Former Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen signs a 1 year deal

The Nashville Predators announced today that they've signed free agent goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a one year contract worth $1.5 million.

Check it out:

The 27 year old Lankinen spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks but was not tendered an offer from the team prior to free agency. He appeared in 32 games for the Blackhawks last season and put up a 3.50 goals against average and .891 save percentage. He'll, of course, fight for the backup position in Nashville with Juuse Saros locking up the starter's position. Lankinen will have to contend with the likes of AHL starter Connor Ingram and 2020 11th overall pick Yaroslav Askarov. Honestly though, I see this as a two horse race between Ingram and Lankinen for the back up role. Askarov needs some more KHL or even AHL seasoning before he's ready for the NHL and Saros is likely to start 60+ games anyways, so it'll be up to Lankinen and Ingram to fight for scraps in Nashville.