Andrei Vasilevskiy doesn’t pay much attention to the news in the National Hockey League during the offseason. Contract signings, trades, blowouts just aren’t one of the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender’s main concerns.
Posted at 3:21 p.m.
For this reason, it will happen that Vasilevskiy will look towards the other end of the ice and show some surprise as to the identity of his opponent in the net of the rival club.
“Let’s say we play our first game of the season,” the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner said during a recent media tour orchestrated jointly by the NHL and the Players’ Association. And suddenly, the guy I’m up against was playing for another team.
“I didn’t know that guy had signed with the other team. Suddenly he’s playing against me for a different formation. »
Vasilevskiy has had a growing number of similar moments in recent seasons. And there may well be more in 2022-2023.
The NHL’s goaltending carousel started spinning again this summer, as many clubs across the league changed their portrayal to the most crucial position on the ice.
The Maple Leafs have a whole new team after acquiring Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators and signing Ilya Samsonov.
The Senators will be able to count on Cam Talbot, who will be out until November with an upper-body injury after a trade with the Minnesota Wild, and the Edmonton Oilers have acquired Jack Campbell, formerly of the Maple Leafs, via the free agent market.
“You really don’t have much control over that,” Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly — who also traded Petr Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks — recalled when asked about seeing, from a distance, all that game of musical chairs among the NHL’s goalkeepers.
“It piques your curiosity because it’s an important position on the ice, but it’s out of your control. You let (the leaders) do their job. »
The Colorado Avalanche, defending Stanley Cup champions, will once again turn to a new goaltending pair, after the acquisition of Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers to share the job with Pavel Francouz following the departure of Darcy Kuemper to the Washington Capitals after a season in Denver.
“That’s what we’re doing, I guess,” joked Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon.
“We will be looking for a new goalkeeper every season now. (Georgiev) signed a three-year contract. Hopefully we’ll see him for three years, at least. »
The Detroit Red Wings will also have a new face in net with the arrival of Ville Husso, after a trade with the St. Louis Blues. The New Jersey Devils also acquired the services of Vitek Vanecek from Washington, who had let Samsonov slip away before he came to an agreement with the Maple Leafs.
PHOTO JIM MONE, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Marc-André Fleury signed a new contract with the Wild
Marc-André Fleury signed a new contract with the Wild, who had acquired the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, leading to the trade that sent Talbot to Ottawa.
” It’s crazy ! Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger said of all the changes among his teammates.
“I’m a hockey fan too, and for that reason, it’s fun. I hope it’s an experience that I will never have to live during my career. But it’s always fun when summer rolls around to see where the guys end up. »
A stable salary cap due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a limited market for known quantities among goaltenders have undoubtedly played a role in the volatility of recent summers.
Teams are increasingly leaning towards tandem situations rather than one goalkeeper making 60+ starts, which is also a factor to consider when clubs are looking for the right squad composition.
“Everything happens for a reason,” said Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk, who saw Murray leave and welcomed Talbot this summer.
“You hate to see someone leave, but then you get excited about the guy coming in. »
“It’s part of the business “added Murray, about his participation in this carousel. “You try not to pay too much attention to it. Anything out of my control, I try not to worry about. These are things that usually take care of themselves. »
Kuemper has had a second straight offseason marked by uncertainty, after the Arizona Coyotes traded him to Colorado in the summer of 2021. This time around, he was able to choose his destination.
“It’s exciting once you narrow down (the roster),” Kuemper said.
“At first, it’s a little stressful. It is a complete uprooting. Your first thought goes to hockey, but then you think about where you’re going to live and moving all your furniture. There are a lot of details that come into play. Once everything is in place and things start to calm down, it turns into a feeling of excitement. »
And as in past seasons, once the dust has settled, there are nights at Vasilevskiy that might need a schedule.