Ranking every current goalie trio in the NHL from worst to best
I wanted to assess the goaltending situation in every team in the NHL, so I've tried to rank their best three options in the crease.
Goalies are voodoo. Let’s put that out of the way, so that we can talk about this calmly and reasonably. If somebody says, he knows all there is to know about goaltending, he’s probably lying. There is always some hidden magic that goes behind the eyes of every goaltender in sport, let alone ice hockey.
But the main thing about the NHL goalies is – they’re fun.Â
Not from the comedic perspective, but from the point there’s no guarantee things will pan out as they’re statistically expected to. That’s why it’s so interesting to follow storylines from every team about who the starter is, who is the challenger for his spot and what does the future in the crease for that team looks like. Not to mention in the salary cap era, how much money is tied up to the goaltending?Â
I wanted to do this type of article for quite some time, but I figured I needed to wait until all the musical chairs were occupied so that we can properly rank every team’s goaltending situation coming into the 2022-23 season.Â
How did the ranking come together?
There are, and will be, many articles – and rankings, for that matter – about goaltending tandems. I wanted to do it just a bit differently, so I’ve decided to also add your third string goalie into the equation. Why? Because with injuries, there is a greater chance your team will use three goalies and more in the season rather than just mere two. And the depth in that particular position is very important.Â
So, I sorted goalies on every team into three categories – Goalie 1, Goalie 2 and Goalie 3. Note that I didn’t want to label any of them starter, back-up or minor leaguer – just because there are teams who have tandems and it’s hard to select a bonafide starter (hello, Boston).Â
Then, I ranked each and every goalie with a grade from 1-10 (1-worst, 10-best). I mentioned the word equation, now I’ll explain why. I’ve weighted the grade of any Goalie 1 by 65%. The grade of Goalie 2 was weighted by 30% and Goalie 3 by 5%. Then, the overall sum was The Grade for every goaltending trio.Â
Also, every goalie is ranked in his own category, meaning if Goalie 2 has grade 7, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’d be ranked 7 if he was Goalie 1 and vice versa. Take Carter Hart, for example. I ranked him 6 as Goalie 1 but with his potential he’d probably get a higher mark if he was just Goalie 2 on the lousy Philadelphia Flyers.Â
I’ve tried to be as objective as I could and it’s absolutely not 100% in line with your opinion, I’d gather, but this blog is called JK Takes for a reason. Take it as my take, and if you disagree, let’s chat in the comments section.Â
For better perspective, here the average Team Grade was 6,62.
Goalie 1 average — 6,84.
Goalie 2 average — 6,26.
Goalie 3 average — 5,84.
So without further ado, I present you my goalie trios ranking, summer of 2022 edition:Â
Tier: What are you even doing?Â
32. Arizona Coyotes – Overall grade 3,15.Â
Karel Vejmelka 3,5 – Ivan Prosvetov 2,5 – Jon Gillies 2,5.Â
Arizona decided to give Vejmelka a 3-year deal worth 2.75 million in AAV, yet he had worse on-ice results than Scott Wedgewood, who signed with the Stars for 1 million in AAV and less term. They clearly see a potential in him and while he has definitely had some flashes, overall he’s the worst projected starter in the NHL right now. Prosvetov as a back-up and Gillies don’t help your overall grade either, actually the opposite.Â
31. Chicago Blackhawks – Overall grade 3,45.Â
Petr Mrázek 4 – Alex Stalock 2 – Drew Commesso 5.Â
Ah yes, we know what you’re doing. Tanking as hard as possible. That’s the only explanation of acquiring Mrázek to be your starting goalie. Stalock is projected to be the worst back-up in the league in my books. The only positive thing is young and talented Commesso here, whose 5% grade share raised Blackhawks above Coyotes.Â
Tier: Not nearly good enough
30. Philadelphia Flyers – Overall grade 5,65.Â
Carter Hart 6 – Felix Sandstrom 5 – Ivan Fedotov 5.Â
As explained above, Hart had difficulties which resulted in his lower grade in the Goalie 1 category and I’m not sold yet on Sandstrom either. I’ve also included Ivan Fedotov here, as Flyers really don’t have anybody else worth mentioning for number 3 spot but mainly because it’s important to talk about #WhereIsIvanFedotov. He's a capable young goalie and I truly believe there is a bright future for all three Flyers goalies. Not yet, though.Â
29. Buffalo Sabres – Overall grade 5,725.Â
Eric Comrie 5,5 – Craig Anderson 6 – Ukko Pekka Lukkonen 7.Â
Comrie was a fantastic back-up in Winnipeg but he’s yet to be proven in a starter position. Anderson is the oldest goalie out there and overall Comrie-Anderson duo doesn’t sound very safe to be considered good enough. However, if Lukkonen fulfills his potential, the Lukkonen-Comrie duo could be pretty interesting in the future.Â
28. Montreal Canadiens – Overall grade 5,875.
Carey Price 6 – Jake Allen 5,5 – Sam Montembeault 6,5
Montreal has a strange situation in the crease. Price and Allen’s health issues scare me to rank them better and neither of them will probably be healthy and available for the full season. Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau are just OK at the moment, but overall – they’re obviously poised to have another high draft pick with this kind of goaltending. Which may not be the worst position to be, frankly.Â
27. Seattle Kraken – Overall grade 6.Â
Philipp Grubauer 6 – Chris Driedger 6 – Martin Jones 6.Â
Just meh. All of the three goalies are just average in their own category. While Jones is probably one of the better third string options out there, he’ll be tasked to be the backup early on with Driedger injury. Seattle should have their eyes set on improving the goaltending situation for the future, because for now, yikes. And I’m not even mentioning the cost.Â
26. New Jersey Devils – Overall grade 6,15.Â
Mackenzie Blackwood 6 – Vitek Vanecek 6,5 – Nico Daws 6.Â
Blackwood is in the same category as Carter Hart. Great potential but somehow struggling to put everything together. Vanecek was a solid pickup for the backup position and the average age of Devils goaltenders should tell you they are on the way up. Improved blueline may also help with their overall stats.Â
Tier: Middling average
25. Anaheim Ducks – Overall grade 6,425.Â
John Gibson 6,5 – Anthony Stolarz 6 – Lukas Dostal 8.Â
Anaheim has suffered from terrible defensive metrics for a couple of years now and their goaltending has been a victim of that. Nevertheless, Gibson has not been himself either. Stolarz is a solid backup but the future in net should belong to talented Lukas Dostal. He will be fighting for a backup job with Stolarz and my money is on him winning it.Â
24. Toronto Maple Leafs – Overall grade 6.45.Â
Matt Murray 6 – Ilya Samsonov 7,5 – Erik Kallgren 6.Â
Now calm down, Leafs fans. Good thing for you is that both of your goalies have their value at an all-time low. Matt Murray could very well bounce back, but with that price tag and recent results, Reading from the tea leaves (pun intended), Murray should be your opening night starter, but I see them as more of a tandem. Samsonov is still a pretty good number two option at a modest price. Joseph Woll may also have a word here.Â
23. Detroit Red Wings – Overall grade 6,5
Ville Husso 6,5 – Alex Nedeljkovic 6,5 – Jussi Olkinuora 6,5.Â
Just about as average as it gets, Husso is a perfect second goalie and the jury is still out on how he will perform as number one. Will he follow the suit of Nedeljkovic and not live up to the expectations? Or will he establish himself in the league as a bonafide starter? He’s not the youngest, as he’s 28 already. Also keep an eye on Olkinuora, a 30-something guy who led Finland to gold in both the Olympics and World Championship this year.Â
22. Minnesota Wild – Overall grade 6,625
Marc-Andre Fleury 6,5 – Filip Gustavsson 6,5 – Jesper Wallstedt 9.Â
You’d expect Minnesota higher, but the fact is that from the overall on-ice metrics, they’ve downgraded their situation in goal. Fleury is already 37 and Gustavsson is still relatively unproven, albeit with some upside. The future in net belongs to young phenom Jesper Wallstedt however, who should be a starter in Iowa and ready to play NHL as well at a very young age. By the way, Minnesota hits the sweet spot for the most average goaltending in this ranking, just a hair above 6,62.
Tier: Above average, but not great
21. Ottawa Senators – Overall grade 6,725
Cam Talbot 6,5 – Anton Forsberg 7,5 – Mads Soogard 5,5.Â
The goaltending duo of Talbot and Forsberg is pretty solid for where Ottawa is in their situation. Talbot provides experience, but I’m not that high on him as others probably are. Forsberg on the other hand is on the up and ready to establish himself as a long-time number one option. Ottawa also has Soogard, who they acquired in the Erik Karlsson trade as a young third possibility.Â
20. San Jose Sharks – Overall grade 6,725
James Reimer 7 – Kaapo Kahkonen 6,5 – Aaron Dell 4,5
Reimer has been sneakily good for quite some time now and with Kahkonen as a backup, they might provide San Jose with good, but probably not great, goaltending. They will definitely need that, looking at their roster. Aaron Dell is listed as third option, but let’s not forget about Adin Hill, who has been sidelined with long-term injury and could have backup aspirations once he comes back.Â
19. St. Louis Blues – Overall grade 6,725
Jordan Binnington 7 – Thomas Greiss 6,5 – Joel Hofer 4,5
You’ve probably noticed teams ranked 21-19 have the same overall grade, that’s when the tie goes to the starter, or goalie 1. Binnington is a Stanley Cup winner and although he may have lost the mojo from 2019, in his recent playoff run it seemed that he has found some of it back. Greiss is a solid backup while Joel Hofer still has plenty to improve to become an everyday option.Â
18. Los Angeles Kings – Overall grade 6,775
Jonathan Quick 6,5 – Cal Petersen 7,5 – Phoenix Copley 6
We have another three-team tie from 18 to 16 here. Quick and Petersen duo is solid as a goaltending tandem can get, while Copley is a good and somewhat experienced third option. Petersen will probably try to steal more appearances than he did last season, but we will see if he will be an option in the playoffs, where the Kings are definitely headed.Â
17. Edmonton Oilers – Overall grade 6,775
Jake Campbell 7 – Stuart Skinner 6,5 – Mike Smith 5,5 (IR)
Oilers’ newest acquisition should provide some stability, but let’s not forget he’s not the safest bet out there. He’s likely to get injured at some point and that’s where things could get trickier. Skinner is a young goaltender with upside and the backup role is well deserved for him. I’ve included Mike Smith, because as I said in the beginning of the article goalies are voodoo, man. He may as well come back at some point. His grade is weighting the probability of that with his actual skill-set. If healthy, he would be grade 8 as a Goalie 3.Â
16. Washington Capitals – Overall grade 6,775
Darcy Kuemper 7 – Charlie Lindgren 6,5 – Zachary Fucale 5,5
Kuemper is the best goalie out of the trio including him, Quick and Campbell, that’s also why Capitals get the upper hand here. Lindgren is a solid and experienced backup. Fucale may surprise some but he’s an alright third option for the team. The bet on Kuemper is probably also the safest bet Capitals management could make in the offseason from the possible alternatives.Â
15. Columbus Blue Jackets – Overall grade 6,8
Elvis Merzlikins 7 – Joonas Korpisalo 6,5 – Daniil Tarasov 6
The duo of Merzlikins and Korpisalo could be even higher, but they both, along with a team, had a pretty down year. They’re bound to bounce back, but until that happens, they get 15th place, which is right above league average. That sounds about right. Tarasov is an intriguing third option who may even win the backup position, if Korpisalo continues to struggle.Â
14. Colorado Avalanche – Overall grade 6,825
Alexandar Georgiev 6,5 – Pavel Francouz 7,5 – Justus Annunen 7
Georgiev was a proactive, albeit a bit risky, move from Joe Sakic. He definitely has potential to surprise but is also coming from a down year. Francouz is one of the best backups in the league and capable of performing in playoffs, as well. Annunen was supposed to be goalie of the future for the Avs but his career trajectory has somewhat stalled. He has all the tools to get back on track, though.Â
Tier: Solid, competent trios with some question marks on the way
13. Florida Panthers – Overall grade 6,925
Sergei Bobrovsky 7 – Spencer Knight 7 – Alex Lyon 5,5
Bobrovsky has regained his form last season and Knight is the righteous heir to that starter role, sooner or later. They both combine for a very good duo, who can even think about splitting the games evenly between them. Lyon is a less intriguing third option for me but overall Florida should be very stable between the pipes. Bobrovsky is still a bit of a question mark though – he could be very good, but also very bad.Â
12. Dallas Stars – Overall grade 6,925
Jake Oettinger 7,5 – Scott Wedgewood 6 – Anton Khudobin 5 (IR)
You might be surprised that I consider Oettinger a better goalie than Bobrovsky (which was the tiebreaker here), but hear me out. It’s not only about that playoff run. He was on track to have a sublime regular season as well, but was forced to play almost every game for more than 2 months and at the end it showed. That’s why Stars acquired Wedgewood, a very solid backup, to help Oettinger with the load. Big question mark is Khudobin, who is after surgery and will want to fight for that backup spot.Â
11. Carolina Hurricanes – Overall grade 6,95
Frederik Andersen 7 – Antti Raanta 7 – Pyotr Kochetkov 6
Carolina is just an overall high-standard team and definitely a contender for a Stanley Cup. However, that goalie situation has a high-risk, high-reward feel to it, because of how injury-prone both Andersen and Raanta actually are. If everything goes well, you have two quality starters on each night giving you every chance to win. The thing will be to ensure to keep at least one of them healthy and ready to go. Kochetkov should fill in as a backup without issues, then.Â
10. Vegas Golden Knights – Overall grade 7
Robin Lehner 7 – Logan Thompson 7 – Laurent Brossoit 7
Lehner could be out for a longer period of time, but when healthy, this is a very good, if not great goaltending trio. Logan Thompson was the reason Vegas were in the playoff race till the very last minute, but it’s still a pretty small sample size. He’s on a great contract, as well. Brossoit is your ideal tweener between backup and a third stringer, that’s why this is a very good trio for me. They really need to stay healthy, though.Â
9. Pittsburgh Penguins -- Overall grade 7,05
Tristan Jarry 7 - Casey DeSmith 7,5 – Dustin Tokarski 5,5
We’ve come into very good quality waters here and Penguins have a proven duo of Jarry and DeSmith. They are also somewhat prone to injuries and it was probably the reason they didn’t knock out eventual Eastern Conference finalists in the first round. Jarry is a free agent after this season, but DeSmith may be ready to step up. He’s a very good second option. Tokarski is slightly below acceptable for me, but for a third goalie, he’s alright.Â
8. Boston Bruins – Overall grade 7,075
Linus Ullmark 7 – Jeremy Swayman 7,5 – Keith Kinkaid 5,5
Bruins goalie brotherhood takes them into the seventh place and it shows how important it is to actually have great quality goaltending options on every night. They will fight for the playoffs tooth and nail and it may have very well come to the goaltending. If they both stay healthy, they have an advantage in my books over their considered Atlantic rivals, especially Ottawa Senators.Â
Tier: A starter so good the rest behind him matter slightly less
7. Vancouver Canucks – Overall grade 7,15
Thatcher Demko 8 – Spencer Martin 5,5 – Michael DiPietro 6
Demko is one of the best starters out there and he’s on a great contract, as well. They will need every possible save from him, because I’m not overly sold on either Martin or DiPietro as his backup options. They have downgraded in goal in comparison to last season, but the bet on younger goalies may be successful, in the end. They all have potential and as crazy as this may seem, this is probably the floor for the Canucks, as they can only go up from here. It all depends on Demko and if he’s capable of progressing even more.Â
6. Winnipeg Jets – Overall grade 7,25
Connor Hellebuyck 8,5 – David Rittich 5 – Mikhail Berdin 4,5
Hellebuyck is probably in the same category as Demko, but I rank him just a tad higher. He’s more experienced and already a Vezina trophy winner. I’m not sold on David Rittich as your backup though. He will probably not play more than 20 games, but in case of Hellebuyck’s injury, the Jets are in serious trouble. It won’t probably matter, because as great as Hellebuyck is, I don’t see them making the playoffs anyway.Â
Tier: Very good all-around
5. New York Islanders – Overall grade 7,525
Ilya Sorokin 7,5 – Semyon Varlamov 8 – Jakub Skarek 5
Semyon Varlamov is the best backup option in the league, change my mind. Ilya Sorokin is still on the up and altogether, they make a magnificent duo in the net. Jakub Skarek, as the third option, is leaving much to be desired, but the overall Top 5 position for Islanders is well deserved. I wonder what the game splits may look like here, but Islanders should be fine either way.Â
4. Nashville Predators – Overall grade 7,625
Jusse Saros 8,5 – Kevin Lankinen 6 – Connor Ingram 6
Jusse Saros is still very underrated in my opinion. He’s one of the best, if not the best, goalies in Western Conference. What he lacks in size, he provides in almost everything else, but most importantly, his results. Lankinen was an intriguing pickup and could be best suited for a backup role. Ingram showed some potential against the Avs but let’s not forget about Yaroslav Askarov, who could be knocking on the door as soon as the 2023-24 season comes.Â
Tier: Top 3
3. New York Rangers – Overall grade 8
Igor Shesterkin 9 – Jaroslav Halak 6 – Louis Domingue 7
Shesterkin is the new king on Broadway, it’s all his show now and will be challenging Andrei Vasilevskiy for the best goalie in the league crown, long-term. Halak is an alright backup pickup from Rangers GM, as he’s seeking his 300th NHL victory. He’s not the world beater he used to be, though and it’s a slight downgrade from Georgiev. His best games usually come at MSG, so keep an eye on that. Domingue is the perfect number 3, as shown with Penguins, also at Madison Square Garden.Â
2. Tampa Bay Lightning – Overall grade 8,1
Andrei Vasilevskiy 9,5 – Brian Elliott 5,5 – Maxime Lagacé 5,5
This may come as a surprise, but Tampa’s overall goaltending is not the best in the league in my opinion, even though they have the best goalie. Brian Elliott as a backup and Lagacé as your third option is just not the overall quality the winner of this ranking should possess. I may be a bit down on Elliott, but he’s slowly regressing and probably won’t improve that much next year. I get they are tight against the cap, but Vasilevskiy can only get you so far.Â
1.Calgary Flames – Overall grade 8,175
Jakob Markstrom 8,5 – Dan Vladar 7,5 – Dustin Wolf 8
Behold our goaltending trio winner, the Calgary Flames. They may have lost Gaudreau and Tkachuk but in my opinion, this is the best overall goaltending trio in the league. You have a bonafide starter in Jakob Markstrom, who is not the best in the league, but is pretty close. Then you have a sneakily good alternative in Dan Vladar, who is still young and can challenge Markstrom for future starts. And finally, you have Dustin Wolf, a great goalie prospect who could be just as good as Markstrom, if not better, in the future.Â
Well, there you have it.
Let me know what do you think where your favorite team was ranked. I have to say, I was slightly surprised by the winner myself — but upon further review it make some sense, or not? Anyways, I hope this was as fun reading for you as it was for me making the list and ranking it.
Full table here:
Until later! And don’t forget to subscribe if you really liked it!