The Vegas Golden Knights’ key bit of business this offseason revolves around the two netminders who helped guide them to the team’s first Stanley Cup: journeymen Adin Hill and Laurent Brossoit. In a massive piece detailing this summer’s goalie market from The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, both Hill’s and Brossoit’s agents expressed interest in returning to the team on behalf of their clients. Both pending unrestricted free agents, Hill and Brossoit filled in for the injured Logan Thompson down the stretch and in the playoffs, with Hill ultimately going on a miracle run for the last two-and-a-half rounds of the playoffs after Brossoit sustained a lower-body injury. Hill is obviously due a significant raise from his previous $2.175MM cap hit, but LeBrun surmises that Hill knows “they’ve got a good thing going in Vegas” and may not completely maximize the leverage coming from his spectacular playoff performance. Meanwhile, Brossoit’s agent, Ray Petkau, acknowledged it may be tough for the team to retain Brossoit given their crunch at the position, but will continue to remain in contact with Vegas and explore their options.
More from LeBrun on the goalie market this evening:
- Petkau confirmed to LeBrun another one of his clients, San Jose Sharks netminder James Reimer, will hit unrestricted free agency on July 1. The 35-year-old veteran of nearly 500 games posted career-worst numbers behind a struggling Sharks team, notching just 12 wins in 41 starts and recording a .890 save percentage. While it’s hard to blame him for the team’s shortcomings, it’s also clear his days as a high-end tandem netminder are over, and he’ll likely need to settle for a strict backup role if he wants to stay in the league next season. He’ll also likely take a marginal pay cut from the two-year, $4.5MM deal he signed with San Jose in 2021.
- Another Petkau client, Thomas Greiss, will also be hitting the open market. The 37-year-old is in a similar situation to Reimer, although he’s now gone two consecutive seasons without clearing the .900 save percentage mark. The St. Louis Blues’ backup job to starter Jordan Binnington is likely going to rising prospect Joel Hofer, so it makes sense the team wouldn’t be interested in a reunion. The one-time Jennings Trophy winner could also draw interest from teams looking for an inexpensive, experienced backup netminder to start between 15 and 25 games.
Hill, Reimer and Greiss all played for San Jose. Hill and Reimer posted career low numbers in modern San Jose.
Hill just won a Cup.
I think the problem might be the Sharks, not the goalies…
Maybe SJ needs more offensively minded goalies! Win games 11-10. LOL
And I bet you if they get rid of Kaapo Kahkonen he will bite them in the ass and be a solid Goalie for another team.
Definitely not the smartest comment on here, Griess was a long time ago, Hill sucked on his own and Reimer is Reimer. Good but not great goalie
FYI mate, I’m a Sharks fan. I suffered through the Jones and Niemi days. Kahkkonen is stuck playing behind a not-great D corps. The team is a mess – a far cry from the days when Greiss and Toskala were good.
Hah, then they need to trade to St Louis for Joel Hofer. He scored a goal last year in the playoffs — could’ve gone to that game, grrrr! — and in a game this year, with the net empty on the other end, he hit the left post, and then just about ten seconds later hit the RIGHT post. Guy really wants it!
If the Knights want to retain Hill and Barbashev and compete for the hardware next season a Mark Stone buyout is probably the best route, His significant back injuries are likely to persist and over the next 4 seasons It’s also likely he’ll miss more games than he will play, He will also make approximately 40 million over the next 4 seasons.
Sounds like a calculated cold-hearted stab-in-the-back type move Vegas would make! LOL
But Stone will convince them he is good to go next season. They will ride him till he is on permanent LTIR.
Your probably right.
Stone will go IR instead of being bought out.
Full 10million x 4 (40million)
Not the 24million he would get if bought out
Better chance of the GM running down the street naked than a Stone buyout
You’d have to think Thompson/Hill are the guys for Vegas next year
I’m thinking there are a LOT of veteran goalies out there looking for backup gigs, and I bet that at least some of them will be available real cheaply. The Quicks of the world are going to have to take $1 MM AAV flat if they want a job next year.
Jonathan Quick is nothing short of embarrassing these days, He should have walked away a couple of years ago.
JQ was damn good in 21/22. But he was damn bad this past year!