With the Panthers winning their second straight Stanley Cup, teams are now busy bolstering their ranks as free agency kicked in on July 1. The Stanley Cup winners, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, and others have already made significant moves, extending and signing players to their rosters. However, one thing that became clear is that NHL goaltenders have become a rare commodity.

The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno put things into perspective, writing that fewer than a dozen goalies who played in the 2024-25 season are available as free agents. If you believe NHL goaltending icon Marc-André Fleury’s agent, then teams are truly desperate for good goaltenders. Agent Allan Walsh revealed that his phone started buzzing the moment free agency kicked in.

However, the calls were not for active goaltenders. “July 1, I got called by five teams asking if there was any way Marc-André Fleury would un-retire,” Walsh said on SDPN. After 21 years in the NHL, the three-time Stanley Cup-winning netminder hung up his gloves after the 2024-25 season. While Flower made it to the playoffs, his season and storied career ended as the Minnesota Wild lost to his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights, in the first round.

However, none of these five will have any luck signing the Vezina Trophy winner. “Well, he’s made it pretty clear for now that he has no intention to play next year,” Allan Walsh said about Marc-André Fleury coming back to the NHL. So what compelled these five teams, whose names the sports agent didn’t disclose, to try and convince the netminder to return?

Well, like Stephen Whyno, Allan Walsh also commented on the market. “You talked about the goalie market this year. Five teams calling and they were prepared to make serious offers on one-year deals to entice Fleury to their city,” the agent told the host. The other reason could be Flower’s decision to play for Team Canada at this year’s IIHF World Championship. What’s more? Walsh’s revelation lined up with what happened when free agency kicked in.

Teams scramble for goaltenders amid the Marc-André Fleury revelation

The massive demand for goaltenders immediately became apparent when free agency kicked off on the first day of July. The Detroit Red Wings added John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders signed Dan Vladar and David Rittich, respectively. Meanwhile, others like Jake Allen (New Jersey Devils) and Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks) stayed with their teams.

Allen himself spoke about the market situation that’s demanding a retired player like Marc-André Fleury to jump back in while extending his contract with the Devils. “Really, you sort of take a look at the landscape and see what’s out there. Yeah, there were some spots, but at the same time, my situation in Jersey was good,” said the goaltender. Allen landed a lucrative five-year, $9 million contract with the Devils. Then there were the Oilers.

Inconsistent goaltending became one of the pain points of the two-time, defending Eastern Conference champions. Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner got serious backlash for his inconsistent form, especially during the playoffs. Skinner allowed six goals in Game 1 against the LA Kings and struggled to find his bearings in Game 2 before coach Kris Knoblauch pulled him.

While replacement goalie Calvin Pickard performed admirably, Skinner then returned to form against the Golden Knights and Dallas Stars. Unfortunately for the Oilers, neither Skinner nor Picard could stop the Panthers in the final. While experts speculated that the Oilers would look for a goalie, they came up empty-handed in the NHL. Instead, they locked in AHL goalie Matt Tomkins to a two-year, $775,000 AAV contract. Were the Oilers one of the teams that tried to convince Marc-André Fleury? While we won’t know, the goalie situation in the NHL remains precarious.