Peter Budaj And The Comeback Kids

Peter Budaj was done. Finished. Washed-up. On his way out. Lost at sea.

Then, suddenly he wasn’t.

When Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff both sustained injuries within the first two weeks of the season, many believed the Kings would panic and overpay for a replacement netminder. Ben Bishop, Jimmy Howard, Marc-Andre Fleury were all names that were expected to be linked to the west-coast royalty, but nothing materialized. The team immediately said that they weren’t going to overpay for a goaltender when they weren’t sure how long Quick would be out, and believed their team was good enough to hold down a playoff spot until his return. What they didn’t expect, was that they would get all-star level goaltending from a guy who had never given it before, and who was rapidly approaching the back half of his thirties.

Peter Budaj made his first start for the Los Angels Kings this season on October 20th, and allowed three goals on 20 shots. Here we go, thought Kings’ fans who expected an .850 save percentage was about all they would get from a 34-year old journeyman. After all, Budaj had played in just one NHL game the last two seasons, and had a career .903 save percentage. Their season was lost unless they went out and got another goaltender, but how could they afford it?

And then, magic. Budaj would find another gear and lead the Kings to a 24-14-3 record while recording a .923 save percentage. His seven shutouts lead the league (ahead of some household names in Braden Holtby, Devan Dubnyk and Tuukka Rask) and he’s recorded a goals against average 0.7 less than his career average. In short, he’s been great.

A lot (and I mean a lot) of that has to do with the Kings and their solid defensive structure, but don’t take anything away from the job Budaj has done. For a guy to step in and feel comfortable enough to keep the Kings afloat isn’t easy, and he’s revived his career with his strong play. While it’s not like he’s going to cash in with a big multi-year deal to be a team’s starting goaltender this summer, he has likely done enough to get a look as a backup in the NHL – something that would have been hard to fathom five months ago. It’s not just Budaj who has found a way to revive his career.

Sam Gagner was forced to take nearly a league-minimum deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets this year after falling off the map in Philadelphia. The former sixth-overall pick had never quite put it together in Edmonton or Arizona (though forty-point seasons don’t grow on trees) but was completely invisible during the 2015-16 campaign. With only 16 points in 53 games, some believed he was headed overseas if he couldn’t find an NHL deal.

His return has been tremendous, scoring 34 points in 50 games for the Blue Jackets (though he has cooled significantly in the last month) and being a big part of their renaissance. At only 27, he’s setting himself up for a much bigger deal than anyone would have expected last summer. It’s interesting whether Columbus will look to retain him in the offseason or thank him for his service and send him on his way.

Forgive the league for thinking that Radim Vrbata’s numbers in 2015-16 were where his true talent was. The two-time 30-goal scorer had to settle for a performance bonus-laden deal this summer with the Arizona Coyotes after a dreadful final season with Vancouver. Scoring just 27 points in 63 games, teams believed that a 35-year old Vrbata was likely done, and it took a team like Arizona to roll the dice on him. It looks like it will pay off for the Coyotes, as they now have an asset that has put up 35 points in 51 games and is poised for the fifth 50+ point year of his career. His base contract is just $1MM, but he’s already reached a bonus for games played is all but guaranteed to hit another for points. He’ll be moved to a team looking for winger help (Chicago is on the line) before the end of the month.

Kris Russell, a victim of the ongoing battle between analytics and old school hockey minds had to wait for almost the entire offseason before signing with the Edmonton Oilers for just one year. A few months after being a big trade deadline acquisition by the Dallas Stars, the league washed their hands of the shot-blocking champion, instead going after faster, puck-moving players.

Russell has been solid, if not excellent for the Oilers, who needed competent NHL players on their blueline after struggling for years. Logging over 21 minutes a night and continuing to get in the way of pucks (he has 143 blocked shots in 47 games) he’s again set himself up for a longer deal in the offseason. Who knows though when it comes to his market, as he hasn’t really changed anything in his game from his days in Calgary.