Three surprising Backup Goaltenders in the NHL in 2020-21
These have been the most outstanding and surprising backups in the NHL in 2020-21.
There have been many surprising backup goaltenders that have emerged this season, but there are three that currently hold podium spots as of now. We might sometimes forget how important a backup goaltender is while the starter basks in the spotlight.
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Throughout the regular season grind en route to booking a Playoff ticket, a consistent backup goaltender is most certainly essential. Usually, their names aren’t particularly involved in household conversations unless they begin to grab a hold of everyone’s attention. It’s an unexpected bonus to your team as well as a sweet-tranquility to an NHL organization.
With the NHL’s truncated season this year, goaltending options have been quite important. Teams have been looking to provide plenty of rest for their starting goaltenders to keep them fresh and ready for the next outing. It’s prudent to do so considering the number of games per week at times.
To corroborate the importance of secondary goaltending, we take a look at three goaltenders that have seemingly taken the league by surprise this season and what importance they have to their NHL franchises.
The Three Most Surprising Backup Goaltenders in the NHL in 2020-21
Kaapo Kahkonen – Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild had quite the goaltending conundrum to begin the season.
General Manager Bill Guerin traded former Wild No. 1 goaltender Devin Dubnyk to the San Jose Sharks before the season began, and then signed Free Agent Cam Talbot to a three-year, $11-million contract. It was to be believed that Talbot and South Saint Paul, Minnesota native Alex Stalock would be the two goaltenders to lead the Wild.
That was until Stalock suffered an upper-body injury in December and, in the first nine days of the season, he was placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 list. For the first five games of the year, Talbot was their number one guy. In the fifth game, however, he suffered an injury in the first period and the AHL goalie of the year in 2019/2020 in Kaapo Kahkonen came in relief.
The 24-year-old hasn’t disappointed one bit since being introduced to the NHL. In 17 games this year. Kahkonen is 12-5-0 with a 2.29 Goals Against Average and a .921 Save Percentage. He recorded his first career shutout on Mar. 8 against the Vegas Golden Knights and his second shutout came eight days later against the Arizona Coyotes.
The 109th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft is looking like a stud and seems to have taken over as the No. 1 goaltender in Head Coach Dean Evason‘s books, with Talbot now a reliable secondary option. The Wild are 21-10-1 on the year and are currently third in the West Division, just two points behind the top two in the Golden Knights and the Avalanche.
Kahkonen is on fire having won nine of his last 10 starts, and the rookie goaltender deserves an abundance of credit for helping the Minnesota Wild emerge as a legit postseason team in the West. He is by far the most surprising backup goaltender so far, and is also a firm Calder Trophy candidate as we speak.
Vitek Vanecek – Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals signed former New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist as a Free Agent for a one-year, $1.5 million contract back in October, a move that gave them a significant edge in the crease.
The 39-year-old joined his Metropolitan Division rivals and was expected to be the backup to goaltender Ilya Samsonov. However, the former Vezina Trophy winner revealed he required open-heart surgery due to a condition that would sideline him for the entirety of the year.
Capitals Head Coach Peter Laviolette revealed before the start of the season that 23-year-old Ilya Samsonov was expected to be the starting goaltender and 25-year-old Vitek Vanecek was set to be his backup. Laviolette’s youthful approach was quite unique for this season in particular. Surely, Samsonov also had something to prove to his critics since missing last year’s postseason due to an ATV accident.
But just one week into the NHL season, the 22nd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft was placed on COVID protocol and he wouldn’t return to NHL play until February, throwing the Capitals’ goaltending into utter chaos.
However, in his absence, the 39th overall pick in the 2014 Draft, Vitek Vanecek hasn’t disappointed and has provided the Caps with some real depth between the pipes. In 23 games played, Vanecek holds an 14-5-3 record with three shutouts. He has accumulated three straight wins twice already this season.
Vanecek currently holds a .910 Save Percentage and a 2.67 Goals Against Average, while he was spectacular in the win against the Buffalo Sabres on March 15, earning his first shutout of the season. While Ilya Samsonov is clearly the No.1 starter for the Washington Capitals, they can rest easy knowing they have a more than capable backup in Vitek Vanecek, and that will be crucial down the stretch and come Playoffs time.
Kevin Lankinen – Chicago Blackhawks
Kevin Lankinen wasn’t drafted into the NHL but is already one of the biggest feel-good stories of the 2020-21 NHL season.
Lankinen signed an Entry-Level Contract with the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2018 and began playing with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. In 2019 he helped lead Finland to the IIHF World Championships with a 43-save spectacle in the Gold Medal game against Canada. His 7-1-0 record in the tournament raised a few eyebrows and his .942 Save Percentage was the second highest in the tournament only behind Andrei Vasilevskiy‘s .945. Shortly after the tournament, Lankinen was awarded a spot in the AHL All-Star team.
Now that you know the history, the Chicago Blackhawks didn’t exactly have their sights set on Lankinen from the get-go. According to Vincent Parise from Da Windy City, his article two months ago headlined, “Chicago Blackhawks Goaltending Is Going To Be A Nightmare in 2021.”
And rightfully so. The Blackhawks juggled five names that included Lankinen, Collin Delia, Malcolm Subban, Cale Morris and Matthew Tomkins after franchise icon Corey Crawford was allowed to walk in Free Agency. Lankinen was looking like the third-string option at best.
Numerous reports suggested both Dellia and Subban would be the one-two punch for the Original Six club. However, the nightmare slowly turned into a pleasant dream, when the Blackhawks and the rest of the NHL feasted their eyes on the potential Lankinen has at his disposal.
No wonder he has been dubbed the catalyst of the Blackhawks moving forward, according to Jeremiah Lee from Blackhawkup, and a Calder Trophy candidate in the Central Division. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. Looking into the Finnish goaltenders’ history, it’s quite clear how talented he is. Along with Patrick Kane, he is currently pushing a Jonathan Toews-less Hawks roster into the postseason picture.
Last April, Lankinen signed a two-year contract worth $800,000 AAV. That’s quite the bargain for a 12-7-4 record in 23 games played this season, to go along with a .920 Save Percentage and a 2.71 Goals Against Average.
The Chicago Blackhawks currently sit in fourth place in the Central Division with a 16-13-5 record. Although Lankinen has lost three of his last five starts, his presence on the ice is key if the Hawks want to have any chance to make the Playoffs. We’ll see what they can do from here on out.
Honorable Mentions
While the three goalies mentioned in the previous slides have all established themselves as elite backups throughout the 2020-21 NHL season so far, there are a few other names worth mentioning too…
Alex Nedeljkovic – Carolina Hurricanes
With Petr Mrazek having been sidelined with a thumb injury since the beginning of February, James Reimer and rookie Alex Nedeljkovic have been steering the ship just fine. The Hurricanes currently sit second in the Central Division with a 22-7-3 record and the play from both of these goaltenders has been quite impressive. In 17 games played Reimer is 12-4-1 and in 12 games played, Nedeljkovic is 8-2-2 with two shutouts.
There’s a very good argument to be made that Nedeljkovic should just move into the backup position and Reimer should remain as the starter for the foreseeable future, and the Canes have made it clear that they would be interested in trading one of their three netminders at the Trade Deadline.
Chris Driedger – Florida Panthers
Chris Driedger began the season in goal for the Florida Panthers in place of two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who was on the “unfit to play list.” Now of course, when Bobrovsky was fit to play, the No. 1 goaltender in the Sunshine State has been better this season with a 12-5-2 record to go along with a .902 Save Percentage and a 2.92 Goals Against Average.
And behind Bobrovsky, is Driedger with a 8-4-2 record. Driedger is playing the best hockey of his young career and he is on pace so far to play more games this season than he has in his career combined.
Driedger currently holds a .923 Save Percentage and a 2.28 Goals Against Average. The Panthers are third in the Central Division with a 20-9-4 record.
Ilya Sorokin – New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are locked in an intense battle with the Washington Capitals for first place in the East Division, and aside from their gritty play in open-ice, they currently hold a lethal goaltending tandem to go along with it. Their starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov is 14-6-3 in 23 games this year with a .923 Save Percentage and a 2.20 Goals Against Average.
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Backing him up is rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who entered the National Hockey League with a lot of hype and a lot of fanfare. The No. 78 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft has been on a tear. Since losing his first two starts in regulation and his third start in an overtime loss, Sorokin has won his last eight games and he’s helping the New York Islanders to maintain an elite goalie tandem.