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Sharks’ Kaapo Kahkonen Deserves to Start Opening Night

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By William Espy | Last updated 10/7/23

The San Jose Sharks have a few days before any decisions for the opening night roster need to be finalized. Based on what we’ve seen so far though, it seems obvious that Kaapo Kahkonen deserves to be the starting goaltender on Oct. 12th when the Sharks host the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights. Kahkonen has already played them twice during preseason, once at the SAP Center which was a 5-2 win, and for a second time in Vegas in a 2-0 win. Although both teams in front were severely weakened in these games, Kahkonen played at a high level in both appearances.

How the Others Stack Up

Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to be the other goaltender on the NHL roster this season, and they’ll likely go back and forth holding the net as the season progresses. Blackwood played well for the majority of his first appearances against the Anaheim Ducks. A brutal first period hindered the performance, although both his teammates and head coach David Quinn stated it wasn’t his fault but instead the defensive play in front of him. Despite that, his level of play still didn’t match that of Kahkonen. His second performance wasn’t much better overall, and he ended the preseason with a save percentage of around .881. The hope moving forward is that he’ll find his footing once he gets in the net more often, however, he’ll likely start the season as the backup until Kahkonen cools off.

Magnus Chrona played very well in his one appearance so far this preseason and seems like he’ll be fighting for an NHL job sooner than later, but that time likely isn’t now. He held the Los Angeles Kings to a single goal in regulation before the Sharks fell in overtime. The former University of Denver goaltender should have an impressive first season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the San Jose Barracuda, and if there’s an injury or underperformance by either of the aforementioned goaltenders, he may get a deserved look at the NHL level as well at some point during the season.

Georgi Romanov’s North American debut certainly didn’t go as planned, as he allowed four goals on 26 shots against the Ducks. He’ll likely get some time in the AHL and may even spend some time in the ECHL at some point this season, it’ll probably be a while before we see him crack an NHL roster. Eetu Makiniemi should be the main starter for the Barracuda when he’s ready, and as a result, Romanov’s future for the season will depend on how many goalies the organization wants to keep in the AHL.

Kahkonen Back to Old Self?

Kaapo Kahkonen has never been an elite goaltender in the NHL. However, with the Minnesota Wild, he was definitely a good one. He also showed promise during his first season in the Bay Area, posting some of the best numbers of his career in a relatively small sample size. Having some competition from a player in the same age range as him could be beneficial for the Finnish goalie as well. As solid of a netminder as James Reimer was at one point, he was on the back half of his career, and as a result, it’s possible Kahkonen got a bit complacent last season. Blackwood gives him potentially long-term competition, and now that there are quite a few prospects on the verge of the NHL, it’ll only put more pressure on the NHL tandem. Kahkonen so far has shown signs of being back to his previous level, which would be tremendous for the Sharks who need any type of positivity they can get this season.

The Sharks have a little more time to decide their opening night lineup. While nothing is set in stone, we’re starting to see it come into place to a certain extent. Kahkonen has done everything he can to earn the starting job heading into the season, and he deserves that opportunity.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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