San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier said he expects to have a different goaltending duo next season, and he will have a lot of options to choose from.
San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier said he expects to have a different goaltending duo next season, and he will have a lot of options to choose from.
Kaapo Kahkonen
First and foremost, I expect Kahkonen to be in teal come next season. He has one year left on his current two-year deal with a cap hit of $2.75 million.
He struggled throughout the season and finished with a .883 SV% and 3.85 GAA in 37 appearances. He had shown flashes of rounding into form after the all-star break. In his seven February appearances, Kahkonen went 2-4-1 but had a .929 SV% and 2.41 GAA.
Mike Grier was optimistic about Kahkonen when he was asked about him during his exit interview.
"I think, as far as Kaapo goes, I think his season was really up and down. I don't think he ever really found his footing. He was struggling with some of the things that Speersy and Nabby were asking him to change and do differently. Once the results weren't what he wanted, I think he kind of relented and was open to changing a little bit more. He had a really good stretch of hockey in February, where he was really solid. You can see the traits that he has. The size. The athleticism. There's some good tools and traits there for him, and I think he's still open to changing more. When talking with him yesterday, he's really willing and open to committing," Grier explained.
Grier was happy to hear that Kahkonen is willing and able to put in some extra work this offseason.
"He's gonna probably put in more work than he's ever done in any prior off-season to try and change his game and be ready for the season. I think he's going to be here early. He's going to go see a different goaltending coach. He's really trying to do everything necessary to make himself a more consistent and better goalie. From my standpoint, that was something that was really good to hear."
James Reimer
Reimer sounded like a guy who knows he is on the way out of San Jose during his exit interview. He didn't totally rule out returning to the Sharks, but it doesn't sound likely.
"I mean, every time you're a UFA, there's uncertainty, and you don't know where you're gonna go or what's gonna happen. For myself, as far as this year, it feels kind of maybe silly I think there's people that can be paid good money to assess how a player plays, and so you hope you see that," Reimer explained.
Grier even mentioned that he doesn't expect to bring back the same goalie duo as this past season.
Reimer also had the Pride Night incident in which he chose not to warm up and wear the LBGTQ+-themed warm-up jersey. Reimer said he doesn't expect that to affect his possibility of getting signed in free agency.
Grier echoed the same thoughts saying that "They're two completely separate things. This is just a hockey decision that we think we need to make."
Reimer finished the season with a record of 12-21-8 and a .890 SV%. Sharks fans enjoyed his time in San Jose, but I don't expect to see him in the crease when next season rolls around.
Eetu Makiniemi
Makiniemi is an interesting case. In his two cameos with the San Jose Sharks, he looked solid. He only started one game but helped the Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-1 on Dec. 9. He made 23 out of 24 saves for his first NHL win.
For the Sharks AHL affiliate, San Jose Barracuda, he finished with a .900 SV% and a 2.96 GAA. His season ended early as Grier said that he had a "little bit of a labrum tear," so the team felt it was best to shut him down for the season in anticipation of getting him ready for training camp.
Depending on his injury status and how his camp goes, I think he has a legit shot at making the roster next season. I don't believe he will be the opening night starter, however.
Magnus Chrona
The Denver University product just signed his entry-level contract with San Jose back on April 10. Chrona's rights were acquired in 2021 in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning that sent defenseman Fredrik Claesson back the other way.
Chrona played four years at DU and finished with 114 GP and a record of 71-34-5. Chrona won an NCAA national Championship in 2022 with now Sharks head coach David Quinn behind the bench.
Due to Quinn's familiarity with Chrona, I think he has a slight upper hand on someone like Makiniemi or even Benjamin Gaudreau.
Listed at 6'5, 215 lbs, Chrona would become the biggest goaltender on the Sharks roster. Yes, smaller goalies have been shown to have some more success (I.e., Shesterkin and Saros) in the NHL, but a taller netminder still seems to be the norm.
Do I think Chrona makes the Sharks roster right away next season? No. Do I think he could be called up eventually? 100%. Chrona has had development time in the NCAA and is coming into the league as a 22-year-old, which could pay dividends.
Strauss Mann
By far, I think Mann is the most interesting goalie prospect situation in the San Jose Sharks system.
Mann was bouncing up and down between the ECHL and the AHL this season but finally stayed in the AHL once Makiniemi went down with his injury. In 20 appearances in the AHL, Mann went 8-7 and had a .897 SV% and a 3.32 GAA. He had one shutout as well.
Mann is someone who has had flashes of good moments, but I just don't think he will make a charge up the goalie prospect chart. As mentioned before, Ben Gaudreau is still in the organization, and I feel he is a better prospect than Mann due to his age, 20, and his development in the OHL. Gaudreau still has yet to sign his ELC.
As for the 24-year-old Mann, he will need to outperform a lot of other netminders come training camp. You never know what could happen, however, as the San Jose Sharks will go with whoever is performing the best.