A Former Knight Lands Elsewhere. The Position Stays Vacant.

A former Vegas goaltender signed with another NHL club this week, getting a second chance at a career that stalled during a difficult stint with the Knights and a year spent outside the league. Good for him. The news is a footnote everywhere except here, where it serves as a small, pointed reminder of how scarce the backup market has become.

Carter Hart is still the only goaltender on this roster who has played meaningful minutes. That has been true since Akira Schmid was traded to Florida in late June, and nothing has changed it. Michael Hutchinson retired in July, shrinking the pool of available veterans further. The market for a capable backup was never deep this summer, and it has only gotten thinner as September has moved along.

Eighteen days to opening night against Chicago. The crease situation is what it is, and the options that were thin in July are thinner now. My read is that Vegas will have to settle for whoever is left — a camp invite, a minor-league option, someone else's castoff — rather than the experienced hand they would have preferred. The former Knight who just signed elsewhere is a reminder that even marginal options find homes. Vegas just hasn't found theirs yet.