Kevin Lankinen has finally found a team to play for this season after a long off-season of negotiating and waiting. He had a good thing going with the Nashville Predators for the last two seasons, going 20-14-1 with a 2.79 GAA, .912 SV%, and one shutout. Now the 29-year-old finds himself against the team that knocked the Predators out of the first round last season, the Vancouver Canucks.
Lankinen missed his opportunity to play for Nashville this season and beyond and wouldn’t have had anyone hot on his tail pushing for his spot with Yaroslav Askarov traded to the San Jose Sharks. Instead, he has to deal with winning starts over Thatcher Demko and Arturs Silovs rather than just Juuse Saros.
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It’s very likely he won’t get as good of an opportunity to start many more games than with the Predators. There’s a good chance that part of the reason for Lankinen leaving Nashville was his desire for more playing time as he has shown the ability to compete for a starting job or be a tandem goalie, not a backup to one of the league’s best starters.
The Predators just loaded up for a serious Cup run and Lankinen could’ve been the backup for another two years at least. Now he is likely a third string goalie as soon as Demko returns.
Lankinen was a fan favorite in Nashville and served as a strong backup the last two seasons. This likely led to the mindset he could do better and get more time. He missed an early shot to do so on Day 1 of free agency with teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Los Angeles Kings. All these teams signed goalies of similar caliber and age as Lankinen.
Scott Wedgewood was signed by the Predators for two years at $1.5 million AAV to serve as the backup. Lankinen got $875,000 for one year. The former Predators goalie could get fortunate and play enough games to prove his worth for a third consecutive season. If that happens, maybe he gets offers and signs on the first day of free agency next year. Lankinen didn’t take the easy path this off-season, but he did bet on himself.
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