Fantasy goaltenders are an essential part of any winning lineup, so finding a goaltender who starts a vast majority of the team's games -- and wins those games -- is a boon. Those goaltenders are rare, however, and you'll need to expend significant draft capital to acquire them. There are plenty of other strategies to deploy, such as waiting until later rounds to find consistent starters on above-average teams or grabbing both goalies in a strong tandem to help lock down a consistent score in the goaltender spot. We'll go through each of those tiers in this article to help you navigate the goaltender waters and keep a level head when they start flying off draft boards.
Tier 1: Elite Fantasy Goaltenders
Igor Shesterkin (NYR), Juuse Saros (NAS), Connor Hellebuyck (WPG)
Shesterkin has played at least 53 games in three straight seasons and has answered the call, posting 36-plus wins in each campaign while accruing a .921 save percentage and a 2.39 GAA. While his workload was impressive, Saros started the most games in the league three years ago, and he posted the most saves in the league in each of the last two seasons, registering a .915 save percentage in the process. The Predators bolstered their offensive ranks through free agency, which should help Saros in the win column. Hellebuyck remains a stud with three straight seasons of 60-plus starts while recording a .920 save percentage or better in two of those seasons. He's 31 years old now but
Fantasy goaltenders are an essential part of any winning lineup, so finding a goaltender who starts a vast majority of the team's games -- and wins those games -- is a boon. Those goaltenders are rare, however, and you'll need to expend significant draft capital to acquire them. There are plenty of other strategies to deploy, such as waiting until later rounds to find consistent starters on above-average teams or grabbing both goalies in a strong tandem to help lock down a consistent score in the goaltender spot. We'll go through each of those tiers in this article to help you navigate the goaltender waters and keep a level head when they start flying off draft boards.
Tier 1: Elite Fantasy Goaltenders
Igor Shesterkin (NYR), Juuse Saros (NAS), Connor Hellebuyck (WPG)
Shesterkin has played at least 53 games in three straight seasons and has answered the call, posting 36-plus wins in each campaign while accruing a .921 save percentage and a 2.39 GAA. While his workload was impressive, Saros started the most games in the league three years ago, and he posted the most saves in the league in each of the last two seasons, registering a .915 save percentage in the process. The Predators bolstered their offensive ranks through free agency, which should help Saros in the win column. Hellebuyck remains a stud with three straight seasons of 60-plus starts while recording a .920 save percentage or better in two of those seasons. He's 31 years old now but hasn't shown any decline -- taking home the Vezina Trophy last season.
Tier 2: The Next Guys Up
Jeremy Swayman (BOS), Jake Oettinger (DAL), Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB)
Swayman is clearly an elite goaltender when he's in the net, evidenced by a .914 save percentage or better in three straight seasons, but he has consistently split the workload with Linus Ullmark, who has moved on to Ottawa. Can Swayman handle a full workload himself? Or will Joonas Korpisalo split reps evenly? I expect Swayman to approach 55 starts as long as he's signed by the start of the regular season. Either way, there's some risk in his profile. Oettinger is coming off a trip to the conference final, and the young Stars should take another step this season, setting the 25-year-old netminder up to his 35 wins for a third straight year. Vasilevskiy just turned 30 years old and has produced seven straight seasons with 30-plus wins. The Lightning should remain among the team's top offenses this year.
Tier 3: Huge Upside With Strings Attached
Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA), Jacob Markstrom (NJ), Alexandar Georgiev (COL), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF)
Bobrovsky is coming off a remarkable regular season and a Stanley Cup win. However, he turns 36 years old in September; goaltender declines happen swiftly and oftentimes without warning. While Bobrovsky will have plenty of support and should have a strong season, his risk will continue to rise with age. Markstrom put together a strong campaign last year and was a Vezina finalist just three seasons ago. Now, he will start in New Jersey, where the young corps finished fifth in the league with 2.81 xGF/60 last season, according to Natural Stat Trick. Georgiev should have a fairly safe job after recording 78 wins over the last two seasons, but his .897 save percentage last season causes some concern. The Sabres crowned Luukkonen as their goalie of the next five years with a $23.75 million contract this offseason. The 25-year-old should comfortably start 50 and up to 60 games this season. Luukkonen is my most aggressive ranking, but his sample is large enough – he has played 100 NHL games with a .904 save percentage – and the Sabres are only getting better.
Tier 4: Starters Facing Some Competition
Frederik Andersen (CAR), Stuart Skinner (EDM), Ilya Sorokin (NYI), Joseph Woll (TOR), Linus Ullmark (OTT), Jordan Binnington (STL), Adin Hill (VGK),
Andersen's injury issues paired with the emergence of Pyotr Kochetkov keeps him from climbing these ranks. Through 100 starts with the Hurricanes, Andersen has 69 wins, a .918 save percentage and a 2.22 GAA. Skinner and the Oilers took the Panthers to seven games in June, and the 25-year-old netminder will need to prove it this year. He should be the clear starter for a team that has a loaded offensive corps and Cup aspirations. Sorokin underwent back surgery this offseason and should be ready for the regular season, but that's not his only concern. The 29-year-old didn't perform well to end the season, ceding the net to Semyon Varlamov in the playoffs. Fantasy managers shouldn't be drafting Sorokin at the same levels as years past.
Woll signed a three-year bridge deal this offseason despite playing just 25 games last year. The 26-year-old held his own with a .907 save percentage and a 12-11-1 record, but there's still a lot to prove. Furthermore, Anthony Stolarz is gearing up as the No. 2 and could battle his way into more playing time. Ullmark's three-year stint in Boston was remarkable, producing a .924 save percentage and 88 wins over 126 starts. Ottawa's situation won't be as cushy. Meanwhile, Hill has never played more than 35 games in a season. There's nothing in Hill's profile that guarantees the starting spot over Samsonov for the entire season. Binnington felt the pressure of Joel Hofer and responded accordingly, winning 28 games, the most since the 2019-20 campaign. He plays well under pressure, but Hofer could steal this job in the next year or two.
Tier 5: High-End Backups and Demko
Thatcher Demko (VAN), Semyon Varlamov (NYI), Pyotr Kochetkov (CAR), Ilya Samsonov (VGK), Joel Hofer (STL), Anthony Stolarz (TOR)
I don't see myself clicking Demko's name in drafts this season. The ambiguity around his knee injury is enough to scare me away. He remains this high out of respect for what he can do when healthy. After all, the 28-year-old had 35 wins in 51 games last year while posting a .918 save percentage. Varlamov has been extremely consistent through five seasons with the Islanders, totaling a .917 save percentage. He should remain the No. 2 option behind Sorokin. Kochetkov is in a similar situation to Varlamov, except he's the young stud waiting in the wings. The 25-year-old registered 23 wins, a .911 save percentage and four shutouts over 42 appearances last year. He could claim the No. 1 job based on his own performance or another Andersen injury.
Samsonov was thrust into the limelight at the age of 22 and didn't live up to expectations, but he is coming off 50 wins and a modest .905 save percentage over 82 games during a two-year tour in Toronto. The 27-year-old can push Hill for the starting job in an enticing Vegas system. Hofer met expectations as Binnington's backup last season, recording a .913 save percentage and 15 wins over 30 appearances. The Blues will likely struggle this year, suppressing Hofer's upside if he ever does take the starting crease. Stolarz just won a Stanley Cup as a backup but posted a .925 save percentage and a 16-7-2 record in the regular season. His two-year, $5 million contract means he'll patrol the crease plenty, even if he can't secure the starting job.
Tier 6: Decent Timeshares
Charlie Lindgren & Logan Thompson (WAS), Philipp Grubauer & Joey Daccord (SEA), Tristan Jarry & Alex Nedeljkovic (PIT), Darcy Kuemper & David Rittich (LA)
Thompson has a good chance to take over this job eventually. The 27-year-old has a track record of success in Vegas, while Lindgren never secured a full-time starting role until last season. In Seattle, Grubauer has failed to record better than a .900 save percentage or 18 wins through three seasons. Daccord should end up with this job, but the 28-year-old played just 19 NHL games before last season, so there's some shakiness in his profile. Jarry struggled down the stretch last year. I don't buy that he's suddenly a bad goalie. However, Nedeljkovic is good enough to force a timeshare, at least. Kuemper will likely run away with this starting job if the Kings get into playoff contention like they're expected to, but a 60/40 split wouldn't be surprising for the two aging goaltenders. The Kings' tandem will be quite easy to target in drafts and should pay off well.
Tier 7: Late-round upside
Dustin Wolf (CGY), Arturs Silovs (VAN), Joonas Korpisalo (BOS)
The Flames are placing a massive bet on Wolf by trading Jacob Markstrom to the Devils. Wolf, 23, has played just 17 NHL games and produced an 8-7-1 record, but his AHL performance has been remarkable, producing a .922 save percentage or better in three straight seasons. There are no sure things at goaltender, so there's significant risk here, but the upside is equally huge. Staying in the Pacific Division, Silovs will likely be the starter as long as Demko is out, which remains to be seen. Silovs played 10 games last postseason and posted a .898 save percentage, a 5-5-0 record and a shutout. Vancouver's an appealing team, and whoever's in net needs to be prioritized. Korpisalo is coming off a shaky season in Ottawa but he has shown flashes in the past when he's been in a good situation. There's significant upside as the starter in Boston if Swayman holds out for a new contract.
Tier 8: Ugly Timeshares
Lukas Dostal & John Gibson (ANA), Mackenzie Blackwood & Vitek Vanecek (SJ), Connor Ingram & Karel Vejmelka (UTA), Samuel Ersson & Ivan Fedotov (PHI), Cam Talbot & Alex Lyon & Ville Husso & Jack Campbell (DET), Sam Montembeault & Cayden Primeau (MTL), Petr Mrazek & Laurent Brossoit (CHI)
None of these teams are expected to sniff the playoffs. Among these goalies, I'm most intrigued by Dostal, who ended last season with a 6-8-2 record and a .909 save percentage over the final 17 games. But the Ducks are still too young to make a serious playoff push, and Gibson will probably take most of the starts. Ingram is enticing, too, as he was peppered with shots last season while holding his own. The starting job in Detroit should actually be quite lucrative, but four goalies in the mix leaves the fantasy world in a nasty predicament. The 37-year-old Talbot will start the season as the No. 1 but his hold on that job is tenuous at best. It's hard to feel confident in any option in the Motor City. Montembeault has been consistently average as an NHLer. He has far more experience at this level than Primeau and should begin the year as the starter. The Canadiens are scrappy but won't lend much help to either crease creature. Mrazek is a talented goalie but it's going to be another long year in Chicago. Laurent Brossoit is dealing with a knee injury and will miss time to start the season, which could lead to a large workload for Mrazek.
