Just last week, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Malcolm Subban filed for salary arbitration. But it turns out a hearing will not be necessary for the restricted free agent.
Subban has officially signed a one-year contract worth $850,000, the Golden Knights announced Tuesday morning.
According to CapFriendly, Subban signed for $135,000 more than his initial qualifying offer of $715,000. The 25-year-old goalie will be an arbitration-eligible RFA once again next summer.
“We are pleased to announce this one-year contract for Malcolm. He’s been a valuable contributor to our team over the last two seasons,” president of hockey operations George McPhee said in a statement provided by the club. “We are excited to continue to work with Malcolm and help him reach his full potential as an NHL goaltender.”
Subban finished the 2018-19 season with a .902 save percentage and 2.93 goals against average in 21 games. Those statistics certainly don’t jump off the page, but his play improved significantly after a very rough start to the season that included a brutal 7-2 loss against the Calgary Flames.
The former first-round draft selection will continue to serve as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup in 2019-20. Assuming he bounces back after a tough 2018-19 campaign, Subban could be due for a significant raise next summer.