Adjusting to new system key for goalies when traded

Acquiring a goalie at the NHL Trade Deadline can be a delicate balancing act that goes beyond determining which player has the most ability.

Among the numerous factors, a style of play that is a balance between the goalie and the acquiring team's style of play.
"You look at certain systems that are played, and you can't expect to go into a team that plays a completely different system than you may have played your entire career and just magically change in six weeks," Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk said. "That's difficult."
There are elements within each system that can be different.
Are defensemen asked to front screens or block shots? Is a zone defense or man-to-man used in the defensive end? What are the assignments when facing odd-man rushes? Is the emphasis on forcing an opponent to dump and chase on the attack or allowing lower-percentage chances off the rush? Does a team actively suppress shots?
There are no definitive rules about which goaltending style fits which system best, but there are trends. Although any goalie can adjust to change, the transition period is dependent on how big the changes are.
Robin Lehner is a perfect case this season with the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season, he played in a stingy system with the New York Islanders, one that rarely gave up odd-man rushes. He had a breakout season, going 25-13-5 with a .930 save percentage and a 2.17 goals-against average.

He signed with the Blackhawks as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019 and integrated himself into a more wide-open system, one that has Chicago trade chances with opponents more often. Lehner is 16-10-5 with a .918 save percentage and 3.01 GAA and said he believes he is playing better this season.
With the Islanders, he faced 30.9 shots per game, 12th-fewest in the NHL. This season, the Blackhawks have allowed the most shots in the League (35.3). A difference of five shots per game might not seem like much, but some goalies have difficulty handling that increased volume and the strains associated with it.
Lehner's ability to succeed in each system should make him an attractive option should the Blackhawks chose to move the pending unrestricted free agent by the trade deadline of 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 24, especially when you consider the conscious style adjustments he's made this season.
"It's different. I had to be way, way, way less technical this year than I was last year," Lehner said. "Last year was a little bit easier to be more technical for me, it was a different system. There's a lot more clear-cut chances, and being that technical as I was last year would just not have worked here. There's quite a bit more chances in general here, but a lot more rush chances, so there's going to have to be more read-and-react here this year for sure."
Being a goalie requires making the right read, and a lot of that depends on knowing how the players in front of you will play a situation and trusting them to do it consistently.

Calgary Flames goalie Cam Talbot, who played four games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, is on his fourth NHL team, and third in the past two seasons. He said having switched teams before can make the adjustment easier after being traded in-season.
"Some teams kill penalties a little bit differently, the D-men take way certain lanes, certain options on the ice, so it can take some time to get to know the systems," said Talbot, who was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the Flyers prior to the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. "I think the toughest thing is coming into a new room and not knowing anybody, not knowing their tendencies on the ice and stuff like that."
Dubnyk struggled after his first trade when he went from the Oilers to the Nashville Predators on Jan. 15, 2014. He played two games and had a 4.36 GAA and an .850 save percentage before signing with the Phoenix Coyotes on July 1, 2014, and was then traded to the Wild on Jan. 15, 2015. Dubnyk was more prepared for the change and had a 1.78 GAA and .936 save percentage in 39 games.
He said the biggest part of the learning curve was staying within his game and not trying to do too much to impress new teammates.
"Absolute perfect storm," Dubnyk said of the trade to Minnesota. "I came in, we were low in the standings, there was a lot of negativity and turmoil and I was like, 'This is bonus time for me.' No expectations, just any minute I got to play hockey I was excited. You start feeling good, and even when we started rolling and odds of us making the [Stanley Cup Playoffs] came up, I never thought about it. I still wasn't thinking about anything other than enjoying playing, and that's a pretty unique scenario."
Finding a seamless goaltending fit ahead of the deadline won't be easy, although the chances for success can be increased when a goalie's strengths and experiences are matched to the way the acquiring team plays.