Goalie Power Rankings: Every NHL Team's Tandem from 32 to 1
Goalies are difficult to forecast correctly. It's an idea that you will hear bandied about by all manner of NHL analysts and talking heads, and there's a good reason for it. Analyzing players at the position has been complicated for years. We're barely a decade into the league's stats renaissance, at least publicly, and we still aren't particularly good at forecasting which netminders will perform well and who will not.
The thing about goaltending is that a team has to absolutely have it if it wants to win the Stanley Cup. Almost every year we see a random masked man elevate his game during the postseason, taking a scrappy team to the final four when it was supposed to be an easy first-round out.
Lack of solid netminding is also the easiest way for a franchise that is attempting to tank in order to lose points in the standings. There will be a few clear-cut examples of that in our goalie tandem rankings.
And because goalie analysis is so tricky and imperfect, this list will be too. That, however, is what makes this fun. It's not as simple as hopping onto Hockey Reference, sorting by save percentage or wins and then taking that as your de facto rankings.
There are so many variables to consider, including upside, established level of play and the quality of the defense the goaltenders are protected by. And even then...goalies are tough to pin down and get right.
32. Arizona Coyotes: Carter Hutton and Karel Vejmelka
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This is a tandem that is ineffective by design. Carter Hutton has carved out an odd niche for himself this season after three years of getting shelled with the Buffalo Sabres. The Arizona Coyotes are rebuilding, and they are tanking hard in hopes of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft.
Hutton, after three seasons of getting lit up in Buffalo, was the perfect candidate to come in at age 36 and help Arizona get to where it wants to be—which is as far down the standings as possible.
Too many franchises are fine to play in the muddy middle, and we have to commend the Coyotes for fully embracing their awfulness—even if the play of Karel Vejmelka has been an early-season bright spot in the desert.
31. San Jose Sharks: James Reimer and Adin Hill
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There's no question that James Reimer and the San Jose Sharks have been one of the biggest surprises to start the 2021-22 season. There's also no question that there is a whole lot of hockey left to be played, and that these rankings aren't based on a few weeks' worth of play.
We're looking big picture here. As far as that goes, the 6-4 Sharks and Reimer have overachieved so far. It's been fun to watch and it's hard not to pull for Reimer, but the odds are against San Jose being able to maintain this level of play all year long.
We wouldn't argue if you wanted to see this tandem ranked closer toward the mid-20s, but at that point we aren't talking about a major jump either. Adin Hill is also better than he has received credit for and was alarmingly decent behind a decidedly bad Coyotes team last season.
If you're looking for candidates to possibly outperform how we have them ranked, though, the Sharks duo would be a good place to start. We're making our words sugary sweet here for a reason.
30. Edmonton Oilers: Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith
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It was odd to see the Edmonton Oilers go back to the well with the tandem of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith. There was a lot of movement around the NHL during the offseason in terms of goalies; it's not hard to look around the league and identify ways this team could have improved in net.
Yet here we are again, with the average-at-best Koskinen and the 39-year-old Smith at the helm as Connor McDavid and Co. try to do some damage in the playoffs.
It just seems like a strange bet for general manager Ken Holland to make. What upside does he see?
McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the most electric offensive talents in the NHL, and the defensive corps is led by Darnell Nurse. Instead of trying to improve between the pipes, the Oilers just went back to what hasn't worked for three straight years now.
Like every other tandem on this list, this one could well end up proving us wrong by the end of the season. It just doesn't seem likely based on past performance.
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29. Ottawa Senators: Matt Murray and Anton Forsberg
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We aren't exactly sure when Matt Murray will be back for the Ottawa Senators. He took a knee to the head against the New York Rangers toward the end of October, and there isn't a timetable for his return yet.
When he's been healthy for the Sens, though, the 27-year-old hasn't been good. It's understandable why Ottawa took a gamble on Murray when it traded for him and subsequently signed him in October 2020. It's not everyday that youngish two-time Stanley Cup winning goalies hit the trade circuit.
The fresh start hasn't worked out for Murray. His goals saved above average last season was over minus-11 for the second consecutive year, and he's starting to run out of time to turn things around in Ottawa. After this year, he'll have just two seasons left on his contract, which could enable the Senators to cut ties if they so choose.
Anton Forsberg has started just 12 games over the past two seasons. Either you read that and believe that he has untapped potential, or you read that and understand there's a reason for it.
28. Dallas Stars: Anton Khudobin and Braden Holtby
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We're all for healthy competition, and apparently so are the Dallas Stars.
In Texas, where everything is allegedly bigger, they have not one, not two, not three, but four goalies who could possibly finish the season as the starter. It's simultaneously the most complicated and most entertaining netminder scenario as we roll through 2021-22.
For now, Braden Holtby appears to be the go-to goalie for the Stars. He's received a lion's share of the starts early on, and he's been solid. That is a vast improvement over the player he's been over the last two campaigns. Over that period, he carried an awful minus-29.8 GSAA in 69 games.
It'll be interesting to see how much leash he has in Dallas. Anton Khudobin isn't a worldbeater by any means, but if Holtby falters, he'll be there to steady the ship.
And we also have Ben Bishop, who is still on long-term injured reserve. Who knows what happens whenever he's ready to play again. Don't forget about Jake Oettinger either. The 22-year-old is the organization's goalie of the future, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him get a few starts down the stretch.
There are just too many variables in play here to trust Dallas' collection of netminders, though.
27. Buffalo Sabres: Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski
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Like the San Jose Sharks, the Buffalo Sabres have been one of this season's early surprises. The play of Craig Anderson is a big reason why too. He impressed head coach Don Granato during the preseason with his mindset, and the 5-4-1 Sabres are in the playoff hunt.
That isn't a likely outcome in the rough-and-tumble Atlantic Division, but it's still been a feel-good story for the 40-year-old.
By the season's end, it seems like a safe bet the Sabres will be a bottom-third team, and the netminding will come down to earth eventually. Neither Anderson or Dustin Tokarski are in place to be long-term or high-end solutions for Buffalo, and that's the way the year will play out as the months unfold.
26. Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic and Thomas Greiss
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It was a bit of an offseason surprise when the Carolina Hurricanes decided to ship Alex Nedeljkovic to the Detroit Red Wings for what amounts to a third-round pick. It was also a calculated risk for Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman to take on a goalie who was coming off of a stellar but brief campaign.
That's because Nedeljkovic was a restricted free agent who appeared due for a sizable raise despite having just 29 NHL starts. He's on what amounts to a two-year "prove it" contract with Detroit after re-signing with the Canes in 2019, and we just haven't seen enough from the 25-year-old to confidently rank this tandem any higher than this.
Nedeljkovic has both upside and an opportunity to grow with a rebuilding Red Wings team. It just remains to be seen if he's as strong as he appeared to be a year ago. Carolina cut him loose for a reason, while the Red Wings were willing to give him a shot for a reason.
We'll know who was right eventually, but for now, the jury is very much still out.
Thomas Greiss is a fine No. 2 option, yet the 36-year-old isn't enough to move the needle as far as ranking this duo higher is concerned.
25. Pittsburgh Penguins: Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith
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Not too long ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins had one of the most outstanding goaltender pipelines in the NHL. They had Marc-Andre Fleury starting, with Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry waiting in the wings once the Flower's time with the Pens was over.
In case you haven't heard, though: Projecting goalies is supremely difficult. Look no further than the Penguins for evidence.
Jarry is entering his age-26 campaign in Pittsburgh, and he hasn't proved himself as a high-end starter or as the reason that the Penguins would frequently lose games. At least not during the regular season. There's no denying that he was atrocious during the playoffs a year ago.
He's been largely average as an everyday NHL netminder otherwise, and we can't see him or Casey DeSmith pushing this team higher than mid-20s by the end-of-the-season rankings. There's some upside here, but by now, we pretty much know who they are.
24. New Jersey Devils: Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier
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The New Jersey Devils defense could be improved enough and Mackenzie Blackwood is young enough that this ranking could really come back to bite us by the end of the season. All the elements are there for this take to age poorly.
It should be stated how much upside Blackwood has. The Devils keep backing him up with veteran No. 2 netminders, but this is largely going to be the soon-to-be 25-year-old's net.
He received a little Calder Trophy love as a rookie a year ago and has a lot of upside. Blackwood is big at 6'4" and is mobile enough to give shooters fits. If he can really start to find his A-game consistently, it would elevate the Devils to another level.
It'd also take this tandem up safely into the early 20s within these rankings. Jonathan Bernier was a rock during his time in Detroit and is the perfect complement to the emerging Blackwood.
23. Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Hart and Martin Jones
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Maybe we're jumping the gun by burying Carter Hart and the Philadelphia Flyers this far down on this list. If you think we did and that this duo should be ranked higher, then odds are good that you still buy the hype that has surrounded this goalie since he was a teenager.
Eventually hype and potential need to turn into talent and wins, and so far it just hasn't materialized for Hart. He's entering his age-23 season, so it would be foolish to write him off as washed already. To this point, though, the former three-time WHL goalie of the year hasn't shown that he has what it takes to be The Guy in Philadelphia.
Is that goalie in there somewhere? We'd like to think so and would even go as far as to say that we hope he finds his way this season. Hart simply hasn't done anything over the last two years to inspire much confidence. He also has a middling .241 GAA among goalies who've started at least five games in 2021-22.
Maybe we'll end up with egg on our face here, but the Carter Hart Revenge Tour hasn't exactly gotten off to a roaring start.
22. Washington Capitals: Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek
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Don't mind us. We'll just be over here exposing ourselves to being wrong about one of these young netminders by ranking them in the back third of the league. With so much established talent further down the list, though, it's hard to justify projecting Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek much higher than this.
If this were a list of tandems with the most potential, this one could reasonably crack the top-10. It'd actually be pretty hard to keep them out of that space.
Yet, both have just 43 NHL starts. That means there's a lot we don't know about both of these young players (24 and 25, respectively). We appreciate that the Capitals moved on from Holtby when it became clear his time as an elite starter was over, but it also exposed them to a bit of risk since neither Samsonov or Vanecek are established as true starters.
One of them will take those reins by the end of 2021-22. We just don't know which one, or how effective they'll be together.
21. Toronto Maple Leafs: Petr Mrazek and Jack Campbell
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As almost every analyst and talking head has mentioned during the offseason, it's Stanley Cup or bust for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021-22. This is honestly why we have the duo of Petr Mrazek and Jack Campbell ranked this low.
Fans in Toronto have fallen in love with Campbell, and extending him has reportedly become a priority for the Leafs, according to Sportnet's Nick Kypreos. Still, this is a goalie who is 29 and has never started more than 26 games in a single season.
That's...an interesting horse to tie your cart to, especially with so much goaltending talent available over the past summer and so much money tied up in a core group of forwards. Has the 2010 No. 11 pick finally put it together enough to be a championship-caliber goalie?
We just don't see it, even with his 1.86 GAA and .932 save percentage to start the 2021-22 season (nine games, eight starts). If you aren't viewing the NHL landscape through Maple Leaf-blue-tinted sunglasses, you probably don't either.
Behind him is Mrazek, who is capable of getting red hot for stretches. When he isn't "on," though, he's generally average. Not a lot to write home about here with this tandem.
20. Los Angeles Kings: Calvin Petersen and Jonathan Quick
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We'll hear arguments that the Los Angeles Kings should be ranked much lower. Calvin Petersen had only made 50 starts in the NHL before this season, and he hasn't exactly hit the ground running as the Kings' next No. 1 goalie.
Over the last three campaigns, he's played in 54 games and has saved 11 goals above average.
So he hasn't crumbled under the pressure either, and Los Angeles appears to be ready to take the next step in its rebuild. If they're going to do so, Petersen will need to be a big part of what it's doing.
We just so happen to think that the 27-year-old has all the tools needed to guide the Kings through the next phase of their evolution. General manager Rob Blake appears to agree, already having signed Petersen to a three-year extension that doesn't kick in until next year.
Jonathan Quick is a shadow of who he used to be, but that ultra-competitive scrambler is still in there and appears from time to time. That doesn't happen reliably, but it's still fun when the 35-year-old turns back the clock.
19. Calgary Flames: Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar
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The Calgary Flames did not get what they paid for in Jacob Markstrom's first season as their starter. He walked from the Vancouver Canucks after finishing fourth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2019-20. That's the level of goalie Calgary thought it was signing when it handed out a massive six-year deal worth $36 million.
Markstrom didn't live up to that contract during his first year as a Flame, leading the NHL in losses and posting his worst save percentage since 2014, but his track record is long enough that we're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Calgary is off to a great start under new-old head coach Darryl Sutter, and Markstrom has been a driving force behind this team's early-season push toward a playoff spot. We don't have this tandem ranked higher because Dan Vladar is a bit of an unknown commodity, at least at the NHL level.
That doesn't mean the 24-year-old can't play; it's just that we haven't seen enough of him during the regular season to have a feel for what he brings to the ice every night. Vladar made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins last year, showing mixed but generally unimpressive results over five starts. His preseason gave the Flames reason to be hopeful, though.
If Calgary keeps playing well, this duo could end up in the top half of the NHL's goalie pairs by the end of the year.
18. Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz
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John Gibson is one of the best netminders in the league today. The goalie knows that the Anaheim Ducks need more from everyone on the roster, and wasn't afraid to say as much during the offseason.
"I don't want to lose," he told Eric Stephens of The Athletic in September. "I'm here to win. I'm just worried about getting myself ready to play this year and take it from there."
The Ducks are a long shot to be any good this season. Gibson being "ready," as he put it, is not. Despite the team collapsing around him over the past three years, the netminder has stood on his head on most nights. Anaheim's record would have been much worse if it wasn't for the Pittsburgh native.
He has the Olympics to look forward to this year. A playoff berth? Not so much. It won't be Gibson's fault if the Ducks miss the cut, and we have to wonder just how good he would be on a higher-end team.
17. Minnesota Wild: Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen
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The Minnesota Wild appearing this high is largely contingent on Kaapo Kahkonen being the goalie that the organization believes he is. And on Cam Talbot's continuing to play as solid as he has been. It's not hyperbolic to say the Wild's season hinges on whether the netminders can not only continue to be steady but also elevate their respective games.
The 25-year-old Kahkonen will eventually get the keys to a franchise that is trying to evolve from a Camry into a Cadillac. Can he take the Wild out of the muddy middle and toward becoming something more?
If he can't do so this season, the quietly steady Talbot will be there to continue to get starts. He was stellar last year, but at 34, he shouldn't be relied upon to play up to that level again.
16. Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price and Jake Allen
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Keep in mind that this list is focusing on goaltending duos during the regular season. That's an important caveat for Carey Price, who is reportedly set to return to the Montreal Canadiens soon. It's unclear just how long it'll be before he can make his 2021-22 debut after taking a leave from the team beginning Oct. 7 to voluntarily enter the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
From strictly a hockey standpoint, though, the Habs are badly missing their No. 1. We saw just how important Price was to Montreal during its miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final last season. That stretch of play was also a reminder of just how great the 14-year veteran can be.
Jake Allen is doing all he can to keep the ship steady, but this isn't his team. At 3-9 with an Eastern Conference-worst six points, Montreal appears to be on the ropes even though it's only November. Could a returning Price be enough to turn things around for another improbable run?
15. Chicago Blackhawks: Marc-Andre Fleury and Kevin Lankinen
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We're giving Marc-Andre Fleury a lot of benefit of the doubt after the 1-8 start he and the Chicago Blackhawks have had. The defending Vezina Trophy winner arrived in the Windy City this past offseason with the team clearly hoping he would settle things down in their crease.
That isn't the way things have shaken out so far in 2021-22.
The reality is that Fleury punched way above his weight class last year. He was outstanding during the Vegas Golden Knights' first season, but the team was literally built around him and he was the face of the franchise. Vegas traded him as soon as it could, however, and there's a reason for that.
Fleury had been trending downward, and goalies don't typically get better after the age of 35. He's got the Vezina sitting at home in his trophy case, so we're giving him some wiggle room here. Just know that we believe this tandem is much more likely to end up in the NHL's bottom half than the top half.
14. St. Louis Blues: Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso
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Jordan Binnington is in the same place that Matt Murray was just a few seasons ago. He won the Stanley Cup as a young netminder and a largely unproven regular-season starter. His playoff exploits implied that he was capable of being a lights-out netminder for the St. Louis Blues, but he hadn't proven it yet.
He made 121 starts before this season began, and that was clearly all longtime general manager Doug Armstrong needed to see. The Blues inked Binnington to a six-year extension worth $36 million, including a modified no-trade clause.
Winning a Stanley Cup is the hardest thing to do in the NHL. No one will ever be able to take that ring away from Binnington, but is he the real deal? He's never been bad for the Blues, but he hasn't been as good as he was in 2018-19, either.
Ville Husso was unremarkable as a freshman netminder a year ago and is a risky safety net for St. Louis to have in place, which leads to this middle-of-the-pack ranking.
13. Columbus Blue Jackets: Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo
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We're big fans of Elvis Merzlikins. He's trying to win a Vezina Trophy to honor his fallen friend and teammate, Matiss Kivlenieks, and he's emerged as one of the best characters in pro hockey. Some players worry about saying the wrong thing to the media, so they keep their frank opinions to themselves.
Merzlikins isn't one of those players, which makes him even easier to root for.
On the ice, Merzlikins is establishing himself as a high-end goaltender. Over the past two seasons, he's consistently kept the Blue Jackets in almost every game he's appeared in.
Across 61 appearances, only five have been of the RBS variety; meaning his save percentage generally indicates that he isn't the reason the Blue Jackets lose. His 19 GSAA is ranked eighth over that span as well, according to Stathead. That ranks him ahead of bigger names such as Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Blue Jackets all but anointed him as the team's No. 1 goalie in September when they inked him to a five-year extension worth $27 million. As the organization reloads with a team full of fresh faces, Merzlikins has emerged as a goalie worth building around.
12. Nashville Predators: Juuse Saros and David Rittich
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The Nashville Predators recently announced they'd be retiring longtime starting goaltender Pekka Rinne's number in February. If Juuse Saros has his way, his No. 74 will be hanging right alongside Rinne's No. 35 someday.
First things first, though: After a half-decade of playing second fiddle to a franchise legend, how will Saros respond to his first season as Nashville's no-questions-asked starter? He's been sensational, giving the Predators all the reason to believe that he's capable of being an elite No. 1.
We like David Rittich as the backup here, but he doesn't have the same track record that Rinne did. There's a difference in the caliber of safety nets that are in place for Saros in 2021-22. He received both Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy love a year ago and will need to continue to play at that level for the Predators to hang around in the Central Division.
If his play slips, Rittich could get the opportunity to go on a bit of a run. He played in a platoon during his time in Calgary, and the Predators would be able to lean on him if Saros' game hits a rut or he gets injured.
11. Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak
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It isn't easy to let a goaltender like Jacob Markstrom walk out the door as a free agent. The Vancouver Canucks' belief in Thatcher Demko as a potential All-Star-caliber goalie made it a tad easier.
While Markstrom struggled in his first year with Calgary in 2020-21, Demko proved Vancouver wasn't misguided in trusting him as the starter. He had an excellent age-25 season, keeping his team in almost every game that he appeared in. His 8.24 GSAA ranked 11th in the league, showing that he's capable of being among the league's better netminders.
It'll be a bit before Demko starts to see love for individual trophies, but if you're an emerging team like the Canucks, this is precisely the kind of presence you want to have in the net. He gave the Vegas Golden Knights fits in the postseason a year ago and exudes confidence from the net.
He's got all the physical attributes you want an emerging starter to possess as well. Combine that with his attitude, and this could be the year we begin to recognize how special a player he is.
There's always the chance that a netminder's game slips during the NHL's grind of a season. Veteran Jaroslav Halak is the perfect complement to Demko, just two seasons removed from sharing the Jennings Trophy while he was a member of the Boston Bruins.
10. Carolina Hurricanes: Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta
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Sometimes (not always), folks in charge of running NHL teams know what they are doing. Case in point: the Carolina Hurricanes' wild offseason.
The organization didn't have an NHL goalie on the roster after allowing Mrazek and Reimer to leave in free agency and trading Nedeljkovic to Detroit.
The Hurricanes had their targets and stuck to them, and it has paid off in spades. Frederik Andersen struggled last season, but they saw the goalie he has been during most of his time in Toronto and wanted to bring that to Raleigh. He's rewarded them to this point, leading the league in both GSAA and GAA.
As well, Antti Raanta is one of the most skilled goalies in the league in raw talent. The Hurricanes were betting that, at any given time, one member of this tandem would be clicking. That wager could take them all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
9. Boston Bruins: Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman
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Over the last three seasons, Linus Ullmark managed to post good—not respectable, but good—underlying numbers for the Buffalo Sabres. If you're wondering why a goalie without a history of being a dominating No. 1 is ranked this high, that's why.
He was good with the Sabres, and now he's with a Boston Bruins team that is head and shoulders above Buffalo in talent.
Ullmark will need to prove he can perform under pressure, but the early returns have been just fine. He's 18th in the league in GSAA, but the B's don't need him to steal a ton of games. They just need him to be steady, which he has been so far.
There's a lot to like about rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman too. He's a Calder Trophy dark horse depending on how many starts he can wrangle.
We aren't sure what will happen if Tuukka Rask decides to return this season, and Team Finland still hopes he'll play for them in the Olympics. Regardless of what happens with that, Boston's goaltending situation has a lot to love this season and beyond.
8. Vegas Golden Knights: Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit
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Of all the tandems in our top 10, this is the one we're least sure about. The Golden Knights have gotten off to a sluggish start without Fleury, and fans have noticed the hole the goalie left when the team traded him to Chicago for a song this summer.
That's business, however. Sometimes tough choices need to be made. Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit are in the unenviable position of trying to play their way out of Fleury's shadow.
Whether they can do so will likely be the thread that binds Vegas' season. The Golden Knights have been riddled by injuries, so this isn't the team we expected to see. Still, it's tough to ignore Vegas' early-season struggles. Lehner has seen more shots than just about any other goalie in the league, and he's doing what he can, but the Golden Knights are missing a lot of key players.
We love what the man stands for off the ice. Hockey gods know we could use more players like him in the NHL. Regarding on-ice performance, though, it's unclear how high Lehner can take his game.
7. New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev
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Sharp readers might wonder what the difference is between the New York Rangers' young tandem and the one in Washington. Igor Shesterkin has only started 51 contests, while Alexandar Georgiev has appeared in fewer than 100 NHL games.
The answer is simple: talent.
Ilya Samsonov could emerge as a high-end NHL talent, and he has all the tools to do that. But Shesterkin's skill set could make him special. We're talking tier-to-himself special—the kind of excellence that can propel teams into the Stanley Cup stratosphere.
If we had to bet on which young NHL goalie would emerge as the next elite name in the sport, we'd put our chips on Shesterkin. He's quick, he's big and he has the mindset needed to lead a team like the Rangers while playing in New York. Shesterkin stops what he's supposed to, but when things get to the "home plate" area in front of his net, it's his ability to battle and make tough stops that makes him exceptional.
Georgiev is a solid if unspectacular backup too. It's tough to watch a legend like Henrik Lundqvist ride off into the sunset, but this duo makes it easier for the Blueshirts faithful.
6. Florida Panthers: Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight
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Are the Florida Panthers ranked this high because we're banking on Sergei Bobrovsky to continue his resurgence? Or is it because they have one of the most promising young netminders in the NHL to back him up in Spencer Knight?
In the words of Tony Stark: Is it too much to ask for both?
The 2021-22 campaign is shaping up to be a special one in Florida, and the Stanley Cup may become a permanent resident of the state at this rate.
Bobrovsky hadn't been able to live up to his massive seven-year, $70 million contract over the last two years, but the Panthers don't need him to stand on his head and steal games every night. He can just be part of a team that has multiple ways to beat you.
Also, there might not be a more promising young goalie in the league than Knight. His puck handling is noteworthy, and he's absolutely explosive in the net when he's dialed in. He was an early-season Calder Trophy favorite, and the only thing that could prevent him from winning the trophy is opportunity.
5. Colorado Avalanche: Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz
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The Colorado Avalanche didn't expect to enter this season with Darcy Kuemper as their starting netminder. But Philipp Grubauer split for the expansion Seattle Kraken when the goalie carousel started to slow, forcing general manager Joe Sakic to make a move.
And make a move he did, prying Kuemper from the Coyotes in a July trade.
He carved out his career in Arizona, where he was frequently tasked with being the best player on the ice if the Coyotes wanted to win games. In the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, the netminder started 84 games and posted a GSAA of plus-41.8.
He wasn't as great last year, but we can chalk that up to all kinds of things. Kuemper goes from the league's basement to a team with Stanley Cup hopes, and he should find his A-game after settling in with the Avalanche.
Pavel Francouz didn't play last year, but his rookie numbers in 2019-20 were promising. If he can play like he did pre-COVID, then the Avs should be set in net.
4. Seattle Kraken: Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger
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The Seattle Kraken could never replicate the success of the Golden Knights. Vegas made side deals to ensure it would have the best roster possible and has been aggressive in terms of adding star power since its inception. Despite that, the Kraken could still threaten for a playoff berth in their inaugural campaign.
If they do claw their way into the Pacific Division's wide-open race, it'll be because of outstanding goaltending and solid team defense. It may not begin and end with Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger, but this team has less margin for error than the squads around them.
Grubauer earned his payday after playing at a lights-out level in Colorado, finishing third in 2020-21 Vezina Trophy voting. And Chris Driedger is another goalies-are-magic story, coming out of nowhere to spell Bobrovsky when his game went to hell in Florida last year.
Driedger is back and ready to go, meaning the backbone general manager Ron Francis pieced together over the summer is finally in place. We'll see if it makes a difference for the Kraken, who have ground to make up after a slow start.
3. New York Islanders: Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin
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New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz has made a career out of making life easy for his goaltenders by relying on a rotation to share the workload. Or at least as easy as possible. Getting frozen, vulcanized rubber discs fired in your direction will never be an easy way to make a living.
Still, the Isles have eyes on the Stanley Cup and have two goalies who can take them there. The interesting thing is that, more than any duo in our top 10, Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin are viewed as a tandem—a duo in the crease who need each other to succeed.
The team won't have a No. 1 who pulls down 68 starts and calls it a season. Varlamov isn't that goalie, and the Islanders can't lean on him like that. The 26-year-old Sorokin is vital to New York's hopes of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Long Island.
2. Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie
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This is a power ranking of NHL goaltending tandems, so both goalies have been taken into consideration throughout.
You can't start both netminders in a winner-take-all contest, so we're ranking the teams with the two best in the world as 1-2. Nitpick if you want to, but you'd take Connor Hellebuyck (or our top pick) on your team over its starter in a heartbeat.
Arguably, no goalie in the NHL has been as responsible for keeping his team in games as Hellebuyck. Over the last four seasons, he's led the league in games started three times and compiled a massive plus-62.9 GSAA.
The fact that it's newsworthy that he hasn't been a game-breaker tells you all you need to know about the 28-year-old. Winnipeg went out of its way to put an NHL-caliber defense in front of Hellebuyck, and he'll be just fine as the season wears on.
Eric Comrie probably won't see many starts that aren't the result of the Jets playing back-to-back contests. Still, the 26-year-old has kept Winnipeg in the hunt while Hellebuyck has been out with an illness, further cementing this as one of the league's best tandems.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brian Elliott
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The best goalie in the league on the best team in the league, Andrei Vasilevskiy is on a different level than his peers. He's so good that some of the smartest people around the game argue he's underrated because of all the other skilled players the Tampa Bay Lightning have in place.
He's won back-to-back Stanley Cups, is coming off a Conn Smythe win and has been a Vezina Trophy finalist in four consecutive seasons. Vasilevskiy has also led the league in wins for four consecutive seasons, and while there are better ways to measure goalies than victories...c'mon, that's impressive.
Vasilevskiy is just 27, so age won't catch up with him anytime soon. He could dominate for another three or four seasons and be effective through his 35th birthday. For now, no player at his position is as good.
Meanwhile, Brian Elliott struggled with the Flyers last season, posting a minus-14 GSAA despite going 15-9-2. The Lightning won't have to lean on him much, which is probably for the best since he hasn't posted positive GSAA numbers since 2015-16. Regardless, Vasilevskiy's dominance single-handedly propels this duo to the top of the list.
Stats via Hockey Reference unless otherwise noted.
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