10 NHL Teams That Cannot Afford a Long Term Injury to Starting Goaltender

Having a goaltender you can count on is becoming increasingly important in today's NHL, as speed and skill continue to take over the sport. Now, more than ever before, the play of a goalie can determine the outcome of a game. 

When a netminder is on their game, the entire team can rally behind them. We see this on a yearly basis, particularly during long playoff series.

Want proof? Look no farther than the play of Tim Thomas for the Boston Bruins during their Stanley Cup run last season. 

Conversely, when a goaltender struggles, it often brings down their entire club. Roberto Luongo's wildly inconsistent play against the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs last year almost single-handedly cost his team that series.

As strong goaltending becomes more crucial, so does the presence of a capable backup goalie on each team's roster. The league's top squads almost always have two solid netminders in the lineup, providing flexibility and stability in case the starter is hurt, fatigued or playing poorly.

Most NHL clubs have a reliable tandem between the pipes, but here are 10 teams that will find themselves in a hole if their starting goalie winds up on the injured reserve this season.   

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning addressed their goaltending issue midseason last year by acquiring veteran Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders.

After a strong postseason performance that carried the Lightning all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, the 43-year-old netminder was re-signed by Tampa Bay this summer and will be expected to start the majority of their games in 2011-12 as the No. 1 goalie.

Though he's aging and has had bouts with inconsistency, Roloson is one of the NHL's best goaltenders when he's playing well, and his wealth of experience makes him a valuable presence on the back end for an otherwise youthful club. His backup, Mathieu Garon, is a decent stopgap but has proven incapable of taking on a starting role.    

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets will probably find themselves struggling to win hockey games regardless of the health of starting goaltender Steve Mason, but if he gets hurt for an extended period of time, the Jackets might be contending for a lottery pick this year. 

Drafted 69th overall in 2006, Mason won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2008-09 after a stellar rookie campaign that included 10 shutouts.

Since then, however, the Ontario native has struggled to perform at a high level, amassing just eight shutouts over the last two seasons and posting a goals-against average higher than 3.00 in both 2009-10 and 2010-11. He's off to a very slow start this season, as well, with a lackluster 3.11 goals-against average to go along with a .889 save percentage and a record of 2-8-1.

Still, Mason is the only goalie in the Blue Jackets' system that has ever made an impact at the NHL level. Injured backup Mark Dekanich has just one game of experience under his belt and Curtis Sanford, who is filling in for Dekanich for the time being, is an AHL-caliber player at this point in his career.

If Mason goes down, Columbus could go from a middle-of-the-pack club to a basement dweller.  

Philadelphia Flyers

Goaltending has cost the Philadelphia Flyers dearly in recent years, especially come playoff time.

After giving an inexperienced Michael Leighton a chance to take the reigns and watching him fail miserably, the Flyers looked to rookie Sergei Bobrovksy to split the starting role with Brian Boucher last season and ended up enjoying an early playoff exit.

Now, Philadelphia will rest their hopes on the shoulders of newly signed Russian netminder Ilya Bryzgalov, who established himself as a top-tier goalie over the course of the four years he spent with the Phoenix Coyotes.  

The Flyers finally have an elite player between the pipes and are now one of the NHL's top contenders. If they are to make another appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, though, they'll need Bryzgalov to stay healthy. It isn't likely that a 23-year-old with just 54 games played in the league (Bobrovksy) can get them deep in the playoffs.  

Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators plummeted down the league standings last year, in large part due to weak netminding from Brian Elliott. 

Recognizing that Elliott wasn't the man for the job, they dealt him to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for veteran goalie Craig Anderson, who finished the season strong for the Senators and will be their No. 1 this year. 

Though he isn't a high-end goaltender and may be among the worst starters in the NHL, Anderson will be an integral part of Ottawa's success because backup Alex Auld isn't capable of carrying a team on his back and prospect Robin Lehner, though close to being NHL-ready, doesn't have the experience or the talent (yet) to take over the starting job if Anderson goes down, either. 

Pittsburgh Penguins

Just 26 years old, Marc-Andre Fleury has already won a Stanley Cup and established himself as a premier goaltender in the NHL. 

He's a key piece of the young core of the Pittsburgh Penguins and is one of the main reasons why they've been among the league's top squads in recent years. It goes without saying, then, that the Penguins would look much worse without him guarding the net.

Fleury is backed up by Brent Johnson, a former Washington Capital who has excelled at playing a support role throughout his career but has never been used as a starter. He's a consistent performer who competes hard, but he hasn't played more than 23 games in a season since 2006 and, obviously, can't compete at the same elite level as Fleury can.  

Phoenix Coyotes

Yet another club that lacks both a strong starting goalie and a reliable backup, the Phoenix Coyotes lost star netminder Ilya Bryzgalov to free agency this offseason and brought in former Tampa Bay Lightning backup Mike Smith to take over the No. 1 spot.

Smith, who started his NHL career with the Dallas Stars, was given a chance at the starting job in Tampa and failed to establish himself as a capable starter despite showing signs of promise during his first full year with the team.

Smith's backup is Jason LaBarbera, a mediocre veteran who registered an unimpressive 3.26 goals-against average for the Coyotes last season. Phoenix won't get far if they have to count on him to be the go-to guy between the pipes, so they'll need as many games as they can get from Smith, who has at least displayed the ability to start 40-plus games per season.    

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers boast one of the deepest squads in the Eastern Conference and, with the addition of All-Star center Brad Richards, may be ready for a deep playoff run this season. 

Much of their success comes from goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who is widely regarded as a top-five goaltender in the NHL. He routinely bails out the Rangers' inexperienced defense corps and is capable of stealing a game for his club. 

Though backup Martin Biron is one of the most reliable backups in the game, New York belongs on this list because, assuming Lundqvist is healthy, goaltending is their biggest strength and, without it, their weaknesses would become much more exposed. They have a young defense and are currently without Marc Staal, and their offense is subpar beyond Richards, Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan.

Without Lundqvist, the Rangers don't make the playoffs. Plain and simple.   

Toronto Maple Leafs

Goaltending has been an area of concern for the Toronto Maple Leafs for a few years now, but they seem to have found a long-term solution to this problem in 23-year-old James Reimer, who enjoyed a terrific rookie season last year and appears ready to hold down a starting gig. 

He's currently sidelined due to a collision with Montreal Canadiens forward Brian Gionta last week, but he has started the season off strong with a 4-0-1 record, a 2.58 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage to go along with one shutout.

Assuming he returns to the lineup soon, the Leafs have a good shot at making a strong playoff push this year. Of course, that also depends on whether or not Reimer suffers another injury.

If he does end up back on the injured reserve, Toronto will have to rely on struggling Swede Jonas Gustavsson, who has been nothing short of awful at the NHL level thus far. Gustavsson is filling in for Reimer right now and, in six games played, has a horrific 3.72 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage. Need I say more? 

Carolina Hurricanes

Drafted in the first round of the 2002 NHL entry draft, Cam Ward has been a cornerstone of the Carolina Hurricanes organization ever since he broke into the league in 2005 and carried his team to a Stanley Cup victory as a rookie. 

Ward has been an absolute workhorse for the Hurricanes, starting 60 or more games in a season for them four times, including 74 games last year. He has been a remarkably consistent performer and has displayed a knack for stepping his game up when the stakes are high. 

Ward's backup is former Philadelphia Flyer Brian Boucher, who signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent this summer. A steady veteran capable of playing 20 to 25 games without concern, Boucher has struggled to break out as a starter over the course of his career and, as demonstrated last season when he was Philadelphia's No. 1, can't backstop a team to a deep playoff run.

Ward is a difference-maker who can change the face of a hockey game, even with a questionable defense in front of him. Boucher, on the other hand, couldn't hold down a starting position on a Flyers team that was absolutely stacked on the back end. The Hurricanes need Ward if they want to see some postseason action this year.  

Calgary Flames

Along with captain Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff has led the Calgary Flames to numerous postseason appearances and successful seasons as one of the top teams in the West. He has been their No. 1 goalie since the 2005-06 season and has started in at least 70 games each season since.

Now 35, Kiprusoff has few elite years left and his team is on the decline. The Flames probably won't make the playoffs this year and won't be true contenders for at least the next few years.

Still, they will expect him to continue taking on the starting role and helping them win as many games as possible, and, if he can stay off the injured list despite his old age and huge workload, they'll remain a somewhat competitive team and likely finish somewhere near the middle of the league standings.

If they lose Kiprusoff to fatigue or injury, however, it'll be up to Swedish goaltender Henrik Karlsson to take over in net. The 6'6", 209 lbs. netminder has just 19 games of experience at the NHL level and a 3.31 goals-against average during that span.

Any team would struggle to compete if they had to rely on a player of that caliber to start between the pipes. A team like the Flames, who sorely lack high-end talent, would find it impossible to do so.  

Sam Kelly is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @samkelly10.