Breaking down three veteran NHL UFA goaltenders still on the market

Sep 8, 2025, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 8, 2025, 12:01 EDT

Breaking down three veteran NHL UFA goaltenders still on the market

Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

With NHL training camps set to kick off in 10 days, there are many roster spots up for grabs across the league. And when it comes to goaltending, nothing is ever set in stone. Ever.

The goaltender market wasn’t strong to begin with. There wasn’t a single starting goalie available, with most being middling backups. At this point, three months into free agency, only a handful of goaltenders with at least 10 games played last year are still seeking new deals.

So, that’s what we’re looking at today. Need a veteran who can give you some more depth? One of these three options might help:

Alexandar Georgiev, 29

2024-25 Cap Hit: $3.4 million
AFP Projection: $1.957 million/1 Year

If you’re a fantasy player, you know just how valuable Georgiev was from 2022-24. He took over Colorado’s starting job after the team won the Stanley Cup, and he led them to 78 wins over two years. In fact, he truly was one of the better goalies in 2022-23.

But everything started to unravel in 2023-24. Despite posting 38 wins, the Avalanche were doing well in spite of him instead of because of him. His advanced analytics were ugly, he’d routinely allow five goals a game and never seemed comfortable. Things went from ugly to downright career-changing to kick off 2024-25. He went 8-7-0 with the Avs, with the team finding themselves near the bottom of the standings. He’d get shipped off to San Jose, where his numbers managed to stay around the same. Georgiev was ultimately left unsigned, with many wondering if he even had an NHL future at 29 years old.

At this point, Georgiev likely isn’t even an NHL backup. It almost feels like his best odds of getting a gig would be to sign as a third goalie somewhere, have an excellent training camp and perhaps get a couple of starts early in the season to prove himself. At this point, though, expect a PTO.

James Reimer, 37

2024-25 Cap Hit: $1 million
AFP Projection: $1.143 million AAV/1 Year

Reimer has been around the block over his career – including a couple of trips to the waiver wire early in 2024-25. His numbers weren’t all too bad in Buffalo – he was as good a backup as you’d expect on a non-playoff team. Reimer played some outstanding hockey down the stretch, showing he could still steal wins after going 8-2-0 to close out the campaign.

At 37, he’s definitely up there in age. But on a contender, he could still be a solid backup. He’s not going to push the needle, and he’ll likely finish in the .900 save percentage area at best. But for many teams, that’s all they need. He has 525 regular-season games under his belt over 15 seasons and has spent plenty of time in the starter’s chair. If you need him to go on a multi-game run, he’s capable of it. Retirement is always an option, allowing him to call it quits on a high note after that late-season stretch. But there are definitely teams that could use another veteran around the room.

Ilya Samsonov, 28

2024-25 Cap Hit: $1.8 million
AFP Projection: $1.995 million/1 Year

Samsonov was once viewed as one of the best young goaltenders in the game. He put up excellent numbers in the KHL, something very few U-20 goalies have ever been able to replicate. So it was easy to understand the hype – only for Samsonov to put up some underwhelming performances in Washington. He’d go on to get outplayed by Vitek Vanecek before getting replaced by Darcy Kuemper heading into the 2022-23 season, ending a three-year NHL tenure in D.C.

Samsonov would have his best season to date in Toronto in 2022-23, even helping the team win its first playoff series since 2004. That hype was short-lived, though, as Samsonov struggled to find consistency the following year despite a 23-7-8 record. Samsonov would go unsigned and would then head to Vegas for a one-year stint, posting a 16-9-4 record. Racking up wins has never been an issue for the Russian goaltender. Instead, finding ways to limit bad goals and keep the total count down – thus forcing the team in front to do a lot of the heavy lifting – has plagued him. Samsonov can still be a decent backup goaltender, and it’s a bit surprising to see he hasn’t signed anywhere yet. But he still has a lot to prove at this point.

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Breaking down three veteran NHL UFA goaltenders still on the market

Alexandar Georgiev, 29

James Reimer, 37

Ilya Samsonov, 28

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