Scouts on Khudobin, Holtby & Other Sharks Goalie Trade Targets | SJHN+

“I think everybody’s kind of waiting on Seattle to make their move. It’s kind of held back by them. At some point, the dam is going to break.”

That’s what one NHL scout told San Jose Hockey Now about this off-season’s goaltending market.

“There’s a lot of teams looking for goalies right now.”

The San Jose Sharks will be one of those teams.

“I think goaltending, we have to address,” GM Doug Wilson said in May. “The 3C spot, certainly we have to look at and explore.”

We’ve already talked to three NHL scouts about free agents at center:

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We also offered up some potential trade targets up the middle:

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Now, let’s address goaltending.

We chatted with three NHL scouts about 22 goalies — twenty-two! — free agents and potential trade targets who might fit the San Jose Sharks.

It’s a diverse group: Established veterans like Philipp Grubauer, Frederik Andersen, Cam Talbot, Anton Khudobin, Jake Allen, Jonathan Bernier, James Reimer, Petr Mrazek, Jaroslav Halak, and Braden Holtby. Up-and-comers like Chris Driedger, Linus Ullmark, Joonas Korpisalo, Tristan Jarry, Vitek Vanecek, Kaapo Kahkonen, Laurent Brossoit, and Adin Hill. Question marks like David Rittich and Antti Raanta. Even relative unknowns like Filip Gustavsson and Joey Daccord.

So of this group, who do the scouts see as true No. 1 starters? Or as better fits for a 1A-1B tandem? Or as just back-ups?

Let’s look first at who the San Jose Sharks could trade for between the pipes — we’ll get to the UFAs tomorrow. We’ll answer these questions and more: Should we be worried about Khudobin’s struggles this year? Would you still trust Holtby as your starter? Is Korpisalo a sleeper No. 1?