New York Islanders: Potential goalie options not named Lehner or Bob
Promote Thomas Greiss to #1 and find a legit back-up
In order for Robin Lehner to win the Jennings trophy, he needed to have help. Thomas Greiss was exactly that. It’s hard to even pinpoint who was the true number one goalie in the regular season because they split the reps so evenly. Lehner started 46 games and Greiss 43. They were a true 1a-1b combo, but it was mostly Lehner in the playoffs which is why he emerged.
However, that does not mean Greiss isn’t capable of switching roles, starting the majority of regular season games and then carrying the load in the playoffs as well. He has proved to be solid in small doses with some rest in between starts.
So, the New York Islanders could easily keep their two-headed goalie system. They would just need to find someone to compliment Griess should Lehner walk. Uncle Lou wouldn’t pay Bobrovsky what he will cost to play that role. Here are some names that could work.
From the Outside
Keith Kinkaid- The good thing about Keith Kinkaid is he is used to playing a role where he splits reps with another goaltender. In New Jersey, he shared stars with Cory Schneider for a time. He is a proven capable goaltender with playoff experience.
Under the Isles coaching system, he could develop well. He is not proven enough to garner a long-term deal and wouldn’t put the Isles in cap hell. However, the Blue Jackets might want to keep him for the same reasons and as insurance if Bobrovsky does leave.
Mike Smith- The great news about Smith is that he is a savvy veteran who has been around the league and knows what it takes to make it. However, that is not, particularly what the Islanders need at this point.
Smith, who is currently 37, probably wouldn’t play for little money here for the money NYI could pay. But, he would be par for the course for Lamoriello and his free agent signings. He likes one-year gap fillers until something better comes up.
Petr Mrazek– It is not likely the Hurricanes let him walk away in free agency considering they have their own success level to sustain. However, Mrazek would be a good option for the New York Islanders.
He is a free agent to be and played in 40 games last season, so he is also been part of a goalie tandem. He is 27 and could be looking for a long-term deal, but if the Islanders can convince him to play the same role Lehner had with Greiss, he could be enticed to join the team.
Mrazek is not terrible, he had a 2.39 goals against average last year, but his career numbers are worse. Hopefully, he would consider a prove it deal just like Lehner did.
Either one of those three options could come onto the Islanders in the same fashion that Lehner did last year but not under the nearly the same circumstances. However, they all have the part of a tandem thing in common and would go along with Greiss and the system nicely if all else fails.
Another big name to look for is Semyon Varlamov, but I don’t see him either leaving Colorado to join the New YorkIslanders in this situation. It would take a lot of money to get him to come to the Island and he would have to be their true number one, closer to what Bobrovsky would be.