Well, that was quick: Jesper Vikman sent back to the AHL

Well, they often say the first time is the best time, but that doesn't ring true for Jesper Vikman. The 23-year-old goaltender has now been sent back down to the Henderson Silver Knights in the American Hockey League, just two days after his first-ever NHL call-up.

With Carter Hart healthy, there was no room for Vikman

When we had previously reported on Vikman's call-up, the team had announced that Carter Hart was day-to-day due to a lower-body injury. Vikman backed up Akira Schmid for just one game against the New Jersey Devils; however, with Schmid's stellar 24-save shutout, Vikman never saw the ice. Bruce Cassidy later confirmed that Hart's injury was not a serious one; per Jesse Granger, the goaltender merely tweaked "something" against the Blackhawks, and then re-aggravating it in practice. Vikman was seemingly never intended to play, and sure enough, Hart ultimately started against the Rangers on Sunday night. With him back in net so soon, and Akira Schmid perfectly healthy, there simply wasn't a place for Vikman. While some teams occasionally run three-goalie rotations, Vegas hasn't been one of them, outside of the infamous late-2023 five-man injury carousel.

We still don't have an answer on why it was him over Lindbom, however. The Silver Knights did have a critical back-to-back against the Bakersfield Condors on Friday and Saturday, which he played both games of. One can speculate that as Henderson's #1 goaltender, and with Vegas heading cross-country in the meantime, it didn't make sense to call him up if he likely wouldn't play.

What's next for Vikman this season?

Good question. With Akira Schmid and Carter Hart firmly entrenched as Vegas' tandem right now, he more than likely won't be called up again anytime soon. Even if one goes down for any length of time, Carl Lindbom is probably the next man up, given the last two months. For now, Vikman will probably continue as Lindbom's backup in Henderson; however, he should get substantial playing time, as Henderson usually runs a 1A-1B system rather than having a full-load starter. At least for now, the team views him as higher on the depth chart than Cameron Whitehead, as well as AHL signee Jordan Papirny.

The real question is what happens to him when Adin Hill returns to the NHL roster from injured reserve. As previously mentioned, VGK only rarely runs more than two goalies, meaning one of Hart or Schmid will have to be waived to make room for the long-term starter. Assuming either of them clear waivers (which to be honest feels unlikely), that'll bump down everyone below them; in that case, Vikman probably returns to Tahoe. That may not be the worst thing for him, as he posted the best numbers of his career thus far in the Knight Monsters' brief playoff run last season.

Time is running out to evaluate Vikman as a prospect

With his ELC expiring this offseason, the Knights only have so much longer to fully evaluate Vikman. Lindbom and Whitehead may crowd him out of the system, and on top of that, I imagine 3rd round pick Pavel Moysevich will be signed somewhat soon. In short, he needs to show he belongs quickly before Vegas moves on, as they're often known to do with goalies.