A day after buying out the final year of Braden Holtby's contract, the Vancouver Canucks have found their new No. 2.
A day after buying out the final year of Braden Holtby's contract, the Vancouver Canucks have found their new No. 2.
Jaroslav Halak, considered one of the best backups in the league over the past five seasons, is expected to join the Canucks on a one-year, $1.5-million pact.
Halak, a former NHL all-star game participant and winner of the Jennings Trophy with Tuukka Rask in 2019-20, spent the past three years as a solid backup in Boston. While injuries/inconsistency hurt Halak's performance this year, the 36-year-old proved he could steal games for Boston when Rask sat out, a big reason why the Bruins made it to the Cup final in 2019 against St. Louis.
For the Canucks, Rask will likely take 20 games away from Thatcher Demko, the team's 25-year-old starting goalie that's set to begin a five-year deal worth $5-million per season.
The veteran presence of having Halak there should help, like it did with Holtby at points. But the deal comes at a much cheaper value instead of Holtby's $4.9-million hit. Holtby's buyout will count for $1.9 million on the books until the end of 2022-23.