The Hawks are 26th in team defense giving up 3.50 goals a game, while only scoring 2.63. While the porous defense cannot be completely Lankinen's fault, his contract is expiring and it's time to look for an improvement.
A good journeyman goalie is Scott Wedgewood. He has a career 22-32-11 record with a .905 save percentage and a 3.12 goals-against-average. Lankinen has similar stats with a 21-24-11 record, carrying a .902 SV%, and a 3.23 GAA.
There's just something about Wedgewood's play that should be seen in a starter's role. He got traded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Dallas Stars recently. His salary is just $825,000 and he would be a reasonable addition to the Hawks.
Another option would be to target current Blues starter Ville Husso. Husso is 22-5-6 with a .924 save percentage in a contract year. Jordan Binnington is still penciled in as the de facto starter of the future after signing a 6 by 6 deal with the Blues that pushes Ville Husso out of the picture, given their cap woes.
In the hockey world we've forgotten that Husso was injured leading to Jordan Binnington's call up. This option could shore up the crease while Drew Commesso finishes college and develops in the AHL.
