Lightning Have Options for New Backup Goalie

The Tampa Bay Lightning might want to consider finding a new face to backup their superstar goalie.

Dec 5, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Red Wings goalie Ville Husso (35) skates in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images / Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

Goaltending is tough to predict in the NHL, but even the best and most consistent netminders in the league could use some help, and that’s no different for the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s clear, and has been for quite some time, that Lightning superstar goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the best goalies in the league, but he could use a better helping hand as his backup.

The Lightning are currently utilizing Jonas Johansson as their second-string goalie, with not many options to speak of behind him. Johansson hasn’t been terrible in 2024-25, but he’s been bailed out by Tampa Bay’s stellar offense.

In seven games played, Johansson has a 4-1-1 record with a .902 save percentage, and 3.25 goals against average. Not awful but consider there are easily better backup options out there, and it might be smart for the Lightning to lighten Vasilevskiy’s workload is possible.

That is where a more useful backup goalie option comes into play. If the Lightning want to make another deep run at the Stanley Cup, they’ll want to give Vasilevskiy some well-deserved rest while a more steady hand fills in as backup.

The options are few and far between for the Lightning, but if this is the direction they decide to go in, there are a few key names to watch.

Alex Nedeljkovic – Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins have calmed the waters a bit between the pipes after a sloppy start to the year from Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic, but the latter still seems like a viable trade piece. Signed at $2.5 million through the 2025-26 season, Nedeljkovic proved to still have plenty of gas in the tank, and has starting goalie abilities.

Top goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist showed he’s a capable netminder for the Penguins if they do decide to move on from either Jarry or Nedeljkovic.

Working as a tandem with Vasilevskiy might bring be best out of Nedeljkovic and fuel a big season in Tampa Bay.

Devin Cooley – Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames entered the season with three goalies vying for the two jobs at the NHL level. Dustin Wolf has clearly pulled away as the starter, Dan Vladar is holding down backup duties quite nicely, leaving Devin Cooley to fiddle around in the American Hockey League.

In 21 games at the AHL level, Cooley has a 15-5-0 record with a .940 save percentage and 1.89 goals against average. At 27 years old, Cooley only has six games of NHL experience under his belt, but he’s showing he might have what it takes to make it as a backup on a more consistent basis.

Anyone from the Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings have seven goalies signed to NHL contracts and at least four of them would be useful backups in Tampa Bay. Between the current NHL duo of Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon, and the AHL battery of Ville Husso and Jack Campbell, there’s plenty of experience to pick from.

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