The Vancouver Canucks have signed Jaroslav Halak to a one-year, $3M deal.
Over his last few seasons in Boston, Halak has become one of the league's most reliable 1B/backup options. Having said that, his 2020-21 season numbers (.905 SV%, -1.66 GSAA) did not trend in the right direction. The Bruins even decided to turn to young Jeremy Swayman as their backup option in the playoffs over Halak, which unofficially ended Halak's time with the Bruins.
It won't get easier for the 36-year-old Halak in Vancouver. Just ask Braden Holtby. The Canucks give up a ton of high-danger chances, which results on them heavily relying on their goalie. Their defense is clearly their weak spot, and there's no guarantee that they'll make any major upgrades this offseason. Fortunately, he has thrived whenever he hasn't been the guy, and Thatcher Demko is being counted on to carry the mail going forward. Expect something like a 2:1 split in starts in favor of Demko. As a backup, Halak could even provide stellar save percentage in certain spot starts, especially against some of the weaker Pacific Division teams.
Mike DiPietro barely played last season, spending most of the season on the Canucks' taxi squad while only getting into four AHL games. He is at least another year away from full-time NHL duty, but barring another signing he will probably be the Canucks' best option should either Demko or Halak be injured. The signing hurts DiPietro's value short term, although the Canucks were expected to look for a backup goalie after buying out Holtby anyway.
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Players this helps, in order:
Demko
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Players this hurts, in order:
Halak
DiPietro
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