i think goalie cap reform is needed but it may take one more round of untenable contracts to get there.
doing it would help the goalies secure term and avoid cap pressure enhanced career death spirals like jack campbell. pretty much no goalie, no matter how good, can live up to a long term deal being paid what they are worth to the team at their best. price and bobrovsky show this. goalies just are not as consistent as skaters and should not be subject to a cap model with contract options that assumes they can be that way. it is much harder for them to contribute at a lower level as their skills fade or they deal with injuries, and it is normal for them to have off years because of injuries and the mental aspect of the position. unfortunately, the fan reaction to the cap implications of those things magnify the pressure that goalies already feel in a lonely position and can make it really hard for them to enjoy the fan appreciation they deserve for their careers.
the nhl seems to be hoping the market will eventually efficiently allow for goalies as a portion of cap but the problem is that when goalies are good they are very valuable to teams and it is hard to rationalize not paying them the same as skaters or refusing them term. until recently i think teams were trying to build in a discount for goalies for the risk but i think that is in the process of swinging the other way. really it is not fair to not pay a superstar goalie accordingly when they are a superstar goalie. the cap is pretty arbitrary.
so i think a goalie salary should include league wide defined performance bonuses that do not count against the cap and allows the goalie to increase his salary by about 2/3 of base. someone like swayman should earn about $5m with the potential to earn another $3.5m if he had a season like last year. that secures him term and hedges for both sides.
another option is to allow teams one no penalty goalie buyout every five years with no cap penalty after that goalie has played a minimum number of games for the team.