Andrei Vasilevskiy

Vasilevskiy struggled in 2022-23 -- there's no other way to put it. Sure, he finished 6th overall in wins with 34. But his save percentage (.915) and GAA (2.65) were pedestrian by his standards and way down the goalie stat lists. Plus, he looked human in a first-round loss to the Maple Leafs. After the season, Vasilevskiy admitted his body started to let him down about half-way through the season. He has been the NHL's busiest netminder since 2016-17 (483 games, combined), so fatigue and wear-and-tear likely played a significant role. To make matters worse, Vasilevskiy underwent back surgery in late September that is expected to keep him sidelined for 8-10 weeks. That means the outstanding netminder will likely make around 46 starts in a best-case scenario this year. Fantasy managers still considering picking up Vasi on draft day will need to ensure they have a backup plan for the first few months of the campaign.

Vasilevskiy wasn't the best goaltender in the league a year ago, but that doesn't mean he didn't provide top-tier fantasy value once again. Vasilevskiy posted 35-plus wins (39) for the fourth time in five seasons, while his GAA was below 2.50 (2.49) for the third time in the past four campaigns. Vasilevskiy's .916 save percentage was his lowest since the 2015-16 season, but still right in line with his typical numbers. A large part of Vasilevskiy's fantasy value is related to playing time. In a league when most goaltenders struggle to top 55 games, the Russian played 63 a season ago. Vasilevskiy is again worthy of a late first-round pick in most formats and has a real case to be the top netminder off the board, depending on whether or not you're a believer in Igor Shesterkin's breakout.

Continuing his reign as one of the league's most dominant goaltenders, Vasilevskiy registered a terrific 2.21 GAA and .925 save percentage with a 31-10-1 record last season. For the fourth consecutive campaign, the 6-foot-3 Russian led the NHL in wins and finished top three in voting for the Vezina Trophy. Vasi kicked into another gear in the postseason, going 16-7 with a 1.90 GAA and a .937 save percentage while earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. The 27-year-old hasn't recorded a GAA over 2.62 or a save percentage under .917 in any of the last five seasons. Vasilevskiy's blend of consistency, durability and skill make him an elite fantasy netminder that should live up to his high draft position.

Vasilevskiy is a beast and a rare example of a goaltender worthy of a first-round pick in fantasy. His 35-14-3 record and Stanley Cup win last season sparkled on the surface. But surprisingly, neither his 2.56 GAA or .917 save percentage were top 10 in the NHL (among those who played at least 24 games). Still, Vasilevskiy remains a workhorse with a Vezina trophy on his mantle. He'll be one of just a small handful of goalies who wins 30 games. That matters a lot in a shortened season. He's worth a top-10 pick.

Vasilevskiy won his first Vezina Trophy last season as the NHL's top goalie after leading the NHL with 39 wins. It was a remarkable season, especially when considering he missed almost a month with a broken foot. He delivered a 2.40 GAA (ninth overall) and .925 save percentage (sixth overall) in just 53 games. He also did it at the tender age of 24. The Lightning remain the class of the league, so Vasilevskiy won't have to be a workhorse. He'll get plenty of rest during the season, but he'll still deliver results that could once again top the NHL. Vasilevskiy will be the top goalie taken in just about every fantasy draft, and he'll be off the board fast. That makes sense, because he'll deliver the kind of results you need to win your league.

At just 23 years old, Vasilevskiy delivered his first Vezina Trophy nomination for an outstanding 2017-18 campaign with the Bolts. It was his first full season as the starter and he co-led the NHL in both wins (44) and shutouts (eight). The wins set a franchise record and his .920 save percentage was 15th in the NHL among those who started 25 or more games. Moreover, his 2.62 GAA was seventh among those with at least 60 starts. Sure, Vasilevskiy wobbled a bit in the postseason, but it's hard to blame the young man. He'd already started 17 more regular-season games than ever before and added 17 more in the playoffs. Vasilevskiy is big, smart and positionally sound, and he will deliver another Vezina nomination in 2018-19. He could very well backstop the Bolts to their second-ever Stanley Cup and should be among your top options in the twine tent.

The 23-year-old Vasilevskiy enters training camp as the undisputed top dog in Tampa's blue paint. He took over for an injured Ben Bishop right before Christmas last season and held his own, although his overall numbers were average (2.61 GAA and .918 save percentage). But we only need to dig a little deeper to see his true potential -- and the reasons Vasilevskiy could be the breakout candidate of 2017-18. He delivered a .922 save percentage at even strength in 2016-17, which is an indication of strong underlying skills and something that forecasts success. And then there's his overall play post-Big Ben. Vasilevskiy's save percentage once he became the top dog was .926, a number that, if extrapolated over a full season, would have put him second in the league behind only Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky. Vasilevskiy is the future of the franchise and is about to become a top-10 fantasy netminder at the age of 23. Take that to the bank.

Vasilevskiy's time has come. He proved in the 2015-16 postseason that he could command the blue paint for the Bolts and in any other place, he'd be the top dog. But Ben Bishop still wears a bolt on his jersey, at least for now, and that means Vasilevskiy will see limited ice until Bishop is moved. Expect that to come either by the start of the season or before the end of 2016. Vasilevskiy is big and talented, and ready for prime time. And at $925,000, he's a whole lot cheaper than Big Ben ($5.95 million). Draft day will be a challenge for you, though, especially if the team enters the season with both men. Bishop delivers elite numbers and will be the top dog if he's still in town. Dynasty leagues building for 2017-18 and beyond should invest heavily. But those of you in single-year leagues need to weigh your options very, very carefully.

Vasilevskiy is biding his time. He’s incredibly talented and the Bolts’ goalie of the future, but that big guy Ben Bishop is blocking his path. Vasilevskiy will be on call should Bishop get hurt (again). And because the Stanley Cup runners up figure to be very good again, that would immediately make Vasilevskiy an above-average option in the net. But for this year and next, Vasilevskiy won’t start more than 30 or 35 games if Bishop is healthy. He’s valuable as a handcuff and in both deep dynasty and daily leagues. But outside that, he’s Robin to Bishop’s Batman. His time won’t truly come until 2017-18.

Vasilevskiy may be a top-10 prospect, but he's nowhere near NHL-ready. He turned 20 this past summer and hasn't played more than a handful of games on NHL-size ice. Still, the sky really is the limit for this big, athletic twine-tender, who carried an average KHL squad to the league finals in 2013-14 and shined as a backup for Russia's gold-medal winning team at the most recent World Championships. He'll spend 2014-15 in the AHL, splitting time with Kristers Gudlevskis. A starting gig in the NHL is still several seasons away, and that means his fantasy value is, too.

Vasilevskiy is a big, raw, athletic twinetender with tremendous, long-term fantasy upside. But there's a big BUT in his file and it's the "Russian" card. He has NHL starter upside, but he still needs time to develop. And that means his eight-game cup of coffee in the KHL last season could turn into a full carafe. He says all the right things about wanting to be in the NHL, but the money the KHL can dish out might be much too enticing. He's certainly stashable in keeper formats, but don't draft him too early there. This is truly a watch-and-wait situation.

Right now, Vasilevski is best known for being the Team Russia goalie who was yanked with six minutes left in his team's 6-5 win over Canada and the 2012 World Under-20 Championship. But that will soon change. Vasilevski is a big, calm netminder who could be the best his country has produced (at that age). The obvious caveats apply - he's likely bound to play in the KHL for a few years and that makes him a risk. Fantasy owners should wait for hints he'll come to North America before rostering him.