Laurent Brossoit expected to sign lucrative deal following another successful season.
The Winnipeg Jets and goaltender Laurent Brossoit are likely heading for a split.
Despite the 31-year-old's strong performance in his second tour with Winnipeg, Brossoit will probably not be a name on the team's roster come opening night in October.
Why, you ask?
Well, he was good. Actually too good.
So how is this a problem?
When a team like Winnipeg has a starting goaltender like Connor Hellebuyck - who will likely run away with the Vezina Trophy next week - it doesn't have much more to offer in terms of salary compensation to a backup goaltender.
And the other part of the equation: playing time.
When the best goaltender in the world is your team's starter, you as a backup probably aren't all that happy - despite what you tell the media following your few starts.
Only suiting up in 23 games for Winnipeg last season, Brossoit performed exceptionally well for the Jets. He finished the year with a 15-5-2 record to go alongside an even 2.00 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and three shutouts.
Despite what anyone says otherwise, Brossoit would be a bonafide starter on 20 of the league's 32 teams, should he be given a fair chance.
After leaving Winnipeg to join Vegas - where he ultimately eliminated the Jets and won the Cup two seasons back - Brossoit opted to rejoin Hellebuyck and Co., and vie for another shot at Stanley Cup glory. He had a stellar season and earned every penny of his one-year, $1.75 million contract.
The issue for Winnipeg was the fact that his deal was only for one season.
Sure, when he signed, Connor Hellebuyck was not under contract for more than just the remaining 2023-24 season. Should he and Mark Scheifele not have agreed to their monster extensions last fall, Brossoit could very well have become the Jets' No. 1 man late in the season and taken over those duties this offseason on a lengthy, big-money deal.
But of course, we all know how that worked out, and Hellebuyck will be the man between the pipes until Thomas Milic and Dom DiVincentiis take over on the reins.
So, in order to remain cap compliant, the Jets will need to find a replacement for Brossoit, who has most certainly earned a hefty raise from last season's money. With just over $10 million to his name in career earnings Brossoit will likely sign somewhere in the neighbourhood of $3-4 million annually.
Teams that have reportedly shown interest in his services for next season (and possibly beyond) include the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators, the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings, among others.
With LB all but signed his walking papers, Winnipeg will need to quickly assess its goaltending market and lock down a backup before the market completely saturates and the team is forced to use one of its youngsters far too early.
A name that has repeatedly come up in conversation with various sources is that of Manitoba product and current Edmonton Oilers backup, Calvin Pickard.
Although in the middle of the Stanley Cup Final and not paying any attention to his expiring contract, the 32-year-old Pickard reportedly would have interest in returning to Winnipeg - the place he attended his primary school and played minor hockey - if an appropriate deal could be struck.
The NHL's free agency period opens on July 1, just after the 2024 NHL Draft.