Giant 6'7" Goalie Prospect Hits Free Agency: Could Be Fit for the Penguins

Joe Vrbetic was a seventh round pick of the Montreal Canadiens back in the 2021 NHL Draft, and at 6-foot-7, it's very easy to see why they took a chance on the Ontario native.

Now, at 22-years of age, Montreal are officially relinquishing their rights to the talented goaltender, and it's certainly an opportunity that other teams in the National Hockey League shouldn't lightly pass up.

According to reports, the team passed the 5pm deadline to sign Vrbetic to an Entry Level Contract, meaning that he's now officially a free agent after spending the 2024/25 campaign in the ECHL.

In 14 games for the Indy Fuel and the Trois-Rivieres Lions, Vrbetic put together a sub 3.00 GAA and a combined save percentage over .900, showing that he's still got plenty of potential moving forward at the next level.

While he may not be the saviour that the Penguins need, they've already got a very competitive goaltending situation in their organization, and the addition of Vrbetic could certainly help raise the game of everyone in the NHL, AHL and ECHL moving forward.

At this point in time, it's not quite clear if Vrbetic can ever be a consistent goaltender at the highest level, but given his size and his production, he's at the very least worth taking a chance on, so don't be surprised if Pittsburgh and other teams highly consider it this off-season.