The Tampa Bay Lightning are without a backup goalie for next season, for now.
Brian Elliott’s contract with the team concluded at the end of the season, and the 38-year-old’s likelihood of returning is somewhere between unclear and doubtful.
Since trading Ben Bishop in 2017, the Lightning have had three notable backups to Andrei Vasilevskiy: Louis Domingue (2017-19), Curtis McElhinney (2019-21) and Elliott the past two seasons.
Nothing extraordinary is asked of the players who have been signed to the position. Vasilevskiy is a top tier goalie, and at his best is one of, if not the best goalie in the world.