The Los Angeles Kings took a gamble last season, paying their NHL goalies a combined $1.875 million last season, or $3.375 if you want to include Pheonix Copley who spent most of the season on LTIR.
Even including Copley's cap hit, the Kings still spent less than you'd expect to spend on a true #1 across their entire goalie room last season.
It mostly worked in the regular season too. The Kings were one of the league's best defensive teams and both Cam Talbot and David Rittich posted good numbers.
However, the playoffs were a different story. Talbot posted a .861 save percentage and lost the net after game three. Rittich fared a bit better but wasn't great, posting a .872 in two games.
Goaltending was only part of the problem against Edmonton and the goalies didn't lose the Kings that series, but they didn't help much either.
The Kings do have the cap space to go out and get a good goalie this summer, assuming both Viktor Arvidsson and Matt Roy are allowed to walk.
However, they're staring down an extremely mediocre free-agent class of goalies and don't have the necessary moveable assets to grab a true number one.
The Free Agent Class:
Any free agent class that is headlined by Laurent Brossoit isn't turning heads.
Brossoit had a good season backing up Connor Hellebuyck last season and is apparently healthy for the first time in a long time, but he's still a 31-year-old career backup.
Maybe being healthy will lead to a late-career resurgence, but that would be a big risk for Rob Blake.
Anthony Stolarz is another career backup who put together good numbers last season, but putting all of your eggs into that basket is another risk.
Ilya Samsonov is the one goalie with some experience as a true starter, but I wouldn't expect much from him.
Really, no one is a clear upgrade over Talbot which is a problem.
Trade Options:
Without much quality in the free agent market, Blake would have to look into the trade market for an upgrade in net.
He is very limited in his tradeable assets though. Most of their high-value pieces have no-movement clauses or should be "untouchable" pieces like Quinton Byfield or Brandt Clarke.
Kicking tires on Linus Ullmark is an option, as it's unlikely the Boston Bruins keep him after Jeremy Swayman's excellent playoff performance.
However, I'm not sure the Kings could put together a package that entices Boston. The two teams discussed a deal around the deadline, but that centered around Matt Roy, not Pierre-Luc Dubois, and the Kings have all but lost Roy as an asset.
Trevor Moore then becomes the Kings' most tradeable asset without some form of protection, but the Bruins don't really need another winger.
There's also no guarantee that Ullmark would agree to this trade. The Kings weren't the team that Ullmark nixed a trade to at the deadline, but there have been suggestions that LA is on his 14-team no trade list along with most of the west coast.
Ullmark would be a good add, but there are too many pieces pulling against the Kings for that to seem realistic.
Juuse Saros is a name that's floated around regarding the Kings, but that seems very unlikely too. Recent reports suggest Nashville is interested in re-signing him, and if they don't, he'll likely fetch a big package, potentially the 10th overall pick.
The Kings simply can't match that. Saros is also looking for a monster pay raise that would bring him equal to some of the league's highest-paid goalies and I can't see the Kings giving Saros that kind of contract next summer.
Jacob Markstrom is an interesting option, however, I'm not sure if the Calgary Flames would be interested in moving Markstrom within their division. At the very least it would raise the cost.
Maybe the Kings could talk Vladislav Gavrikov into waiving his no-movement clause to help their case, but that might not be enough.
Markstrom has two years remaining on his contract which fits well into Erik Portillo's timeline too.
The big issue is, outside of acquisition cost, is Markstrom's age. At 34 years old, you risk a rapid decline from Markstrom.
Trying to make a trade feels very difficult for Blake unless he's willing to move another first-round pick, and he shouldn't be.
Kings Now in a Tough Spot:
This weak goalie market puts the Kings in a tough spot.
It's unlikely they'll find a significant upgrade over Talbot in free agency and they don't have the assets to acquire one via a trade.
Maybe they'll strike gold with someone like Brossoit, but more than likely they'll have to run it back with mediocre goaltending.
It will also likely reinforce the Kings to retain a very defensive system, even if it isn't the 1-3-1, to shelter their goalies.