NHL: Assessing the Goaltending of Each Team Heading into the Summer

Goaltending is the most important part of an NHL team because great teams can crumble with poor goalie play and average teams can dominate with an elite goalie.

Look at this year's playoffs for example. With a great goaltender, the Philadelphia Flyers probably would have won the Stanley Cup, or at least they could have made it to the final.

The Los Angeles Kings, even though they have a lot of talent, would not have beaten the top two seeds in the Western Conference playoffs or even made the postseason without stellar goaltending.

Let's look at each team's goaltending situation and determine if changes should be made in the summer.

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks were excited for Jonas Hiller to return to form after returning from an injury, but he was mediocre at best this season with a 29-30-12 record.

Dan Ellis, who played 10 games, was 1-5.

The Ducks should give Hiller another season in net, but if he doesn't improve next year, then it would be time to make a change. The team would be smart to bolster the quality and depth on the blue line to help the goaltenders.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins have one of the best goaltending tandems in the NHL with starter Tim Thomas and backup Tuukka Rask.

Thomas won the Vezina Trophy last year and in 2009, but he did not achieve that same level of success this season, which, to be fair, would have been too much to ask of a 37-year-old goalie.

He was 35-19-1 this season, and even though he struggled at times against the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, Thomas had a 2.14 GAA and a .923 save percentage through seven games.

Rask is one of the best young goalies in hockey and will be a star in this league quite soon. I expect the Bruins to let Rask come into training camp with a chance to earn the starting job.

Thomas is entering the final year of his contract and will have a lot of trade value if the Bruins decide to move him. I can't see the Bruins trading him, however, especially when he is still an elite player.

Buffalo Sabres

Starter Ryan Miller and backup Jhonas Enroth did not play well consistently enough for the Buffalo Sabres this season.

Since his Vezina Trophy-winning season of 2010, Miller's save percentage and GAA have not been at an elite level. His 25-22 record in the playoffs also isn't that great.

The Sabres should keep Miller, but they need to find a reliable backup for him and play well defensively throughout the course of next season to make the playoffs.

Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff is one of the best players in the NHL and has had to dominate every night for his team to be a playoff contender.

He was 35-22-11 this season despite playing with an average defense in front of him. The Flames need to find him a suitable backup, too, because forcing Kiprusoff to play in 70 or more games is not an ideal scenario.

Carolina Hurricanes

Cam Ward is one of the better goalies in the NHL, but his stats weren't that impressive this season, mainly because of the lack of offense he was supported with, and the poor defense that played in front of him.

He's a solid goalie for the Hurricanes' future, but finding him a suitable backup would be smart. Brian Boucher, Mike Murphy and Justin Peters combined for a 3-10-3 record in a backup role.

Chicago Blackhawks

Poor goaltending is the biggest weakness on the Chicago Blackhawks, and it was evident during the playoffs.

Starter Corey Crawford was 1-4 in the first round against the Phoenix Coyotes, and he had a save percentage of .893.

He also allowed several soft goals. Crawford isn't the answer for Chicago, and neither is veteran backup Ray Emery.

If the Blackhawks want to win the Stanley Cup in the near future, they must acquire a star goalie and use one of their star forwards as trade bait.

Tim Thomas would be a good short-term solution for them.

Colorado Avalanche

If the Colorado Avalanche got better goaltending this season, they probably would have made the playoffs.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Semyon Varlamov were average this season and had a combined 41-35-6 record.

The Avalanche need to find a strong No. 1 goaltender to make the playoffs next season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets' goaltending is a complete disaster, and it's the one area that has destroyed this franchise in its brief existence.

Curtis Sanford and Steve Mason were a combined 26-44-7 this season. When the Blue Jackets inevitably trade captain Rick Nash, they must get a talented young goaltender in return.

Dallas Stars

Kari Lehtonen is one of the more underrated goaltenders in the NHL, and he had an impressive record of 33-22-4 for the Dallas Stars this season.

I don't think the Stars need to address their goaltending since adding quality and depth on defense is the real issue.

Detroit Red Wings

Jimmy Howard didn't play well against the Nashville Predators in the first round of the playoffs, but he is a good young goaltender with a bright future ahead of him.

Howard had a .888 save percentage and a 1-4 record in the playoffs, but he is a great goalie for the future in Detroit. Joey McDonald is a talented backup for Detroit and a massive upgrade over former backup Ty Conklin.

Edmonton Oilers

Devan Dubnyk is a good young goaltender and should enter the season as the starter for the Edmonton Oilers next season.

Bringing in a veteran backup would be a good idea, but the Oilers need to upgrade on defense before the goaltending stats improve.

Florida Panthers

Jose Theodore and Scott Clemmensen did a nice job for the Florida Panthers this season and helped the team make the playoffs.

However, next season will be elite prospect Jacob Markstrom's time to shine and become the superstar goalie many think he will become. 

The goalie position is looking good in South Florida.

Los Angeles Kings

Jonathan Quick is probably the best goaltender in the NHL right now and has been nominated for the Vezina Trophy as well.

He led the NHL with 11 shutouts and could be the Conn Smythe Award winner in the playoffs this season. Quick and young backup Jonathan Bernier form one of the best goalie tandems in the NHL.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have a good starter in Niklas Backstrom, but injury issues are a problem with him. With that said, they will need to acquire another talented backup since current backup Josh Harding will probably leave the team in the summer through free agency.

Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price is an elite goaltender, but the Montreal Canadiens' defense this season was really poor, and the team didn't score consistently, either.

The Canadiens need to re-sign Price this summer as a restricted free agent and surround him with better defensemen. 

Finding a better backup is also an option for Montreal.

Nashville Predators

Pekka Rinne is a top goaltender and was nominated for the Vezina Trophy this season, but he played in 71 games this season, which is way too much to ask from a goalie on a Stanley Cup contender.

The Nashville Predators need to find a better backup for Rinne and add another quality defenseman if Ryan Suter and/or Shea Weber leave the team in the summer through free agency

New Jersey Devils

Martin Brodeur played well this season for the New Jersey Devils and has been phenomenal in the playoffs, leading his team to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2003.

Brodeur is 40 years old and is an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the Devils have good goalie depth throughout the organization to make up for Marty's loss if he leaves in the offseason.

New York Islanders

Evgeni Nabokov played well for the New York Islanders and earned himself a new contract for his performances.

The problem for the Islanders is on defense, where they have to be better next season to take the next step and become a playoff team.

New York Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist was amazing this season and is a finalist for the Hart and Vezina Trophies this season. He was arguably the most consistent player in the NHL this season and gave the New York Rangers a chance to win almost every game he played in.

Backup Martin Biron was a pleasant surprise this season with a 12-6-2 record, allowing Lundqvist to get some nice rest, where in past seasons he had to play too many games.

Ottawa Senators

With Craig Anderson, Robin Lehner and Ben Bishop, the Ottawa Senators have three quality young goaltenders who are all worthy of being a starter.

The future between the pipes is very bright for the Senators.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers finally spent big money on goaltending last summer by signing Ilya Bryzgalov, and it turned out to be a bad decision.

Bryzgalov was a distraction on and off the ice, and he was very inconsistent throughout the year. He's a good goalie, but was he a product of the Phoenix Coyotes' system? I'm beginning to think he was.

Bryzgalov wasn't the sole reason why the Flyers lost to the Devils in the second round of the playoffs 4-1, but he was a major disappointment this season.

The Flyers have to hope that Bryzgalov gets it together next season and shows more consistency.

Phoenix Coyotes

Mike Smith is a solid goaltender and has made some huge saves in the playoffs, but I think the strong Phoenix Coyotes defense and their system has helped him play at an elite level during the playoffs.

Give credit to the Coyotes for acquiring Smith, because the Tampa Bay Lightning didn't make much of an effort to keep him last summer.

Smith is a reliable goaltender for the Coyotes going forward.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was surprisingly terrible in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers, but he's still the right man for the Pittsburgh Penguins going forward.

The team does need to find a better backup, so the team can still have a chance to win when Fleury needs a rest or if he is injured.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks have good goaltending depth, but if they think Antti Niemi will win them a Stanley Cup when the offense doesn't score consistently, they are mistaken.

Niemi is a good starting goalie, but he can't be relied on to carry a team during the playoffs. The real issue for the Sharks to address is the play of their veteran forwards in the playoffs.

Players like Patrick Marleau might not be a good fit long term with the franchise.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues were one of the most consistent teams this season and were led by their strong goaltending duo of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott.

Elliott was brutal in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings during the second-round series in which the Blues were swept. Halak was injured and not able to play against the Kings.

The Blues were certainly disappointed with Elliott in the playoffs, and they will now wonder if his great regular season was just a fluke.

Halak, however, is a legitimate No. 1 goalie when healthy.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Dwayne Roloson was abysmal this season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and his poor play was a major reason why the team went from being one period away from the Stanley Cup final last season to one of the worst Eastern Conference teams this season.

The Lightning need to find a young goalie for the future, and they have the draft picks needed to make a significant trade.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending...where do we begin?

James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson did not play well for much of the year, although to be fair, the play of the Leafs' defensemen was also disappointing throughout the season.

Reimer and Gustavsson combined for a 31-31-8 record this season.

General manager Brian Burke must find a star goaltender for the future, and extending an offer sheet to a restricted free agent or trading for a top goalie (Roberto Luongo) is his best bet since the unrestricted free-agent market isn't deep with goaltending.

Vancouver Canucks

It appears that the Cory Schneider era in Vancouver will begin this summer since the team committed to him in the playoffs and starter Roberto Luongo said he would waive the no-movement clause in his contract if the Canucks wanted to trade him.

Schneider started many games against the team's rivals this season, including matchups with the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. He is a great young player and the right goalie for the franchise moving forward.

The best way to address their goaltending in the offseason would be for the Canucks to trade Luongo for scoring and promote top prospect Eddie Lack to the backup role.

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals have been treated to a wonderful goaltending performance by rookie Braden Holtby in the playoffs thus far, and he has established himself as the future netminder for the franchise.

The Capitals have been searching for a franchise goalie for years, and it appears they have finally found one in Holtby.

Winnipeg Jets

Ondrej Pavelec is a good goalie, but he was 29-28-2 this season for the Winnipeg Jets, who would have made the playoffs if they won just a couple more games.

If the Jets can find a quality backup and not ask Pavelec to play 68 games next year, then they will make the playoffs next season.