Follow Us
Subscribe
Semyon Varlamov heads into free agency with a full resume, yet he still has something to prove. He is a 15-year veteran who has performed at an extremely high level with the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche and the New York Islanders.
He was clearly the No. 2 goalie with the Islanders behind Ilya Sorokin, but the 35-year-old believes he still has a great deal in the tank and that he can handle a No. 1 assignment.
Varlamov played 23 games last season and he delivered a 11-9-2 record with a 2.70 goals-against average along with a .913 save percentage. That's a strong performance and it will send a message to teams in need of competent goaltending that Varlamov is good enough to get the job done for a playoff-level team
If Varlamov is willing to settle for a backup position, he should be one of the most desirable candidates in the league. However, the start of free agency should represent an opportunity for Varlamov to sell himself and convince teams that he is still capable of handling the bulk of the workload
Here's a look at 3 teams that would provide solid opportunities for Varlamov if he ended up signing with them.
Pittsburgh Penguins
There are many who will argue that the window for the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup has been slammed shut. That's because they failed to make the playoffs last season after they appeared to have a great opportunity during the final weeks of the season.
A bad home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks opened the door for the Florida Panthers and closed the door with finality in Pittsburgh. If the Penguins had enjoyed better goaltending last season, the outcome would have likely been much better for them.
Why would Varlamov consider the Penguins? Start with the presence of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. This group has to be embarrassed about failing to make the playoffs, and to be straightforward, their recent playoff appearances prior to that failure have been awful.
Goaltending has let this team down quite a bit, and a red-hot Varlamov could get this team through the first round. Once a team gets past the opening round of the postseason, anything is possible.
The Florida Panthers learned that during the recently completed postseason, and the Penguins could be capable of a solid run since little will be expected of them.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are a long way from their glory years that featured their last Stanley Cup during the 2008 postseason.
Their top-level players retired long ago but general manager Steve Yzerman appears to be doing a nice job of rebuilding. This appears to be the year where the Red Wings would appear to be in a good position to spend some of their assets on goaltending, and a veteran like Varlamov could help them regain respectability and possibly a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Varlamov has been one of the most consistent goalies in the NHL. In 14 seasons, he’s only finished with a save percentage below .900 once. He is a former Vezina Trophy nominee and he has been solid for the Islanders in each of the last 4 seasons.
He appears capable of playing 40-45 game in any given season.
The Red Wings committed themselves to Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic last season, and while both men had decent streaks, neither one was consistent. The Red Wings had a save percentage of .894 last seson, and that's why this team struggled and failed to make the playoffs.
Chicago Blackhawks
No team is in a position to do more during this offseason than the Blackhawks. They have already done quite a bit as they have commandeered a young and dynamic face of the game in Connor Bedard.
Nobody believes that Bedard will be a miracle worker and turn the Blackhawks into a winning team in his first year, but what happens if Bedard gets off to a sensational start and the team jumps on his back?
This team has already traded for Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno from the Boston Bruins, and they followed up by also acquiring another pair of veterans in Corey Perry and Josh Bailey.
If the Blackhawks are bringing in veteran leaders like those mentioned, why wouldn't they add a goaltender who can win games on his own? That's just what they would get with Varlamov.
Most observers say the team needs to “take it slow,” but that's ridiculous. The Blackhawks have the salary cap room to make multiple signings, and bringing in Semyon Varlamov would give them a goaltender capable of winning.