolades Quick brings, and the potential Petersen has shown previously, the Kings are in a precarious spot. Unless changes have been made over the offseason, neither Petersen nor Quick possesses the technical chops required to be consistent in today’s NHL.

Both goaltenders won more than 20 games for the Kings last year. But Petersen’s .895 save percentage is concerning. And so is his contract. The 2022-23 season is the first of a three-year deal worth $5 million annually for Petersen.

That’s a huge dollar figure for a goaltender with just 91 NHL games on his resume, especially with a career. 908 save percentage. Petersen has to be better this year, or his contract will be a boat anchor.

When Quick is locked in, he can still steal games. But this is a huge season for Petersen, and I think the Kings will do everything possible to make him succeed. The team’s future in goal hangs in the balance.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: James Reimer & Kaapo Kahkonen

Last season was supposed to be a reset in the Sharks crease. Reimer was signed to be the steady veteran, and Adin Hill was brought in via trade from the Arizona Coyotes to be the goalie of the future in San Jose.

The Sharks gave Hill the majority of starts to begin the year despite Reimer playing at an extremely high level. And the decision cost San Jose wins. Hill’s inability to grab the No. 1 job led to San Jose eventually acquiring Kahkonen at the 2022 NHL trade deadline.

On Monday, Sharks GM Mike Grier slew the three-headed goalie monster by trading Hill to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2024. Reimer and Kahkonen are set to be San Jose’s tandem.

I believe the Sharks have the same plan for Kahkonen as they did with Hill: let him play and grow into a No. 1 goalie. Kahkonen is still young at 26. But the Finnish netminder was outplayed in Minnesota by veteran Cam Talbot, which led Wild GM Bill Guerin to consider Kahkonen expendable.

Without a major overhaul to his game, I’m not sure Kahkonen is capable of improving upon his career statistics. He plays with an extremely wide stance and has a nasty tendency of getting his feet stuck in the ice, which keeps him from rotating efficiently. Kahkonen spends a lot of time chasing the game laterally.

But the former Baz Bastien Award winner as the AHL’s top goaltender in 2020 has amazing reflexes and athleticism. He’s an intriguing prospect if the Sharks can find a way to streamline his game.

Reimer is the complete opposite: robotic at times, yet very consistent in his routes and mechanics. Reimer doesn’t have great hands, but he rarely finds himself out of position thanks to his precise skating. 

Working with two stylistically different goaltenders will be a challenge for newly hired goaltending coach Thomas Speer. If Kahkonen has a solid training camp, look for him to get the early starts. But the Sharks know they have a dependable goaltender in Reimer. And the team needs to improve over last season. I think the leash will be short this year for both of San Jose’s netminders.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS: Laurent Brossoit, Logan Thompson & Adin Hill

Both Brossoit and Thompson factored into last season for the Golden Knights, with Brossoit performing admirably during the first half of the campaign until injuries derailed his season. Thompson featured well down the stretch. And now, with Robin Lehner sidelined for the entire 2022-23 NHL season following offseason hip surgery, Adin Hill has been added to shore up the goaltending in Vegas.

On paper the trio looks risky. Brossoit has never been a No. 1 goalie in the NHL, and he struggled at times last season. Thompson only has 20 NHL games under his belt, but he was the AHL’s goaltender of the year during the shortened 2020-21 season. And despite showing glimpses of strong play with the Arizona Coyotes and Sharks, Hill plateaued last season with San Jose.

Thompson has experienced a meteoric rise through the pro ranks after his WHL career with the Brandon Wheat Kings ended in 2018. The Calgary, Alberta native is just three seasons removed from playing Canadian college hockey for Brock University. Over 40 games in the ECHL, Thompson dominated. Then he repeated his success in the AHL after signing with Vegas in advance of the 2020-21 season.

Last year Thompson got his first real taste of NHL action and responded with a .914 save percentage in 19 games – best among Golden Knights netminders. And I think he’s in line to start the majority of games for Vegas this season.

Brossoit has experience. He’s played 106 NHL games. But his .905 save percentage is in line with his perennial status as a No. 2 goalkeeper. The British Columbia native has never played more than 24 games in an NHL season.

Not long ago, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon proclaimed Thompson and Brossoit as the team’s tandem for this season. So the trade for Hill was something of a head scratcher. Either Brossoit is hurt, or Vegas doesn’t believe in him.

As for Hill, the 6-foot-6 netminder owns a .908 save percentage over 74 NHL games played. Last season didn’t go as planned in San Jose, where he was supposed to be the goalie of the future. Hill has good instincts. But his hands – and especially skating ability – are suspect.

The X-factor is that new Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy has zero loyalty to any goaltender. It’s a blank slate, and the team is very much in win-now mode. But if I’m Vegas management, I want Thompson to claim the top spot. He’s making less than $800k for each of the next three seasons. It is worth noting he’s the only netminder of the three who is waiver-exempt, though.

It’s not often a team can find a bargain in net. But if Thompson can perform at the same level as he did last season – or better – the Golden Knights will have uncovered a great value. I think he’ll get a push. But the Golden Knights have options.