Goalie market dries up as NHL teams scramble to secure netminders

It is not a good time to be an NHL team in need of a goaltender.

Fewer than a dozen who played in the league last season were available as unrestricted free agents, Detroit acquired John Gibson from Anaheim over the weekend after years of trade rumors and that left a handful of veteran backups to sign Tuesday.

New Jersey kept Jake Allen, Thatcher Demko stayed in Vancouver, Philadelphia added Dan Vladar and the New York Islanders signed David Rittich.

“Really, you sort of take a look at the landscape and see what’s out there,” said Allen, who re-signed with the Devils for $9 million over five years. “Yeah, there were some spots, but at the same time, my situation in Jersey was good."

Two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton might have lost out in the game of musical goalies and could have little choice but to stick with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. They combined for a save percentage of .888 in the playoffs, ranking 13th out of 16 teams, dropping to .866 in the Stanley Cup Final loss to Florida.

Allen was not really an option for the Oilers because he wanted to stay on the East Coast regardless. They signed 31-year-old hometown product Matt Tompkins for two years at the league minimum $775,000.

The Canucks have a rare surplus at the most important position in hockey after extending Demko for $8.5 million a year through 2029. They also have Kevin Lankinen under contract at $4.5 million annually through 2030, and Arturs Silovs backstopped Abbotsford of the American Hockey League to the Calder Cup after playing well in the playoffs for Vancouver last year.

Demko is a franchise No. 1, so he's not going anywhere.

“Probably we have the best goalie tandem in the league,” said winger Conor Garland, who also signed a long-term extension with the Canucks. “For Demmer just coming back being healthy and the presence he is in the room, what a competitor he is. He has kind of an aura about him of just being one of the top goalies in the league and how hard he practices and what that does for our room on a day-to-day basis having a guy like that, it’s a huge impact.”

Vladar, who turns 28 in August, signed for $6.7 million over the next two years to join the Flyers' mix. He figures to split time with Samuel Ersson.

Rittich joins the Islanders as depth behind unquestioned starter Ilya Sorokin. Semyon Varlamov is under contract for two more seasons but has been injured, and general manager Mathieu Darche got some insurance with the soon-to-be 34-year-old nicknamed “Big Save Dave.”

“You can never have enough goalies,” Darche said. “(Varlamov's) rehab is going well, but we still have to prepare in case something happens. David is a veteran around the NHL. He’s a very capable NHL goalie, so we’re excited to have him.”

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division, Carolina signed 25-year-old Amir Miftakhov after he put up some strong numbers in the KHL. With Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov already in place, Miftakhov is a potential low-risk, high-reward addition at the league minimum of $775,000 and the chance for him to play with AHL Chicago if needed.

“Amir has put together a number of solid seasons in the KHL and is ready to return to professional hockey in North America,” general manager Eric Tulsky said. “It’s important to have goaltending depth, and we look forward to having him in our organization.”

The Panthers signed recently acquired Daniil Tarasov for $1.05 million, with Vitek Vanecek heading to Utah for $1.5 million. Buffalo signed well-traveled Alex Lyon to a two-year deal worth $3 million, and Seattle added two-time Cup champion Matt Murray for $1 million for next season.

San Jose got Alexander Nedjelkovic from Pittsburgh for a 2028 third-round pick, with the goal of him pushing and helping young starter Yaroslav Askarov.

Gibson was the most proven netminder available, and he has two years left on his current contract at an annual cap hit of $6.4 million. Days after changing places, he's not sure why the goalie market became so thin, but he's happy to be going to the Red Wings to perhaps revitalize his career at 31.

“It’s a new chapter, fresh start, kind of going in excited to prove myself,” Gibson said. “It’s just an exciting opportunity to go to a team and an organization that really wants to get back and to playoff hockey.”

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AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed.

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