Every single season it seems as if the number of workhorse goaltenders in the NHL decreases. More than a third of the league is projected to use some sort of committee in 2024-25. That makes the top guys on this list worthy of an early-round investment on draft day, given it gives you a massive edge over your competition throughout the course of the season.
TIER 1 – The True Difference Makers
Connor Hellebuyck (WPG), Igor Shesterkin (NYR), Jake Oettinger (DAL), Jeremy Swayman (BOS)
A four-time Vezina Trophy finalist, Hellebuyck won the award for a second time last season. He won 37 games while posting a 2.39 GAA and .921 save percentage. He's struggled with consistency, but he enters the year as the top option in net. Shesterkin, who has won at least 36 games each of the past three seasons, has the highest ceiling of all NHL goaltenders. Outside of his 37 wins, Oettinger's numbers last season were mediocre (2.72 GAA, .905 save percentage) but he plays for one of the best teams in the NHL and I expect a bounce-back performance. With Linus Ullmark off to Ottawa, I expect a breakout campaign from Swayman in his first full season as the unquestioned starter in Boston.
TIER 2 - Mid-Tier No. 1 Fantasy Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB), Juuse Saros (NSH), Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA), Thatcher Demko (VAN), Jacob Markstrom (NJ), Ilya Sorokin (NYI)
Vaslilevskiy had his worst season in the NHL a year ago (2.90 GAA, .900 save percentage) but still won 30 games for a seventh straight season. I expect a bounceback of some sort. Saros is always amongst the league leaders in games played and Nashville should be a much-improved team given their free-agent spending spree. Fresh off a Stanley Cup Championship, Bobrovsky will play this entire season at age 36. That, combined with his typical year-to-year inconsistencies gives me pause. Demko was brilliant when he played a season ago, but his injury history is lengthy and there is a chance he won't be ready for Opening Night, so make sure you pair him with a solid backup. Markstrom was traded from Calgary to New Jersey this offseason and he should finally solve the Devils' long-standing goaltending issues. Sorokin lost his starting job to veteran Semyon Varlamov late in the season, but the Islanders are going nowhere unless he gets back to form. He's too talented to struggle so badly once again.
TIER 3 – Upside Plays With Concerns
Stuart Skinner (EDM), Adin Hill (VGK), Alexandar Georgiev (COL), Linus Ullmark (OTT)
It wasn't pretty at times, but Skinner had 36 victories a season ago in addition to solid secondary numbers (2.62 GAA, .905 save percentage). He was very good in the playoffs. I would just like to see him do it again before moving him up to Tier 2. Hill is always good when he plays but is frequently injured. He was limited to just 35 games last season. Georgiev has been mediocre for quite a while now but always racks up a ton of wins playing for Colorado -- though he's at serious risk of losing playing time to youngster Justus Annunen if he starts slowly. Going from Boston to Ottawa is a massive downgrade from Ullmark from a team perspective, but he enters as the unquestioned starter for the Sens and is playing for a new contract -- this one could go either way.
TIER 4 – Two Youngsters and Two Veterans
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF), Joseph Woll (TOR), Jordan Binnington (STL), Darcy Kuemper (LAK)
Showing nothing through parts of his first three seasons in Buffalo, Luukkonen came out of nowhere last year to win 27 games along with a 2.57 GAA and .910 save percentage. The Sabres signed him to a five-year, $23.75 million deal this offseason, meaning he's going to have plenty of rope. Woll is another injury risk, but he's clearly Toronto's best option in net, as veteran Anthony Stolarz was brought in to backup. Binnington quietly racked up 28 wins last season, but he's one of the most inconsistent goaltenders in the league and I expected Joel Hofer, who has impressed to date, to get his fair share of playing time. I'm hesitant to back Kuemper because it feels as if the only reason Los Angeles acquired him was because they were able to dump the contract of Pierre-Luc Dubois on Washington in the process. I expect David Rittich to challenge Kuemper for playing time.
TIER 5 – Platoons On Good Teams
Frederik Andersen/Pyotr Kochetkov (CAR), Marc-Andre Fleury/Filip Gustavsson (MIN), Cam Talbot/Ville Husso/Alex Lyon (DET)
The Hurricanes were very careful with Andersen's usage last season, and he played well under those circumstances. Once they took the reigns off in the postseason, he struggled. He's also a huge injury risk and Kochetkov is plenty talented in his own right. Minnesota has a decision to make. Fleury has already announced this will be his last NHL season and Gustavsson's value is at an all-time low after a year in which he had a 3.06 GAA and .899 save percentage in 45 games. Their best option may be to simply hand the No. 1 job to young Swede Jesper Wallstedt, one of the top goaltending prospects in the league. I admittedly have zero idea what is going on in goal for the Red Wings. I'd guess Talbot leads them in starts with Husso as the primary backup, but that's simply a guess.
TIER 6 – Platoons On Bad Teams
Tristan Jarry/Alex Nedeljkovic (PIT), Charlie Lindgren/Logan Thompson (WSH), Samuel Ersson/Ivan Fedotov (PHI), Philipp Grubauer/Joey Daccord (SEA), Petr Mrazek/Laurent Brossoit (CHI), Connor Ingram/Karel Vejmelka (UTA), Lukas Dostal/John Gibson (ANA), Mackenzie Blackwood/Vitek Vanecek (SJ)
Jarry was so bad last season that the Pens turned to Nedeljkovic as their full-time starter late in the year as they pushed for a playoff spot. This has all the makings of a 50/50 split. I wanted to be high on Lindgren following his strong finish to last season, but then Washington went out and acquired Thompson from Vegas and now both of their fantasy values have tanked. Ersson faded badly under heavy playing time late in the year and the monetary commitment the Flyers made to Fedotov suggests they hope he wins the No. 1 job. Mrazek did an admirable job in a tough circumstance last season, but he's getting up there in age and is frequently banged up. Brossoit is a strong insurance policy. The then-Coyotes spent much of last year having Ingram and Vejmelka alternating starts. I don't see much changing. You don't want to get involved with the goalie situations in Anaheim or San Jose -- trust me.
TIER 7 – Pure Dart Throws
Dustin Wolf (CGY), Sam Montembeault (MTL), Elvis Merzlikins (CBJ)
Wolf has been the best goaltender in the AHL for the past three years and should get a chance to win the job as Calgary's starter. He's talented but very undersized. Montembeault is going to be Montreal's starter, but Cayden Primeau will challenge for playing time. Merzlikins would have been gone from Columbus long ago, but no one will take his bloated contract. It means he's going to get one more chance to prove himself on what figures to be a lousy team once again.
