Rock & a Hard Place: The State of the Golden Knights Goaltending

Even with the salary cap going up, the Golden Knights have just $9.615 million to spend. Because they need to fill at least five roster spots, the Golden Knights will need to get creative. They don’t have much wiggle room– certainly not enough to sign a player like Mitch Marner at the present.

However, perhaps the most intriguing decision ahead concerns goaltending. The Golden Knights have complete faith in Adin Hill, but he’ll only start around 50 games per season. That leaves about 32 other regular season games where Hill will sit on the bench wearing a ballcap.

Last season, Ilya Samsonov assumed the duties of a backup goaltender with mixed results. At times, he shone, and at others, the finger of blame pointed his way. If I had to bet, I wouldn’t put money on the Golden Knights extending Samsonov, and that means they need a new backup goaltender.

Let’s look at some potential solutions for the void at the backup position.

In-House Solution?

The Golden Knights currently have five goaltenders under contract. Their starting goaltender, Adin Hill, inked a new six-year contract worth $6.25 million in March. Below Hill on the depth chart are Akira Schmid, Carl Lindbom, Cameron Whitehead, and Jesper Vikman. 

But are any of them ready for a full-time backup role?

Well, Cameron Whitehead probably isn’t. He signed his Entry Level Contract in March and started just three games for the Henderson Silver Knights. Goaltenders take time to develop, and Whitehead isn’t quite there. Not yet.

Jesper Vikman spent the 2024-25 season with the Tahoe Knight Monsters, the Golden Knights’ ECHL affiliate. He finished the season with a 24-15-3 record and an average save percentage of .897 in 42 games. With just 23 career AHL games under his belt, the 23-year-old probably isn’t quite ready to see NHL action. 

I’m fairly confident that Carl Lindbom will be an NHL goaltender at some point in his career. He spent last season with the Henderson Silver Knights. Lindbom was one of the few bright spots on a team that finished dead last in the Pacific Division with a record of 29-38-3. He recorded 18 of their 29 wins and finished the season with an average save percentage of .912 in 36 games. But is he capable of playing 32 NHL games next season? I’m not so sure. 

Those three probably aren’t the short-term solution at the backup position. There is, however, one more in-house possibility– but it’s a gamble.

Akira Schmid

The final possible in-house solution to the backup goaltending vacancy is the 25-year-old 6’5 Akira Schmid.

Schmid is a real conundrum. His AHL stats weren’t the best last season; he had a record of 9-18-4 and an average save percentage of .886 in 30 games. However, in a very small sample size, Schmid performed well at the NHL level with an average save percentage of .944 in five games. 

Schmid is a very streaky goaltender– his highs are very high, and his lows are very low. Before coming to Vegas in the Paul Cotter trade, he spent three seasons with the New Jersey Devils. He was very good in 2022-23 with a 9-5-2 record and a .922 save percentage in 18 games, and his strong play continued into the postseason. 

When the Devils bounced the New York Rangers in the first round in 2023, it was Schmid who backstopped their victory. Down 2-0 in the series, Schmid took over in net and ran with it. He finished that run with a record of 4-4 and an average save percentage of .921 in nine games played.

However, as previously mentioned, the issue with Schmid is his inconsistency. He played poorly in 2023-24, finished the season in the AHL, and hasn’t managed to play his way back to the NHL since.

I’m sure the Golden Knights will give Schmid every opportunity to fight for the backup role. However, he’ll need competition– real competition– so that brings us to Free Agency.

Free Agent Options

Now, it’s important to remember that the Golden Knights have very limited salary cap space. In addition, Adin Hill is their undisputed starting goaltender– their situation does not require a 1A and 1B. 

With that in mind, the Golden Knights won’t pursue anyone flashy. They have their guy; what they need is a solid, reliable backup goaltender that can allow Hill the rest he needs to stay at his best. That means that they probably won’t take a risk on a player in search of a comeback like Cal Petersen or Jack Campbell.

If the Golden Knights had the money, Jake Allen would be the perfect fit. He’s played very well for the New Jersey Devils over the past two seasons. But as it is, Allen is coming off of a $3.85 million contract, and he probably won’t want to play for what the Golden Knights can afford to offer him.

Unfortunately, this year’s goaltending crop just isn’t very deep– and yes, the New York Rangers already extended old friend Jonathan Quick. 

If the Golden Knights fill their backup vacancy in Free Agency, Alex Lyon seems like a safe bet. In the spring of 2023, Lyon got the Florida Panthers to the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky took over the net during the first round, but they marched to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Golden Knights in five games. 

The Golden Knights will have a backup goaltender on opening night in October. However, only time will tell from where the said goaltender will come.