Ranking Every NHL Team's Goaltending for the 2014-15 Season
With the summer nearly over, NHL teams have, for the most part, solidified their goaltending positions. Starters are pretty much universally clear; with a few exceptions, so are the backups.
It's a good time to take stock of teams around the NHL. The following rankings consider not just the starter but also the others likely to earn NHL time over the course of the year. Risk is also considered; teams with the potential for a season-destroying meltdown are heavily penalized on this list.
Read on to see where every team's goaltending ranks compared to the rest of the NHL.
30. Winnipeg Jets
1 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Ondrej Pavelec
- No. 2: Michael Hutchinson
- No. 3: Jussi Olkinuora
Capability: Pavelec once was in the ballpark of being an NHL average starter, but he hasn't been seen in that region for three years now. He's almost certainly the worst No. 1 goalie in the league right now.
Hutchinson is extremely promising; he's been a very good AHL goalie for three consecutive seasons now and might one day emerge as a starter.
Risk: The NHL's worst starter over the last few seasons is backed up by a guy with three career major league games. What could possibly go wrong?
29. Philadelphia Flyers
2 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Steve Mason
- No. 2: Ray Emery
- No. 3: Rob Zepp
Capability: Mason's been pretty good since joining the Flyers; his .917 save percentage in 2013-14 earned him some Vezina attention and is a very decent number for an NHL starter. Emery has blown hot and cold over his career, but at his best, he's been quite good.
Risk: Mason almost single-handedly torpedoed the Blue Jackets over three miserable years as a starter in which he was attracted to the .900 save percentage line the way a moth takes to a flame. He may not revert to that form, but then again he might. Emery is also a high-risk goalie.
28. Anaheim Ducks
3 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Frederik Andersen
- No. 2: Jason LaBarbera
- No. 3: John Gibson
Capability: Andersen was brilliant over the span of 28 regular-season games last year and posted ridiculous numbers in the AHL and SHL in preceding seasons. LaBarbera is coming off a tough year but has a long track record as a backup. Gibson might be the most talented of the three; the 2011 draft pick was stellar in a brief NHL stint and could be No. 1 on the depth chart by January.
Risk: While Anaheim has two goalies with brilliant potential, they're taking on a lot of risk entering 2014-15. Andersen and Gibson have 31 combined regular-season NHL games between them, while presumptive backup LaBarbera was a .901-save-percentage goalie in the AHL last season. It's a very risky trio.
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27. Buffalo Sabres
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Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Michal Neuvirth
- No. 2: Jhonas Enroth
- Others: Matt Hackett, Linus Ullmark, Nathan Lieuwen
Capability: At his best, Neuvirth has been a pretty reasonable starter, while Enroth has shown enough flashes over four seasons as the Sabres backup to also have No. 1 potential. There is also some pretty interesting prospect depth in the system, particularly Ullmark, who has been exceptional in Sweden. The problem is that "average starter" is probably the best-case scenario for most of these players based on what they've done to date.
Risk: The Sabres have done what they can to reduce their risk by letting two potential starters duke it out for the No. 1 job as well as by ensuring the AHL has some credible options. But there is no established No. 1 on the team.
26. Calgary Flames
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Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Jonas Hiller
- No. 2: Karri Ramo
- No. 3: Joni Ortio
Capability: Hiller, who has been a starter for the last five-plus seasons, was brought in as a fix for the Flames' weakest position last season. He's been an average to just below average No. 1 over the last couple of years but was better than that earlier in his career. Ramo showed flashes last season and had three good KHL years before that; he might have starting potential, as might Ortio.
Risk: Normally, Hiller would be a pretty safe bet, but a late-season meltdown in 2013-14 injects some uncertainty at the position.
25. St. Louis Blues
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Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Brian Elliott
- No. 2: Jake Allen
- No. 3: Jordan Binnington
Capability: Elliott has had flashes of incredible brilliance. From 2011-14, he's played a little over 4,000 minutes and posted a .932 save percentage in five-on-five play, good for third in the NHL behind Tuukka Rask and Henrik Lundqvist (minimum 2,500 minutes played). Allen is a highly regarded prospect who is expected to push Elliott for the starting job.
Risk: From 2008-11, Elliott played a hair under 6,000 minutes and posted a .906 save percentage at five-on-five (49th of the 52 goalies playing at least 2,500 minutes).
He's certainly earned a shot at a No. 1 job but isn't a sure thing. Allen is a pretty decent safety net despite his inexperience after posting a .928 save percentage in the AHL season last season.
24. Edmonton Oilers
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Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Ben Scrivens
- No. 2: Viktor Fasth
- No. 3: Richard Bachman
Capability: Scrivens had a wonderful 2013-14 campaign in which he earned a shot at a starting job; he played a career-high 40 games and posted a .922 save percentage. His even-strength numbers over a brief career fall between those of Jonathan Quick and Ryan Miller over the same span, which isn't a bad place to be.
Fasth also has No. 1 potential. He nearly unseated Jonas Hiller in 2012-13 with the Ducks and has a long and impressive track record in Europe. He struggled with injuries early in 2013-14 but played well after getting healthy and joining the Oilers.
Risk: Neither Scrivens nor Fasth is a proven starter, and each comes with significant risk individually. Because the Oilers have two options, however, some of that risk is mitigated.
23. Pittsburgh Penguins
8 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Marc-Andre Fleury
- No. 2: Thomas Greiss
- No. 3: Jeff Zatkoff
Capability: Fleury has put some pretty decent seasons together over the years. However, recently, he's been a sub-average NHL starter, and that's the level he's maintained for four years or so. Greiss was clearly brought in to push Fleury and/or replace him if necessary; he hasn't played many games, but when he has, his save percentage has been exceptional.
Zatkoff would be just fine in the backup slot on a team with more confidence in its starter.
Risk: Fleury isn't likely to be a total disaster, and Greiss is an excellent No. 2 option if he does struggle.
22. Chicago Blackhawks
9 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Corey Crawford
- No. 2: Antti Raanta
- No. 3: Michael Leighton
Capability: Crawford, in the aggregate, has been a slightly below-average NHL starter in four years in that slot for the Blackhawks, but he's also been weighed down by a disastrous 2011-12 campaign. At his best, he's been much better than that, such as in 2012-13, when he got some Vezina attention and posted a .932 playoff save percentage.
Raanta had an uneven North American debut but was brilliant overseas, while third-stringer Leighton returns to the AHL after a wonderful KHL season.
Risk: Crawford is a bit of a risk (it's hard to forget his .903 save percentage 2011-12), and the guys behind him don't inspire confidence. However, Crawford has also posted a .917 save percentage or better in three of the last four seasons.
21. San Jose Sharks
10 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Antti Niemi
- No. 2: Alex Stalock
- No. 3: Troy Grosenick
Capability: We're just one season removed from Niemi playing 43 of 48 games, posting a .924 save percentage and being named one of three Vezina finalists. He's generally in the average-starter range, but he's certainly capable of being more than that in any given season.
Stalock should push him after a .932-save-percentage campaign in 2013-14.
Risk: Niemi's a pretty safe goalie; in five NHL seasons, he's never had a save percentage below .912. Stalock is an uncertain backup, despite his recent success; he has a long and middling record as an AHL goaltender.
20. Minnesota Wild
11 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Josh Harding
- No. 2: Niklas Backstrom
- No. 3: Darcy Kuemper
Capability: The Wild are the exceedingly rare team that has three players with a legitimate shot at holding down the No. 1 job.
Harding led the NHL with a .933 save percentage before being forced to shut down for the rest of the season. It isn't the first time he's peaked in the .930 range. Backstrom posted a .929 save percentage as an NHL rookie and was a pretty good No. 1 for the Wild for most of seven seasons preceding 2013-14.
Kuemper eventually assumed the starting role at the end of the season and looked pretty good doing it; he has a pretty nice AHL track record backing him up as a legitimate candidate to do it again.
Risk: Assuming Kuemper get signed (he's a restricted free agent), one of the Wild's three goalies should be a legitimate starter. The sheer volume of options available is comforting.
19. Vancouver Canucks
12 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Ryan Miller
- No. 2: Eddie Lack
- No. 3: Jacob Markstrom
Capability: In a lot of ways, Miller has never lost the reputation he gained in 2010, when he won the Vezina after a stellar campaign and also guided Team USA to silver with a virtuoso performance at the Vancouver Games. That's very much the exception, though; he's a .916-save-percentage goaltender virtually every year.
Lack and Markstrom are both above-average No. 2 and No. 3 goalies, respectively; the former will push Miller, and the latter is a candidate for an NHL job immediately.
Risk: While Miller rarely outperforms his career average to a significant degree, he almost never underperforms it, either; he's a safe choice as a starter. Lack is a pretty nice fallback option.
18. Dallas Stars
13 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Kari Lehtonen
- No. 2: Anders Lindback
- Others: Jack Campbell, Jussi Rynnas
Capability: The second overall pick in the 2002 draft hasn't evolved into a franchise goalie, but Kari Lehtonen is a pretty solid NHL starter, firmly in the average range most years and sometimes even a little above it.
Behind him, it's a toss-up as to where the three significant goalies would rank in a meritocracy; Lindback has the benefit of a one-way contract but was wretched in Tampa Bay, while Rynnas and Campbell have had great moments outside the NHL.
Risk: Lehtonen has played 70 percent or more of his team's schedule for four consecutive seasons, with his save percentage varying between .914 and .922. He's a rock.
17. Colorado Avalanche
14 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Semyon Varlamov
- No. 2: Reto Berra
- No. 3: Sami Aittokallio
Capability: Varlamov showed what he can do when he's on his game in 2013-14, posting a .927 save percentage and earning a nod to the NHL's second All-Star team. At his best, he's in the conversation for the best goalie in the majors; the trouble is that his best hasn't always been evident.
It's a good thing, too, because there might not be another real NHLer in the system. Berra got lit up last year in Calgary, while Aittokallio is going to have to hold off Calvin Pickard if he's even to be the team's AHL starter.
Risk: We're exactly one year removed from Varlamov posting a .903 save percentage and basically kneecapping the Avs with his performance. The guys behind him don't inspire confidence. If Varlamov gets hurt or struggles, Colorado could have the worst goaltending in the NHL.
16. Detroit Red Wings
15 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Jimmy Howard
- No. 2: Jonas Gustavsson
- No. 3: Petr Mrazek
Capability: Howard is coming off what might be his worst season as an NHL starter, but even so, he managed a .910 save percentage and has been a reliably average (or even a little better than average) starter in four prior campaigns.
The Red Wings' love of veterans (to a fault) is evident at the backup position, where Gustavsson probably isn't as good a goalie as third-stringer Mrazek.
Risk: Even in a poor campaign, Howard wasn't a total disaster; he's a pretty sure thing in the top job. Gustavsson isn't reliably useful, but the presence of Mrazek mitigates concerns at backup.
15. Arizona Coyotes
16 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Mike Smith
- No. 2: Devan Dubnyk
- No. 3: Mike McKenna
Capability: If all goes well, the Coyotes will have two starter-calibre goalies in both the AHL and NHL. Smith has been the team's No. 1 for three seasons, ever since he posted a .930 save percentage in 2011-12 and had some significant Vezina buzz. Devan Dubnyk struggled last season but had been awfully good in Edmonton previously. At the AHL level, veteran Mike McKenna and 2010 first-round pick Mark Visentin will split time.
Risk: There is some safety here. Smith has been at least decent for three consecutive seasons, and Dubnyk was stellar in splitting the crease with Nikolai Khabibulin a few years back (though he imploded in 2013-14).
14. New Jersey Devils
17 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Cory Schneider
- No. 2: Scott Clemmensen
- No. 3: Keith Kinkaid
Capability: Schneider is capable of elite performances, but we still haven't seen him over a full season as a starter. The glimpses we've been given are superb; he's played 25 or more games for four straight seasons and posted a .920 save percentage or better each time.
None of the options behind him are even all that appealing as backups.
Risk: Schneider is a pretty safe bet, but if he struggles physically to handle a full-season workload, the Devils are sunk.
13. New York Islanders
18 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Jaroslav Halak
- No. 2: Chad Johnson
- No. 3: Kevin Poulin
Capability: Halak has had stretches where he's looked like an elite starter, but for the most part, he's been roughly a league-average No. 1 or just a touch better than that. His backup, Johnson, has a middling AHL record but was excellent for the Bruins last year; the possibility exists that he'll be able to push Halak, but given the brevity of his career, expectations should be modest.
Poulin has been mercifully returned to the third-string role he belongs in.
Risk: Halak has posted a .910 save percentage or better in five of the last six seasons (the lockout being the exception); he's a pretty safe bet.
12. Florida Panthers
19 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Roberto Luongo
- No. 2: Al Montoya
- No. 3: Dan Ellis
Capability: Luongo's contract may be an albatross, and he may be in the downswing of his career, but he's still an awfully good goaltender; at one point, he'd been getting Vezina votes for seven consecutive seasons. Realistically, he's not a franchise goalie these days, but being a top-10 netminder in the NHL isn't out of the question.
Montoya, the sixth overall pick in 2004, has had a pretty mediocre career overall but was a .920 save percentage goalie in Winnipeg last season.
Risk: Luongo's a solid bet to provide at least average goaltending, while Montoya is a reasonably capable No. 2. This is a much, much safer position than it was one season ago.
11. Ottawa Senators
20 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Craig Anderson
- No. 2: Robin Lehner
- No. 3: Andrew Hammond
Capability: Ottawa has a somewhat pleasant dilemma in net. Anderson is capable of elite-level stretches, and overall, he has been a pretty decent starting goalie, though he's a touch behind all of the really high-level NHL goaltenders overall. Lehner is a highly touted prospect who has and will continue to push Anderson for playing time; he's been quite good over 52 NHL starts.
Risk: Not many teams have two potentially starter-level goalies; the Sens have a pretty nice situation overall.
10. Washington Capitals
21 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Braden Holtby
- No. 2: Justin Peters
- No. 3: Philipp Grubauer
Capability: Holtby has been the Caps' starter for two seasons, and he's performed admirably over that span with .915- and .920-save-percentage performances. There's every reason to believe he can be an above-average No. 1.
Peters has been up and down over the course of his career but managed a .919-save-percentage performance over 21 games in Carolina last season. If he stumbles at all, Grubauer managed an even better number (.925) over 17 games in Washington.
Risk: Holtby's a strong goaltender, and somehow, Washington always seems to have two or three guys who can play. The Caps are reasonably well covered if he struggles.
9. Nashville Predators
22 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Pekka Rinne
- No. 2: Carter Hutton
- Others: Marek Mazanec, Magnus Hellberg
Capability: Rinne is capable of putting together extremely strong seasons; two years ago, he was a Vezina finalist in back-to-back seasons. He had a weak lockout year and then struggled after coming off a serious injury in 2013-14, but he certainly should be capable of an above-average performance or better.
Hutton struggled as a starter but should be fine in a backup role, and the Preds have some decent young AHLers behind him.
Risk: There's a little more risk than usual given Rinne's performance over the last couple of seasons, but if he's healthy, there isn't much worry about a poor performance. Of course, if he does go down, the potential for disaster exists.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets
23 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Sergei Bobrovsky
- No. 2: Curtis McElhinney
- No. 3: Anton Forsberg
Capability: Sergei Bobrovsky won the Vezina in 2012-13 and deservedly got some votes in 2013-14, too. He's still pretty new to being a starting goalie, but his career numbers give him a legitimate case as one of the best in the NHL. McElhinney isn't anything special but has been a solid goalie over two years in the Jackets organization.
Risk: The Blue Jackets' gamble on Bobrovsky was a high-risk move initially, but after two great seasons, he's reasonably established. A lack of fallback options here hurts.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning
24 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Ben Bishop
- No. 2: Evgeni Nabokov
- No. 3: Kristers Gudlevskis
Capability: Bishop showed exactly what he was capable of in his first season as Tampa Bay's starter in 2013-14, getting some Hart Trophy votes and finishing the season as a Vezina finalist. He's the undisputed No. 1 for the Lightning, with Nabokov there to spell him when necessary after three seasons as the Islanders' default starter.
Risk: Bishop only has 108 NHL games under his belt, so we can't be sure of his true talent level, though his AHL dominance is suggestive and makes him less of a gamble than a look at games-played totals would suggest.
6. Los Angeles Kings
25 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Jonathan Quick
- No. 2: Martin Jones
- No. 3: Jean-Francois Berube
Capability: Based on his aggregate performance, Quick isn't all that special as an NHL goalie, but the reason people lump him in with the truly elite NHL netminders is because he's capable of mind-blowing stretches. The most famous of these came in 2012, when he posted a .946 playoff save percentage and won the Conn Smythe trophy.
Martin Jones had been a brilliant AHL goalie for parts of four seasons before he got his NHL shot last season; he posted a 0.934 save percentage in 19 games in the majors and is capable of pushing Quick.
Risk: There is some risk with Quick; this is a guy who was a .902-save-percentage goalie in 2012-13 and in so doing put a legitimate contender in risk of missing the postseason. But that season seems to have been an aberration, and if he struggles, the Kings always have Jones.
5. Carolina Hurricanes
26 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Anton Khudobin
- No. 2: Cam Ward
- No. 3: Drew MacIntyre
Capability: Khudobin stole the starting job last season with a .926 save percentage, and he's always been good as he's bounced around the league. In 2,500-odd minutes at five-on-five over the last five seasons, his 0.934 save percentage has been good for third in the NHL, just ahead of Henrik Lundqvist. He hasn't played much yet, but when he has, he's been very good.
Ward imploded last season (injuries didn't help), but he was a pretty good No. 1 goalie in years prior.
Risk: Khudobin is a bit of a gamble, but in Ward the Hurricanes have an awfully impressive fallback plan. MacIntrye's a nice No. 3 option, too; he's bounced around the AHL but has almost always done good work.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
27 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Jonathan Bernier
- No. 2: James Reimer
- No. 3: Garret Sparks
Capability: Toronto now has two goalies capable of .920-plus-save-percentage performances. Bernier posted a very strong .922 in his first season as the Leafs starter, but in 117 career games, he's been awfully close to that total overall. Reimer's total over 140 career games is a little lower but still good, and he's only one year removed from a .924-save-percentage performance as the team's No. 1.
Risk: There are some teams out there with a starter as good as Bernier; few combine that with a safety net as good as Reimer.
3. Montreal Canadiens
28 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Carey Price
- No. 2: Peter Budaj
- Others: Dustin Tokarski, Joey MacDonald
Capability: By save percentage, Price is a pretty good goalie, and there has been evidence to suggest that save percentage doesn't give him due credit. His .927 save percentage last season was an elite number even without taking context into account.
Budaj (with a one-way contract) and Tokarski (who had the trust of the coaching staff in the playoffs) will battle for the backup role. Neither is a plausible starter.
Risk: Price had a lousy 2012-13 season, but he's been a good starter in four of the last five seasons; he's a pretty sure bet for the Habs.
2. Boston Bruins
29 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Tuukka Rask
- No. 2: Niklas Svedberg
- No. 3: Malcolm Subban
Capability: The NHL's defending Vezina winner has, over the last five seasons, led the NHL in five-on-five save percentage; he's one of the elite goalies in the NHL. The only question is to what degree systemic factors (i.e., Boston's defence) impact that number, but it's sort of an academic point as Rask will be playing behind the B's D again.
Risk: Rask is dependable. There is some question if he gets hurt, as the team's depth is promising yet unproven, but there isn't much injury history there.
1. New York Rangers
30 of 30
Relevant Cast:
- No. 1: Henrik Lundqvist
- No. 2: Cam Talbot
- No. 3: Cedric Desjardins
Capability: Lundqvist isn't just potentially capable of being the NHL's best goalie, but over his career, it's hard to argue that he hasn't been. He finished sixth in Vezina voting in 2014; it's the ninth time in nine seasons he's finished at least that high.
Talbot was a solid AHLer for two seasons before being pressed into duty at the NHL level in 2013-14; he posted a .941 save percentage over his first 21 major league games. That almost certainly doesn't represent his true level of ability, but the team is understandably relaxed about him in the No. 2 slot.
Risk: Lundqvist is as close as it gets to guaranteed exceptional goaltending.
Salary information courtesy of CapGeek.com; statistics from Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com and Hockey-Reference.com.
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