Last season, the NHL didn’t have any goalie tandems. It was more of a grouping of goaltenders.
In 2021-22 regular-season matches, there were 119 goalies, breaking the COVID-19 record. Akira Schmid To Zach Fucale. NHL scoring numbers were therefore. climbed to their highest levels in nearly 30 years.
There should be a little more consistency in the 2022-23 NHL regular seasons as to who is watching the net for each team. However, goalies are not always what they seem on paper.
These are the goalie tandem rankings this season. They were created through discussions with goalie experts, coaches, and former players. Evolving Hockey, Money Puck And Hockey Reference. Clear Sight Analytics, the analytics firm of Stephen Valiquette (ex-NHL goalie), is also included in these reports.
These projections are a combination past performance and projections for 2022-23 NHL Season.
Rangers’ goalie duo is the NHL’s most outstanding. Shesterkin’s.935 save rate and 2.07 goals against average in 53 games led the NHL. Money Puck ranked Shesterkin’s 34.1 goals as the NHL’s best. Evolving Hockey also cited his 42.46 goals that were saved above the average.
Traditional stats, fancy stats… Shesterkin had one of the best seasons in recent memory. He then followed that up with a.929 save rate in leading the Rangers to their Eastern Conference finals. His Vezina Trophy was lost at that point. Shesterkin was missing one thing: a high level of work. But, thankfully, that didn’t matter as much, as many had hoped.
Rangers traded Alexandar Georgiev Halak was promoted to the Avalanche. Halak, entering his 17th NHL year, is more familiar with the job than most. He will see more action than the 14 he made last season. He will need to do better than he did in Vancouver, where he had a net loss of -1.11 goals. Are there any 2019-20 versions of Halak in those pads? He could be used by the Rangers.
This is a somewhat lopsided pairing. Halak is not extraordinary. The fact that they are ranked first in NHL is a testament to how extraordinary Shesterkin’s work and should be maintained in 2022-23.
Last season Sorokin looked every inch the franchise goalie that the Islanders expected. Evolving hockey had him save 28.97 more goals than average and add seven wins to the team’s standings. The 27-year old fulfilled the promise of his rookie year in big ways.
Surprisingly, Varlamov’s teammate didn’t perform up to his standards last season. The 34-year old saw his save percentage drop from.929 a.911. His metrics across the board were just below replacement level. If Varlamov can get back to his best, this tandem could still be the second-best in the NHL — provided that Lane Lambert’s new coaching system is as goalie-friendly as Barry Trotz. In case Varlamov is not able to play, Sorokin will be a Vezina nominee.
Vasilevskiy was just two wins away from leading his team to three consecutive Stanley Cup championships. It’s the stuff that is legendary. The 28-year-old netminder was the NHL’s leader in wins for five consecutive seasons. He is the reason the Lightning could win another Cup.
According to Money Puck, Vasilevskiy’s 28.4 saved goals in 2021-22 was second in the NHL. He contributed 5.2 wins to Lightning’s win total. Jon Cooper’s team has the Big Cat as a stabilizing force and the dominant player in the postseason.
Elliott is back to be the Tampa Bay spot-starter. He started 17 games last year and produced results that were comparable to replacement level. He’s fine. Vasilevskiy is more than fine. Therefore, the Lightning rank third.
The Hurricanes decided that they would rip up their goalie team and begin over for the 2021-22 season. Andersen was able to put up incredible numbers, before a shoulder injury ended his season. He was third in NHL with 27.8 NHL goals saved above the average according Money Puck while he added 6.8 wins over the Hurricanes according Evolving Hockey.
Raanta was absent from Carolina as he does almost every season. However, he made 28 appearances. Raanta’s postseason performance led to the Hurricanes winning the first round over the Bruins. While the jury isn’t out yet on whether the duo can take the Hurricanes to the championship hump with their combined efforts, they should be able to get them there if they stay healthy.
Our rankings were edited more than any other team, including the Canucks. They were in the middle of the pack after their first pass. Nearly all the goalie experts that we spoke to said Martin and Demko were the best in the NHL this year. Clear Sight Analytics placed them second in their preseason ranking.
Demko was a hardworking goalie in the NHL, with 64 appearances. Money Puck reported that Demko had a.915 save percent and 10.5 goals saved. He would have had even higher numbers if he hadn’t tried to endure an injury that occurred late in the season and given up 13 goals in his three previous starts.
Martin’s.950 save percentage in six games this season is a significant improvement over Halak who was the backup. A goalie expert stated that Martin was an unknown player and that he only had six games in his last season. However, Martin’s numbers are still far superior to those of other backups.
The Capitals recognized a problem and devised a solution. Washington’s save percentage was.898, which was among the worst in any Stanley Cup Playoffs qualifier. After Kuemper led the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup, they decided to let go of both their goalies and give Kuemper a five year free-agent contract.
Problem solved? Clear Sight Analytics placed them fifth in the preseason rankings.
“Kuemper was an excellent regular goalie year and Lindgren could easily be considered as the best offseason signing,” one goalie specialist said. “As long coach Peter Laviolette does not distract them from defense for another season.”
Another goalie expert was less enthusiastic. “Kuemper completed the job last year in Colorado, and earned the contract he signed in Washington. Lindgren had a fantastic year last year in AHL and in a small sample of St. Louis. Both Lindgren and St. Louis’s small sample had a great year last year. Can they repeat it this season in a new location? My gut tells me no so I would place them in the middle of the pack. We’ll see.
Darryl Sutter’s goaltending system has been a success over the years. Markstrom was the last runner-up in the Vezina Trophy. He posted a.922 save rate and had nine shutouts in 63 NHL games. Although his numbers were solid, they weren’t as strong as his traditional stats. Money Puck placed Markstrom 12th among NHL players in goals saved over expected (10.4).
Markstrom’s postseason was not much talked about, as he became a.901 netminder in the Battle of Alberta against Edmonton.
Vladar, a sub-replacement goalie who played in 23 games last season, was his greatest virtue. His $750,000 salary is perhaps his greatest virtue, especially considering that the Flames have $6M committed to Markstrom. AHL goalie award of the year Dustin Wolf It is still waiting.
Swayman and Ullmark waited last season for Tuukka to come back from surgery so they could get their ice time. Rask declared it a career after the comeback lasted only four games. It’s their crease now.
Bruce Cassidy shared the workload with both goalies, and they played well together. They each started 39 games. While Jim Montgomery may not have the same hairstyle, his two seasons as Dallas goalie showed that Montgomery’s system is beneficial. Monty was in the bench while the Stars led NHL in goals-against.
Ullmark performed better than the other goalies, with a.917 save rate for the second consecutive campaign. Swayman didn’t live up to his rookie 10-game show, but the 23 year-old performed well:.914 save rate and.615 quality start percentage.
They just work together as a tandem. Swayman spoke at the NHL Player Media Tour about their close relationship. “To know we share the same struggles every day and that each other will support us, that was very special,” he stated.
Saros came in third place for the Vezina trophy last season. This is a good result considering the level of the competition. Saros’ real reward was helping the Predators get over the hump, and into the playoffs. Even though his best efforts were in midseason, when he went 19-9-3 from November to January, that was still a great achievement. Saros played the most minutes (3,932) of any player. Hockey Reference says that Saros was the NHL’s leader in points contributed by his team to the standings (14.0). In an era that lacks both these attributes, he is an elite goaltender.
Are the Predators seeing something in Kevin Lankinen? His 2020-21 rookie season saw him play well, but then things got very bad. He had minus-14.3 more goals than expected for Chicago. Money Puck said that he had a net loss of 28.6 goals, second in the league.
Lankinen, as good as Saros is isn’t. However, one goalie expert stated that Lankinen is so much worse than Saros because he will only be playing 18 games. Keep in mind, Yaroslav Azarorov, a 20 year-old goalie superstar is still playing in the AHL.
After Jarry’s performance against the Islanders cost them a playoff series, the Penguins trusted Jarry and were rewarded with a great season. Jarry played to MVP status during many lineup changes and had 28.7 goals saved over average in 58 games. He was seventh in the Vezina Trophy.
DeSmith suffered a terrible injury in double-OT against the Rangers in Game 1. This led to the Legend of Louis Domingue. DeSmith is a competent backup, despite having a slightly less successful replacement season for the Penguins. However, DeSmith has really recovered his form in the 12 final games of the season. This is a solid foundation to Pittsburgh.
Bobrovsky accomplished the seemingly impossible last year, making people believe he was up to the standard of his salary cap hit. Money Puck ranked his 23.4 goals saved over expected as the fourth-best in NHL. He played at a higher replacement rate for the first time in his three-year career, and had his highest quality starts percentage of.623 since winning the Vezina (2017).
Knight is the key. He was a rookie flop, before returning to AHL and playing lights-out for the AHL in the final 14 games of the regular season. Knight went 10-3-1. Knight will show you that you don’t have to be a failure to impress again.
Two caveats are necessary to all this. We saw two internal models that showed Knight and Bobrovsky actually performing below expectations last season. Second, Paul Maurice, a new coach with a complicated history of goalies, is something that some are starting to consider. whether he actually makes them worse.
Detroit’s hope is that Nedeljkovic improves than he did for most last season, and that Husso becomes exactly who he appeared to become in a breakthrough campaign with the team. St. Louis Blues. Ned’s Save percentage decreased by.031 point from his Calder finalist seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. Analytically, he was also down across the board, with a negative-6.9 goals saved over expected.
Husso was at the opposite end of this spectrum, being 25-7-6 with an.919 savings percentage. At one point Husso was usurping Jordan Binnington as the Blues’ best netminder. Money Puck recorded him as having saved 13.5 goals more than expected, which was good for ninth place in the League. As their young players mature, the Red Wings are steadily improving their quality roster. This will be good for the goalies. If Husso is the real deal, then the Red Wings could even be a contender in this season’s playoffs. Clear Sight Analytics places them sixth in the preseason rankings.
This tandem was shaken before the regular season. Talbot will miss five to seven weeks due to an upper-body injury. Hellberg, a 31-year old, was required to file a waiver claim. Seattle Kraken Goalie with four NHL appearances and four seasons in KHL.
After Minnesota recommitted to, the Senators were in a position to purchase Talbot from Wild. Marc-Andre FleuryTalbot was upset by this loss of playing time, and Bill Guerin, GM, wanted to end the drama by trading him. Talbot was victorious in 32 of 49 games, but his overall numbers were comparable to the best.
Therefore, the Senators are ranked here because Forsberg’s fancy stats and not Talbot’s poor analysis. Evolving hockey reported that Forsberg, 29, had 25.1 goals saved more than average and added 4.4 wins in Ottawa last season. He is expected to repeat the feat, and Talbot will give them a little more when he is fully healthy. Filip Gustavsson And Matt Murray As they did last season, the Sens will have the goaltending support they need with an improved roster of skaters.
This is one the most difficult tandems you can predict. Oettinger’s postseason magic in the Stars’ loss to the Stars in Round 1. Calgary Flames This is what sticks in the minds of hockey enthusiasts, making it difficult to remember a regular season when he had 1.4 more goals than expected for 22nd place in the league. Money Puck. The postseason experience will help him grow as a goalie. Is a.914 save percentage his ceiling, or is there another gear he can switch into?
Wedgewood was an underrated Coyotes gem, scoring 9.1 goals above the average and contributing over a win-and-a-half to the team. He was a good player in his eight Stars appearances and will make a great pairing with “The Otter.”
Anton Khudobin (previous playoff hero) is currently waiting for an injury or a deal.
Chris MacFarland, Avalanche’s General Manager, told ESPN that Georgiev was an acquisition similar to their purchase of Philipp Grubauer A couple of seasons ago, the Capitals.
MacFarland said, “We think that this is an individual with great talent that needs to be given the chance to see if it’s possible for him to run with a ball.” “I believe that the narrative needs to be told. He will be given every chance to show his potential. You have to get it done on the ice.
You do. Georgiev is the Avalanche’s top hope, leaving behind the shadows of both. Igor Shesterkin Henrik Lundqvist, before him. Francouz is there to help him recover if he drops the ball. Recall his 6-0-0 record in playoffs last spring, which helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup.
Francouz was a favorite goaltending coach. It seems comfortable when you’re healthy. This tandem has my full support. They should be higher. I would have them in the top 10-12.
Connor Hellebuyck had some things that were not changed last season. For the fourth consecutive season, he led the NHL in saves and shots faced. He played in 66 games with the Jets. It was not an easy season for the 29-yearold goalie. His.910 save percentage was his lowest level since 2016-17. He also had a lower average number of goals saved than his standard. Hellebuyck remains a top goalie, adding an average of 5.4 wins per year to the Jets over five years.
Problem is, he’s been paired up with David Rittich. Rittich has been a poor backup and an enormous downgrade for the last two seasons. Eric Comrie‘s performance in the last season. It seems like it was a century ago that the days of “Big Save Dave” were gone. However, both goalies can benefit from Rick Bowness’s coaching change. Last season, the Jets finished 26th among all teams in expected goals against.
The NHL’s most clever tandem.
The Wild traded Kähkönen to San Jose while acquiring Fleury at the deadline, and he continued a bounce-back season that saw him post 5.2 goals saved above expected, 17th in the NHL per Money Puck. Reimer’s competent and under-the radar season saw him save 6.69 goals above the average and add 3.6 wins to Sharks per Evolving hockey.
New coach David Quinn has a rather solid tandem on which to rely, whose success depends on Kähkönen’s continued upward trajectory.
It was somewhat disconcerting to see the level of skepticism that we saw regarding Fleury, the Wild goaltending, for a team which looks like it could be a contender in Western Conference. Clear Sight Analytics ranks them 21st. Cam Talbot’s poor fundamental numbers were pointed out by one goalie expert. He stated that Fleury was worse than Cam Talbot and that the Wild simply outscored their goaltending.
Fleury is still one season away from the Vezina Trophy. This season was emotional for Fleury. He had to move his family from Vegas to Chicago and then trade Minnesota to win the Vezina Trophy. The Wild offer him some peace of mind and perhaps a return to form.
Gustavsson, a downgrade from Talbot is keeping the bench warm till top prospect Jesper Wallstedt Take it.
Tom Fitzgerald, the General Manager of Blackwood, has been trying to find a partner over the past two seasons. Corey Crawford decided to retire in 2020. Bernier was a part of 10 games before he had to have hip surgery. They used seven goalies instead of the current E-Stret Band official members, to make use of New Jersey math.
Vanecek is the ex-Capitals goalie who will try to give Blackwood the stability he needs to help him move on from his once promising career.
“I believe in Blackwood,” said one goaltending expert. It is a great size and presence in the net. He is expected to be fully healthy and have Vanecek, who should be able to win some games for the Devils and give them quality starts.
This expert had the Devils’ tandem at No. Clear Sight Analytics ranked them 25th.
Merzlikins played a record-breaking 59 games last season. That experience will serve him well. Tarasov, a talented goalie, is still waiting for his shot. However, the Jackets felt that he needed to rest a bit longer. Why not bring back Korpisalo? He was one of the league’s worst goalies last season. This ranking could be too low if he bounces back.
One goaltending insider stated that although this isn’t a playoff team, he believes Korpisalo will be healthy and the tandem could be solid. Although it’s still a big question, I am bullish about this tandem. If it aligns well, I believe they are a top-15 pairing.”
The goaltending community continues to believe in Jordan Binnington.
Evolving Hockey, Hockey Reference and Hockey Reference had him in negative regarding goals saved above the average. Clear Sight Analytics, whose models always favored Binnington’s, placed him at plus-7 GSAA in last season. After posting a.901 save rate in 37 games with the Blues, he regained his status as a clutch goalie in the postseason with a.949 save in six games. With a healthy Binnington, could St. Louis have defeated Avalanche? We won’t know.
Greiss arrives in Detroit after a downseason. Many insiders that we spoke to believe that this is a significant downgrade. Ville Husso.
It will be amazing to see the results. Matt Murray How Campbell fared in Toronto, and how it compares to Edmonton’s team defense. Surprisingly, Jay Woodcroft’s goaltending skills improved, but overall defense did not. Campbell didn’t have his breakthrough season in 2021-22, as he did in 2020-21 in the all-Canada Northern Division. He was still a solid replacement for any other player during his time in Toronto.
Skinner is the wildcard. Although he was playing at a lower level than expected in 13 games last season, most internal models predicted he would be strong in the preseason. After the Mike Smith rollercoasterStability and consistency are the goals. This combination can achieve that.
If you’ve ever heard it, we apologize. There are many opinions about the relative quality the Toronto Maple Leafs.
According to some goalie insiders, Murray and Samsonov will be among the worst teams in the league. Real Clear Analytics places them at 27th position going into the season, based upon last season’s performances.
Some look at Murray’s performance with the Senators and Toronto’s defense, and think we might see a comeback for the ex-Stanley Cup winner. One model shows Murray’s performance translating into a.920 Save percentage with the Leafs. Samsonov however is a harder call. A source called Samsonov “a project”, despite his three seasons with Capitals. This goaltending is going to be a big deal for the Leafs.
After losing Marc-Andre FleuryThe Knights fell to seventh in last season’s goalie tandem rankings. After losing Robin Lehner Vegas is No. 1 after a season-ending hip operation this offseason. 24.
However, there are many reasons to be hopeful. Clear Sight Analytics places them 18th overall. Thompson’s 19 game sample placed him in the top ten in adjusted save percentage. A coaching change will also help. Peter DeBoer’s system relies too heavily on goaltending, while Bruce Cassidy was historically more friendly to goalies.
The Knights didn’t look for a big-name solution to Lehner’s injury. They were able to trust the roster and not worry about the salary cap. This might be rewarded.
The classic Jonathan Quick moments last season, like the Game 4 shutout or the brilliant Game 7 effort against Edmonton, overshadow the truth of Kings’ goaltending. It’s not consistent or very good.
Quick’s public analytics were eye-opening. Money Puck’s 17.8 goals saved more than expected was one example. But the internal goalie analysis models had Quick at or lower than expected. He will be 37 years old in January. Even the most talented goalie won’t be able to stop Father Time.
Petersen is the real problem with the Kings. He responded to a new contract last preseason with a terrible 2021-22 campaign (.895 save rate, below-replacement metrics). If he bounces back, this tandem will rate higher. If he doesn’t bounce back… Does GM Rob Blake still possess the receipt for this purchase?
The Sabres already tried to do the “sign the backup with the solid numbers and see if he can handle a larger role” thing, and it resulted in three below-replacement-level seasons from Carter Hutton. Comrie, 27 years old, is coming off a stellar season in Winnipeg. His adjusted figures were better than the ones for Connor Hellebuyck.
Anderson, 41, continues a long-standing Sabres tradition: he started the season with a.939 save percentage (October) and finished it at below-replacement levels. Ukko–Pekka Lukkonen is the future. Devon LeviIt is a bright one.
Stolarz may be one of the best kept secrets in the NHL goaltending scene, with a better goal-saved average per 60 minute and expected goals against than Gibson.
Gibson is still Anaheim’s best player, even though he hasn’t been JOHN GIGSON for the past three seasons. He posted a 5-on-5 save percentage (.912) during that time. Clear Sight Analytics ranks this pair 29th.
We’ll be gone Carey Price He is not included in this analysis because of his uncertain status. It is worth noting that he has been signed until 2025-26.
Allen was awarded a two-year contract that includes two stabilizing seasons. However, the 32-year old is best at being a tandem goalie and his dance partners aren’t yet ready to tango at the NHL level.
Hart quietly had a great season in Philadelphia, after having lost his way during pandemic years. While Hart’s minus-2.23 goals that were saved above the average was not exactly Vezina Trophies material, it was close to 2020-21 (minus-22.3).
The big question is: Can John Tortorella’s goalie-friendly system get Hart on the “franchise goalie” path?
Losing Ivan Fedotov This group is hurt by the fact that the prospect was held in Russia during the offseason, and then sent to the military to serve for one year. Neither Grosenick nor Sandström fill that role as sufficiently.
As with the Coyotes and Blackhawks, they don’t want any goaltending that will steal their games in a season where draft lottery position is key.
Mrazek, as is his tradition, will steal some during a hot streak that ends before his inevitable injury. Stalock’s story is great. He’s trying to make an NHL return after being out of action since Nov. 2020 because he was diagnosed as having COVID-related heart disease. Clear Sight Analytics puts them at No. 28.
Last season, the Kraken’s most popular question was: What would their standings points total be if they had received competent goaltending?
Grubauer and Driedger, who were signed to a huge six-year, free-agent deal, were supposed to be the foundation of a successful first season. They rewrote it and combined for a net-35.3 goals better than expected.
The outlook isn’t improving. Clear Sight Analytics ranked Seattle last among its 2022-23 goalie tandem projections. Martin Jones (flyers goalie) will be replacing Driedger. Driedger is currently out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. “Grubauer is best on great defensive teams. They’re not that,” said one goaltending expert. This could be the end result. uglier than Buoy.
The good news for Coyotes players is that their goaltending won’t stop them from implementing the “Tank Hard for Bedard” strategy they seem to have adopted this season.
Vejmelka’s minus-23.2 goals were saved more than was expected last season. After missing on Charlie Lindgren It looked as though Prosvetov might be a Coyotes free agent. He needs to spend the rest of the AHL season and then return to the Coyotes. Jon Gillies As their backups. However, GM Bill Armstrong was willing to use the waiver wire as an alternative and claimed Johansson. Colorado Avalanche. In just 11 games, he had a net-13 goal save above the average.
Arizona State’s Mullett Arena might be home to the Sun Devils’ men’s hockey team, which may have the best goaltending this season.