3 Potential Free-Agent Destinations for Kevin Lankinen

The NHL's free-agent goalie market is going to be a busy one this summer and without some top-tier talent, it's going to be an interesting battle of the backups this offseason to see who can land spots for next season. 

Kevin Lankinen will be in the mix. With Juuse Saros likely re-signing in Nashville and Yaroslav Askarov ready for prime time, Lankinen isn't in the Predators' plans and will likely be hitting the open market on July 1. Here's three teams to watch for:

Winnipeg Jets

With Laurent Brossoit looking for a bigger role, Connor Hellebuyck's backup spot will be open this summer and Lankinen could be a good fit. He's coming off a strong season where he posted an 11-6-0 record along with a 2.82 GAA and .908 Sv.%. Lankinen won't cost more than $1 million so the Jets, who don't have loads of cap space will be looking for a cost-effective signing. These two could be a match this summer.

Detroit Red Wings

Steve Yzerman has shown he's not afraid to have three goalies on his roster and with Alex Lyon on the cheap next season, Lankinen could be an option for the Red Wings. There's also Ville Husso on the books at $4.75 million against the cap, if he ends up getting bought out ahead of July 1, keep an eye on Detroit as they will be in the goalie market without a doubt. 

Dallas Stars

Jake Oettinger needs a backup for next season as Scott Wedgewood appears set to hit free agency. Lankinen could be a great fit and has some close friends in Dallas. He also has spent the majority of his career with Chicago and Nashville so the Stars organization knows him well. Dallas has $16 million in cap space but they do have some big holes to fill up front and one on defense. Jim Nill is the best executive in the league, if Lankinen makes sense for the Stars, he'll get the deal done.

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