The goaltender market is always a tough one to figure out. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, here are the five best goaltending upgrades that could be had in 2019.
You can’t win a Stanley Cup without good goaltending. Granted, you don’t need an all-world goalie to win. But still, bad goaltending is a great way to ruin your chances of winning the coveted Stanley Cup.
The goalie market is never easy to figure out. That’s because most contenders are already set in the net. However, those teams are merely one injury away from potentially needing to add a goaltender.
If teams need to get a goalie, they won’t have a shortage of suitors this season. As many as three goalies could be moved by the deadline. Let’s take a look at the five best netminders who will be available in 2019.
5. Keith Kinkaid
The New Jersey Devils are in a bit of an awkward situation. Once Cory Schneider gets healthy, they’ll have three healthy goaltenders. Youngster MacKenzie Blackwood has been stellar for the Devils thus far. This makes pending UFA goaltender Keith Kinkaid expendable.
Kinkaid has proven to be a very capable backup. Last season, he helped carry the Devils down the stretch with a .923 save percentage in 13 games in March and a .953 save percentage in three games in April. Kinkaid finished the season with a respectable .913 save percentage.
However, this season, Kinkaid has a .899 save percentage. After only have eight really bad starts (defined by Hockey Reference as a start with a save percentage below 85 percent) from 2016-17 to 2017-18 in 61 starts, he has seven really bad starts in 31 games this season.
Kinkaid might not be a starter, but a team like the San Jose Sharks or Calgary Flames could use a better backup goaltender. The Devils will be lucky if they get a mid-round pick for him, but getting something for someone you’re likely going to lose anyway is better than getting nothing.