These teams could use the services of Kevin Lankinen.
The Nashville Predators moved on from goalie Kevin Lankinen this summer. The Predators signed goalie Scott Wedgewood in NHL Free Agency to replace him. Wedgewood will back up the recently extended Juuse Saros much like Lankinen did in 2023-24. But as training camp nears, Lankinen remains without a contract.
It's a bit surprising to see the 29-year-old still on the open market. He has played parts of four NHL seasons to this point. And he has compiled a solid track record in that time. In three of his four seasons, Lankinen has recorded a save percentage north of .905. His best performance came in 2022-23 when he posted a .916 save percentage in 19 games.
Lankinen is not a primary starting goaltender. But the Helsinki, Finland native can certainly provide value as a backup netminder. With this in mind, here are two teams that could sign Kevin Lankinen late in NHL Free Agency.
The Lightning could be an option
The Tampa Bay Lightning went without star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for the first two months of the 2023-24 campaign. 28-year-old puck-stopper Jonas Johansson stepped in to fill the void, and he did well enough. Overall, though, he had a not-so-great season. Johansson finished the 2023-24 season with an .890 save percentage in 26 games.
Overall, this would be fine if Vasilevskiy played to his usual Vezina Trophy caliber standard. However, that was not the case. The star Lightning goaltender finished the 2023-24 campaign with a flat .900 save percentage. This stands as his worst save percentage since 2015-16.
The Lightning did not sign a goalie in NHL Free Agency this summer. And their NHL-caliber goaltending options are rather thin. Matt Tompkins played NHL games this past season. However, he has just six career games under his belt.
The Lightning could stand to add an experienced option behind Vasilevskiy. It may take some financial maneuvering, even if Kevin Lankinen won't cost them an arm and a leg. Tampa Bay has less than $750,000 in available cap space, according to Puck Pedia.
In any event, Lankinen represents a solid option to compete with Johansson for the backup spot. It's a low-risk move for the Lightning to make before training camp. He provides insurance in case Vasilevskiy fails to return to form. And if Vasilevskiy does, Lankinen could help form one of the better goalie tandems in the NHL.
Kevin Lankinen makes sense for the Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks had a highly successful 2023-24 campaign. They won the Pacific Division despite expectations of them missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs altogether. And the Canucks came within a game of the Western Conference Finals in 2024. This has led to increased expectations for the team.
One thing that could certainly derail the Canucks is injury concerns. Goaltender Thatcher Demko was hurt in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against Kevin Lankinen and the Nashville Predators. Additionally, Casey DeSmith experienced injury issues during that first-round series.
These injury issues may be creeping around the team once again. Though DeSmith has departed the Canucks, Demko's status remains up in the air. Furthermore, goalie Arturs Silvos suffered a knee injury before playing for the Latvian National Team in Olympic Qualifying.
It's unclear when Silvos and Demko will return to full health. As a result, adding depth in goal could be beneficial for Vancouver. Especially since the team is lacking NHL options between the pipes. Lankinen could give the Canucks a much-needed safety net in the case of injury this season.
