A day after Carl Lindbom signed his three-year contract extension, another goalie’s future has changed almost immediately.
On Monday, Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced that the team has traded Akira Schmid to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a third-round pick in 2028.
Since being part of a trade that also saw Alexander Holtz join the Golden Knights organization, Schmid has appeared in 39 games for Vegas across two seasons, recording a .898 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average. When injuries struck the position this past season, Schmid emerged as the most dependable of the group, playing a career-high 34 games and notching two shutouts.
However, the past few months have changed Schmid’s standing in the organization considerably.
The return of Carter Hart saw Schmid demoted to third-string goaltender, not seeing any action when John Tortorella took over as head coach. Then, Ryan Craig was announced as the new head coach from the Henderson Silver Knights, where Schmid’s numbers (3.58 GAA, .886 save percentage) made him a questionable fit.
Florida makes sense as a landing spot, as both Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov are unrestricted free agents. With it unclear if either one is returning to Sunrise, it made sense for Panthers general manager Bill Zito to target Schmid to serve as a backup option.
Meanwhile, the Golden Knights now have a major question of their own. Carter Hart is the clear Opening Night Starter, but the decision to move off of Schmid now leads to the idea on if Adin Hill is staying despite the trade rumors. Perhaps the Golden Knights are using Lindbom’s extension as a springboard for him to join the NHL roster, or a wild card external option such as Connor Hellebuyck might still be in play after all.
Moving Schmid continues the collection of future assets from McCrimmon, but how he intends to use them is still very much up in the air.