Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Malcolm Subban must prove his worth in 2019-20

The Vegas Golden Knights and Malcolm Subban came together on a team-friendly deal, but now the 25-year old must have a solid campaign in 2019-20.

As we approach the dog days of the offseason, hockey news seems very nonexistent and dry this time of year. Restricted free agents are still negotiating deals, and some may have to go through the arbitration process. However, that’s not the case for the Vegas Golden Knights backup goaltender.

On Tuesday morning, the Golden Knights officially announced the resigning of Malcolm Subban. The contract is for one year and worth $850,000. Both Subban and the team seemed like they were on the same page as soon negotiations got underway only a week ago.

This team-friendly deal gives the Golden Knights a ton of leverage in this situation for a couple of reasons. First off, it allows Subban to play out the year and get more playing time while resting Marc-Andre Fleury more often. He also knows it could very well be his last shot at the NHL level if things don’t go well; And secondly, after this contract expires, Subban will remain a restricted free agent next offseason, and that’s a huge deal if you’re George McPhee and the Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights did not want to go multiple years on the Toronto, Ontario native due to his uncertainty in the crease. Vegas did not want to get stuck in a bad deal after all their cap troubles this offseason. If Subban were to falter after signing a multi-year contract, we would be crushing the Golden Knights front office decision making. That’s why a one-year deal on a goaltender with some promise is the best option.

However, the script will flip if the 24-year old gives the team positive results.

If the young upstart goalie puts up his numbers and backs it up, he will put the Golden Knights in a tight spot. Subban can easily upgrade his numbers from last season after an up and down 2018-19 regular season where he went 8-10-2 with a 2.93 GAA and a .902 SV%. Some of that is due to his performance, but some of his shortcomings also fall under the team as well.

It would be tough to do worse than his numbers shown last year, especially with a fully healthy and hungry team in front of him this year. I expect a bounce-back campaign for the Golden Knights backup plan to the Flower. And even if Subban and the Golden Knights were to go to arbitration next offseason, if Subban plays well and puts up great numbers, the arbitrator will be in favor of Subban due to his performance in goal and his potential moving forward.

With no goaltender prospect coming down the pipeline anytime soon, this is Subban’s job to lose. Oscar Dansk is a reliable third goaltender who does have upside and had an incredible Calder Cup playoffs with the Chicago Wolves. But the raw ability and athleticism Subban carries shine through Dansk’s hot play through the minor league postseason.

In the end, Subban must perform at a high level for the Vegas Golden Knights. If not, the Golden Knights will need to look deeper in their system at Dansk, Dylan Ferguson, Jordan Kooy, and Isaiah Saville or perhaps a  free agent backup to fill the short term void. I’m not sure if the Golden Knights have the next Marc-Andre Fleury in their prospect pool, but their best shot may very well be Malcolm Subban.