Goalies are a strange breed of hockey player. They willingly put themselves in front of 100 miles-per-hour slapshots and have more idiosyncrasies than any other athlete I can think of. They are creatures of habit and develop strong relationships with their goalposts and crease. There are plenty of good ones out there, but you need to find an elite one if you want to be a Stanley Cup contender. There are many paths on the search for the elite goalie, whether it be by drafting, trading, or free-agent signing. The problem is that goalies are hard to predict and luck is often one of the biggest factors.
It’s actually hard to find goalies who were high draft picks and later turned into number one goalies for that franchise. Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh) and Carey Price (Montreal) are the rare instances where this has occurred. You’re just as likely to find late-round picks who stick with their team such as Pekka Rinne (Nashville) and Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers). A large portion of the top goalies in the league today were actually mid-round selections on draft day, and most of them were acquired via trade or free agency.
The Jets have had subpar goaltending throughout their tenure in Winnipeg. Only once have they had numbers above the league average, and it’s the only year they made the playoffs. Ondrej Pavelec was given every opportunity to become the elite goalie that management wanted, but it just never materialized. He’s likely not returning next season, as he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. He may find a job as a backup in the NHL somewhere, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play overseas.
With Pavelec out of the picture, the spotlight falls on Connor Hellebuyck, Michael Hutchinson, and Eric Comrie. Hellebuyck got the majority of starts this season, but was inconsistent and gave up too many “softies.” Hutchinson was awful until a late-season surge made his numbers look at least respectable, but it was too little, too late. Comrie got his first NHL start late in the season and looked pretty good while picking up the win. Comrie is the one to watch going forward. He was selected to play for Team Canada in the world championships this year and probably has the highest ceiling of any goalie in the Jets organization. He was a fairly high draft pick (a second rounder in 2013) and has the most raw talent.
The Jets need to have two goalies under contract for next season when the expansion draft occurs on June 21. Comrie is too young to be eligible, so that leaves Hellebuyck and Hutchinson. There’s no way the Jets are giving up on Hellebuyck, so he will definitely be protected and I highly doubt that Vegas would be interested in Hutchinson.
One of the Jets’ biggest offseason needs is acquiring a veteran goalie to provide some much needed stability. I think Hellebuyck will get the majority of starts next year, with Comrie gaining more experience with the Manitoba Moose. It seems unlikely that Hutchinson sticks with the big club, and he should probably be Comrie’s backup. That leaves a spot behind Hellebuyck to be filled by a veteran. Some interesting options include Jonathan Bernier (Anaheim), Brian Elliott or Chad Johnson (Calgary), Scott Darling (Carolina), and Mike Condon (Ottawa). Despite Chicago having Cam Ward and Eddie Lack under contract for next season, they recently traded Darling to Carolina, giving the Hurricanes the best chance to sign the big goalie.
The two biggest free agent goalies are Ryan Miller (Vancouver) and Ben Bishop (Los Angeles), but those guys will be looking for more money and opportunity than the Jets will be willing to provide. If the Jets are interesting in making a trade, other interesting options include Jaroslav Halak (New York Islanders) and Antti Raanta (New York Rangers).
It will be very interesting to see what approach the Jets take to their goaltending situation over the summer. Will they continue to rely on youth and development, or will they actually try to make a big (or small) splash in free agency? Patience with young goalies like Hellebuyck and Comrie is the most likely result, but how much longer will Jets fans be patient?
