NHL Free Agents 2012: Ranking Top Goalies Available This Offseason

As the Los Angeles Kings and Jonathan Quick showed us last season, a goaltender can be the difference between a pretender and a contender.

It's usually best to draft a high-quality goalie, but things don't always work out the way organizations would like them to. When the draft fails, free agency is the perfect place for a team to find its next netminder, as plenty of teams will try to do this offseason.

Here are the top three goalies on the free-agency market.

Cory Schneider

For the time being, Schneider is still on the market. The Vancouver Canucks made a qualifying offer to the 26-year-old to secure their rights to him. That means they have until June 30 to re-sign Schneider before other teams can tender him an offer.

If another team makes an offer that Vancouver can't compete with, we could see Schneider depart for greener pastures.

Schneider is ready to a No. 1 goaltender and his age will play a factor in the amount of money he's going to command, as well as what he is worth to potential suitors.

The 26th overall pick in 2004 started 28 games last season, posting a .937 save percentage and a measly 1.96 goals-against average, good for second and third in the league, respectively.

Scott Clemmensen

The Florida Panthers have decided to let Clemmensen take a stab at free agency. The goalie market is a bit dry this offseason, so Clemmensen looks like a viable option for some teams.

He started 25 games last season, but posted a respectable 2.57 goals-against average. It's tough to play sporadically and be on the top of your game all the time, so don't be surprised if that number falls with regular playing time.

He's 34 years old and would likely come at a low price for whichever team wishes to pay for his services. He's probably better as a backup to a less durable goaltender, and a viable one at that.

Martin Biron

The New York Rangers are looking to bring back Martin Biron as Henrik Lundqvist's backup, but nothing concrete has been decided yet. His statistics pale in comparison to Lundqvist's, but most goalies in the NHL are in that category.

Biron is so valuable because he has the ability to step in and play a full-time role if injury or other circumstances call for him to do so. There has to be a team out there that needs his help more than the Rangers do given Lundqvist's durability.

In 20 starts last season, Biron went 12-6-2 for the Rangers, posting a 2.46 goals-against average at Madison Square Garden. If the Rangers don't pony up to Biron's liking, another team should try their luck on the 34-year-old veteran.