NHL offseason goalie market: Who’s available, and who needs one?

May 8, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: May 8, 2026, 13:05 EDT

Sergei Bobrovsky, Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington

The 2026 NHL free-agent class may look like a dud, but that doesn’t mean the offseason will be. With the salary cap rising significantly for a second consecutive season, this time from $95.5 million to $104 million, teams will continue to have an easier time re-signing players, yes, but it also means making major trades is significantly easier from a payroll-management perspective.

That’s why, when we see a high-profile player like Connor Hellebuyck dropping hints of feeling restless with the Winnipeg Jets, or we hear whispers that the Florida Panthers and Sergei Bobrovsky are at a contract impasse, our ears perk up. It is possible we see a couple future Hall of Fame goaltenders change teams this summer?

When it comes to the goaltending market, assessing it requires perusing the potential buyers to identify which teams actually make realistic suitors. Who might be big-game goalie hunters in the coming weeks and months?

Before we identify the teams to watch, let’s quickly run down the top available options – defining “top” here as a goalie who could conceivably earn a chance to start next season. That’s the cutoff for inclusion.

As a disclaimer: Tier 1 obviously pushes the limit of availability. That’s the pipe-dream tier. It’s still highly unlikely these two netminders get moved, but there would no doubt be major interest in either.

Tier 1

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets ($8.5 million x 5 more years)
Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers ($11.5 million x 7 more years)

Tier 2

Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers (UFA)
Filip Gustavsson, G, Minnesota Wild ($6.8 million x 5 more years)
Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators ($8.25 million x 3 more years)

Tier 3

Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues ($6 million x 1 more year)
Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights ($6.25 million x 5 more years
Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina Hurricanes ($2 million x 1 more year)
Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings ($5.25 million x 1 more year)
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres ($4.75 million x 3 more years)
Alex Lyon, Buffalo Sabres ($1.5 million x 1 more year)
Anthony Stolarz, Toronto Maple Leafs ($3.75 million x 4 more years)

Tier 4

Colten Ellis, Buffalo Sabres ($775,000 x 1 more year, RFA)
Connor Ingram, Edmonton Oilers (UFA)
Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens ($3.15 million x 1 more year)
Stuart Skinner, Pittsburgh Penguins (UFA)

So we’ve established a list of potentially available puck-stoppers. But which teams might be in the market to improve their creases?

Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes may not be a goalie-market player right now but could be by the time their season ends. Frederik Andersen has been unbelievably great this postseason, but we have to consider that (a) he’s shone early in playoff runs for them before only to wear down in the later rounds and (b) he’s 37 this October and a UFA. If the Canes part ways with Andersen, will they be satisfied with their cost-effective tandem of Brandon Bussi, who faded late in his breakout year, and Kochetkov, whose career has been more potential than results so far? If Carolina bombs out before reaching the Final again and goaltending plays a part in that, owner Tom Dundon and GM Eric Tulsky could opt for a more aggressive upgrade. Geographically and market wise, Florida to Carolina would be a pretty easy transition for Bobrovsky on a one-year deal. Just sayin’.

Edmonton Oilers

Social media have created a polarized-opinion era in which everyone seemingly must plant a flag on singular, extreme take. In the case of the Oilers, we saw lots of debate on whether their elimination in Round 1 should be blamed on goaltending or their overall team play and lack of depth. I’m not sure why it has to be one or the other? Whatever the culprit was, we can agree a playoff team save percentage of .880 is not good enough. Like Skinner and Calvin Pickard before them, Ingram and Tristan Jarry weren’t the answers. It’s time for Edmonton to get serious about the final two years of Connor McDavid’s deal and find a veteran netminder with a track record of playoff success. Whether that means the already-rumored trade for Binnington, an epic swing at Hellebuyck or something else: GM Stan Bowman must strengthen the team all over. If he doesn’t, a reliable veteran goalie could still struggle with suspect help in front of him.

Florida Panthers

During the season, the Panthers’ public messaging, from coach Paul Maurice to GM Bill Zito, indicated Bobrovsky, their two-time Stanley Cup winning starter, remained a crucial component of their core and that they wanted him back. But later reporting on their contract talks suggested they don’t want to offer him the sweetheart Brad Marchand deal. Might a pragmatic franchise like the Panthers consider walking away and pivoting to a new option? Whether they’re asking someone to waive a no-movement clause or wooing a free agent, they have plenty to offer: weather, soft media market, no state income tax and likely a competitive team next season.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights are in a similar boat to the Hurricanes in that the outcome of this postseason will determine their urgency. They won more in spite of Carter Hart than because of him in Round 1, though he’s been strong to open Round 2. Whether they trust him next season as their starter or not, it feels like Adin Hill is an albatross coming off a terrible season. The Golden Knights are hockey’s most ruthless organization, particularly when it comes to unceremoniously dumping their goalies, so we should expect GM Kelly McCrimmon to sniff around some of the higher-end goalies on this list if Hart and/or Hill don’t meet their standard between now and June.

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POST SPONSORED BY bet365

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