Ilya Bryzgalov-3 straight years of mediocrity, .909, .900, .904 save percentages, behind bad defenses yes, played excellent in 3/4 years in Phoenix but faltered in the playoffs. Verdict: Not a No.1 goalie anymore, better off in KHL, potentially a good backup.
Reto Berra-The Flames goalie had a decent preseason, but has followed up with a .894 save percentage. The Flames aren't the greatest, but he certainly hasn't been stellar. Verdict: Not a No.1 goalie, mediocre backup
Anders Lindback-Tampa Bay once thought he was a No.1 goalie possibility after okay numbers in Nashville. So far, he has posted a .902 and .882 save percentages. Verdict: Not a No.1 goalie, maybe not even a great backup at this point.
Devan Dubnyk-Became the Oilers scapegoat before being traded to Nashville. Rough start there too. Previous stats suggest he can rebound, .916, .914 and .920 on bad Edmonton teams before this year. A good 1A/1B situation would be ideal. Verdict: Good backup, still has No.1 goalie potential
Cam Ward-Has shown major decline in the last few years. Has never been truly stellar since the unlikely 05-06 cup performance. .923, .915, .908, to a lowly .895 this year. Keep in mind that injuries have screwed him, but you could definitely make a case for him being overrated as a goalie. Verdict: No.1 for now, but keep an eye on him, the decline has been there.
Kevin Poulin-In his first year with limited time, he showed some potential. Since then, has posted .907, .893, and a .896 in his expanded Long Island role this season. Still, hard to see No.1 goalie here. Verdict: Maybe a backup, maybe not. Hard to see more.
Niklas Backstrom-Injuries have slowed him down a bit, not the same goalie that was dominant in his first three seasons. Went down to a .909 in the lockout year, followed by this year's .899. The No.1 goalie starting days are over, but he can still likely handle a 1A/1B type of combo. Verdict: Not done yet, but decline is there, 1B at best.
Ray Emery-Inconsistent, sometimes injuries change his play, hard to read exactly where he's best. Some seasons he plays like a No.1 goalie, some he plays like a mediocre backup. Probably keeps him to a backup at best, because you can't trust him. Verdict: Backup goalie with hot streak potential.
Ondrej Pavelec-Never really played in front of a truly stellar D, but his numbers scream mediocre. .906, .905 and .901 in the last three years. Every once in a while he shines, but probably a backup at best.....paid 3.9M a season, unfortunately. Verdict: Backup goalie, not a No.1
Martin Brodeur-Now 41, followers of mine point out that he saves as many as he needs to win, and the numbers don't matter for him. I tend to disagree. No.1 goalie days are gone, 4 straight years of save percentages under .910, had a great playoff run in 2011-12 but I viewed that as the last quality No.1 days of his career to be honest. Verdict: Backup goalie at this point, NJ is Schneider's team now.
Craig Anderson-Having a rough year, after an excellent year last year. Kinda runs hot and cold like that. Runs best in a 1A/1B situation, just in case he faces a rough patch. Current situation with Lehner is close to ideal. Verdict: 1A goalie, who can take over as a full No.1 goalie in some seasons, in an elite way.
Evgeni Nabokov-Played decent overall in his first two years in Long Island, this year has been a bit harder on him with injuries and inconsistency. Probably most solid as a 1B in a 1A/1B system but not a true No.1 anymore. Verdict: 1B goalie
Karri Ramo-Has played better than Berra, and better than his Tampa Bay days, but still plagued by inconsistency. Probably not a No.1 goalie. Verdict: Backup
Jaroslav Halak-Has moments of absolute brilliance. Has moments of struggle. Hopefully, a team doesn't rely on him as their No.1 goalie in UFA free agency this summer, but he works quite well in a 1A/1B system like he's currently in with St. Louis. Verdict: 1A goalie with capability to steal games in hard situations.
Corey Crawford-Watching Corey, outside of stats, has made me not a fan. I don't like his glove hand or his rebound control in situations. However, on a statistical basis, his numbers aren't too bad. Has made some incredible saves and now has a cup. Outside of the .926 in the lockout year, not truly stellar. A 1A/1B system probably works well with him, maybe with Antti Raanta, but considering that, it's hard to believe he earned 6M a season. Verdict: 1A or 1B depending on the week.
Braden Holtby-Still fairly young, but his numbers have declined every single year since entering the league. Despite that, his lowest year (his current one) garners a .911 save percentage and the whole Capitals team is struggling. I definitely believe he's a No.1 goalie at this time. Verdict: Starter
Jonas Hiller-Three straight years of numbers that hover around the .912 line suggest that he's maybe not a true No.1 goalie anymore, rather a 1A in a good tandem. Injuries also a concern in future seasons. Don't tell Edmonton that. Verdict: 1A who can step it up on occasion (ask San Jose)
Steve Mason-Flyers fans get mad at me for pointing out his previous stats, especially when I was criticizing his new deal worth 4.1M a season. His stats have plummeted in December and January, definitely in part because of the Flyers D, but I have my worries as we get into the new deal....Verdict: Has some epic hot streaks, but ultimately I don't believe he's a No.1 you can count on. Still young.
Tim Thomas-Is anyone else impressed that he takes a year off and still plays well in Florida? Verdict: No.1 goalie, still, amazingly.
Justin Peters-Late bloomer? Perhaps, but the numbers are too inconsistent to trust. Probably deserves at least a full time backup spot, which he doesn't even have in Carolina right now, but still not really sure what we have here. Verdict: Backup goalie, but potential is still there.
James Reimer-Only 25 years old, and despite that, has stellar numbers on a team that gets consistently outshot like Toronto. Other than the year of his concussion, he's proven he can be a No.1 goalie. Does let up rebounds, so a nice D would help him a lot. Verdict: Starter.
Eddie Lack-With a .922 save percentage, Lack has done wonders this year not only as a backup to Luongo, but also in relief of him during injury. Despite that, he doesn't have the total underlying numbers to prove he can be a starting goalie. It'd be interesting to see him as a 1B though. Verdict: 1B or backup goalie.
Robin Lehner-Only 22, but the numbers are marvelous in limited time. Definitely ready to be a starter, but Anderson in his way in Ottawa, so might need to go somewhere else. Verdict: Starter. .935, .936, .926 numbers prove that in last three seasons.
Phillip Grubauer-Good numbers to start, and still quite young, but he didn't exactly dominate the minors. A 1B or backup position, full time, would be a good next step. Verdict: Backup for now.
Thomas Greiss-His last four years have all been not too shabby. .912, .915, .915, and a .929 in his first year in Phoenix. Worth a shot in a system where he isn't stuck behind Mike Smith...or considering Smith's average numbers himself, maybe better off in a 1A/1B split with Smith. Verdict: More starts please. 1A or 1B goalie, starter potential.
Svedberg/Mrazek/Jones/Talbot-Have barely played at the NHL level (Jones and Talbot have had some quality starts) but good stats in the minors suggest they are ready to be at least backups.
Frederik Andersen-There is some serious merit behind his play in Anaheim. .931 save percentage with a 12-2 record. Future starter? Very possible. First though, he needs some more starts. Verdict: 1A goalie potential and starter potential, maybe in the very near future.
Michal Neuvirth-Not buying that he's a starter. Too many stinkers let in that I've seen. Numbers aren't horrible. Could definitely work as a 1B somewhere other than Washington. Verdict: 1B goalie.
Varlamov/Giguere: They work really well in the system they are in. Giguere is an excellent backup/1B and Varlamov is a true starter, who does slump from time to time.
Jhonas Enroth-Overall his numbers are good, not great but good. Can't buy a win this year in Buffalo. A 1A/1B system, possible without Ryan Miller, is the next step. Verdict: 1A/1B goalie with starter potential.
Darcy Kuemper-Small sample size, but at least deserves a full backup spot with someone. Verdict: Backup with starter potential.
Ben Scrivens-Had fantastic numbers in LA....but it's LA. We'll see if it translates to Oiler hockey, which so far has had him overwhelmed with terrible D. Could work as an excellent 1B goalie next season, maybe even a 1A. Verdict: 1B goalie.
Josh Harding-Amazing what he has done despite dealing with MS, but can't be trusted to be a main starter because of what he's dealing with. However, a fantastic 1A option. Verdict: 1A goalie.
Anton Khudobin-Stats have been amazing at all levels for a while now. I believe someone MUST give him a starting shot. Or at least a 1A shot. Verdict: Better than the amount of starts he gets.
Jonas Gustavsson-Has he finally turned the corner? Well......kinda. Still don't see him as anything better than a backup option. Verdict: Backup.
Viktor Fasth-Strong year last season but injuries have plagued him this year. Still relatively unproven so not sure what we will see here. A backup position is the safest you can bank on. Verdict: Backup with potential.
Rask, Miller, Varlamov, Bobrovsky, Lehtonen, Howard, Thomas, Quick, Price, Rinne, Schneider, Lundqvist, Lehner, Smith, Fleury, Niemi, Bishop, Bernier, Reimer, Luongo and Holtby are who I believe are starting goalies. Khudobin is possible here too. Anderson and Crawford usually are here too.
2014-15 Possible Tandems:
ANA: Andersen/Fasth in a 1A/1B role, with Gibson knocking on the door.
BOS: Rask/Svedberg, with Subban knocking on the door
BUF: Enroth/Neuvirth
CGY: Reimer/Ramo
CAR: Ward/Peters
CHI: Crawford/Raanta
COL: Varlamov/Giguere
CBJ: Bobrovsky/C.Johnson
DAL: Lehtonen/Gustavsson
DET: Howard/Mrazek
EDM: Hiller/Scrivens
FLA: Khudobin/Bryzgalov, with Markstrom knocking on the door
LA: Quick/Jones
MIN: Harding/Backstrom/Kuemper/McElhinney (need 3 goalies as insurance for Harding, maybe 4 with Backstrom)
MTL: Price/Budaj
NSH: Rinne/Lindback/Hutton (need 3 as insurance for Rinne)
NJ: Schneider/Brodeur
NYI: Elliott/Nabokov, with Poulin knocking
NYR: Lundqvist/Talbot
OTT: Lehner/Anderson
PHI: Thomas/Mason
PHX: Smith/Greiss
PIT: Fleury/Dubnyk
SJ: Niemi/Stalock
STL: Miller/Allen
TBL: Bishop/Montoya
TOR: Bernier/Emery
VAN: Luongo/Lack
WSH: Holtby/Grubauer
WPG: Halak/Pavelec
Reto Berra-The Flames goalie had a decent preseason, but has followed up with a .894 save percentage. The Flames aren't the greatest, but he certainly hasn't been stellar. Verdict: Not a No.1 goalie, mediocre backup
Anders Lindback-Tampa Bay once thought he was a No.1 goalie possibility after okay numbers in Nashville. So far, he has posted a .902 and .882 save percentages. Verdict: Not a No.1 goalie, maybe not even a great backup at this point.
Devan Dubnyk-Became the Oilers scapegoat before being traded to Nashville. Rough start there too. Previous stats suggest he can rebound, .916, .914 and .920 on bad Edmonton teams before this year. A good 1A/1B situation would be ideal. Verdict: Good backup, still has No.1 goalie potential
Cam Ward-Has shown major decline in the last few years. Has never been truly stellar since the unlikely 05-06 cup performance. .923, .915, .908, to a lowly .895 this year. Keep in mind that injuries have screwed him, but you could definitely make a case for him being overrated as a goalie. Verdict: No.1 for now, but keep an eye on him, the decline has been there.
Kevin Poulin-In his first year with limited time, he showed some potential. Since then, has posted .907, .893, and a .896 in his expanded Long Island role this season. Still, hard to see No.1 goalie here. Verdict: Maybe a backup, maybe not. Hard to see more.
Niklas Backstrom-Injuries have slowed him down a bit, not the same goalie that was dominant in his first three seasons. Went down to a .909 in the lockout year, followed by this year's .899. The No.1 goalie starting days are over, but he can still likely handle a 1A/1B type of combo. Verdict: Not done yet, but decline is there, 1B at best.
Ray Emery-Inconsistent, sometimes injuries change his play, hard to read exactly where he's best. Some seasons he plays like a No.1 goalie, some he plays like a mediocre backup. Probably keeps him to a backup at best, because you can't trust him. Verdict: Backup goalie with hot streak potential.
Ondrej Pavelec-Never really played in front of a truly stellar D, but his numbers scream mediocre. .906, .905 and .901 in the last three years. Every once in a while he shines, but probably a backup at best.....paid 3.9M a season, unfortunately. Verdict: Backup goalie, not a No.1
Martin Brodeur-Now 41, followers of mine point out that he saves as many as he needs to win, and the numbers don't matter for him. I tend to disagree. No.1 goalie days are gone, 4 straight years of save percentages under .910, had a great playoff run in 2011-12 but I viewed that as the last quality No.1 days of his career to be honest. Verdict: Backup goalie at this point, NJ is Schneider's team now.
Craig Anderson-Having a rough year, after an excellent year last year. Kinda runs hot and cold like that. Runs best in a 1A/1B situation, just in case he faces a rough patch. Current situation with Lehner is close to ideal. Verdict: 1A goalie, who can take over as a full No.1 goalie in some seasons, in an elite way.
Evgeni Nabokov-Played decent overall in his first two years in Long Island, this year has been a bit harder on him with injuries and inconsistency. Probably most solid as a 1B in a 1A/1B system but not a true No.1 anymore. Verdict: 1B goalie
Karri Ramo-Has played better than Berra, and better than his Tampa Bay days, but still plagued by inconsistency. Probably not a No.1 goalie. Verdict: Backup
Jaroslav Halak-Has moments of absolute brilliance. Has moments of struggle. Hopefully, a team doesn't rely on him as their No.1 goalie in UFA free agency this summer, but he works quite well in a 1A/1B system like he's currently in with St. Louis. Verdict: 1A goalie with capability to steal games in hard situations.
Corey Crawford-Watching Corey, outside of stats, has made me not a fan. I don't like his glove hand or his rebound control in situations. However, on a statistical basis, his numbers aren't too bad. Has made some incredible saves and now has a cup. Outside of the .926 in the lockout year, not truly stellar. A 1A/1B system probably works well with him, maybe with Antti Raanta, but considering that, it's hard to believe he earned 6M a season. Verdict: 1A or 1B depending on the week.
Braden Holtby-Still fairly young, but his numbers have declined every single year since entering the league. Despite that, his lowest year (his current one) garners a .911 save percentage and the whole Capitals team is struggling. I definitely believe he's a No.1 goalie at this time. Verdict: Starter
Jonas Hiller-Three straight years of numbers that hover around the .912 line suggest that he's maybe not a true No.1 goalie anymore, rather a 1A in a good tandem. Injuries also a concern in future seasons. Don't tell Edmonton that. Verdict: 1A who can step it up on occasion (ask San Jose)
Steve Mason-Flyers fans get mad at me for pointing out his previous stats, especially when I was criticizing his new deal worth 4.1M a season. His stats have plummeted in December and January, definitely in part because of the Flyers D, but I have my worries as we get into the new deal....Verdict: Has some epic hot streaks, but ultimately I don't believe he's a No.1 you can count on. Still young.
Tim Thomas-Is anyone else impressed that he takes a year off and still plays well in Florida? Verdict: No.1 goalie, still, amazingly.
Justin Peters-Late bloomer? Perhaps, but the numbers are too inconsistent to trust. Probably deserves at least a full time backup spot, which he doesn't even have in Carolina right now, but still not really sure what we have here. Verdict: Backup goalie, but potential is still there.
James Reimer-Only 25 years old, and despite that, has stellar numbers on a team that gets consistently outshot like Toronto. Other than the year of his concussion, he's proven he can be a No.1 goalie. Does let up rebounds, so a nice D would help him a lot. Verdict: Starter.
Eddie Lack-With a .922 save percentage, Lack has done wonders this year not only as a backup to Luongo, but also in relief of him during injury. Despite that, he doesn't have the total underlying numbers to prove he can be a starting goalie. It'd be interesting to see him as a 1B though. Verdict: 1B or backup goalie.
Robin Lehner-Only 22, but the numbers are marvelous in limited time. Definitely ready to be a starter, but Anderson in his way in Ottawa, so might need to go somewhere else. Verdict: Starter. .935, .936, .926 numbers prove that in last three seasons.
Phillip Grubauer-Good numbers to start, and still quite young, but he didn't exactly dominate the minors. A 1B or backup position, full time, would be a good next step. Verdict: Backup for now.
Thomas Greiss-His last four years have all been not too shabby. .912, .915, .915, and a .929 in his first year in Phoenix. Worth a shot in a system where he isn't stuck behind Mike Smith...or considering Smith's average numbers himself, maybe better off in a 1A/1B split with Smith. Verdict: More starts please. 1A or 1B goalie, starter potential.
Svedberg/Mrazek/Jones/Talbot-Have barely played at the NHL level (Jones and Talbot have had some quality starts) but good stats in the minors suggest they are ready to be at least backups.
Frederik Andersen-There is some serious merit behind his play in Anaheim. .931 save percentage with a 12-2 record. Future starter? Very possible. First though, he needs some more starts. Verdict: 1A goalie potential and starter potential, maybe in the very near future.
Michal Neuvirth-Not buying that he's a starter. Too many stinkers let in that I've seen. Numbers aren't horrible. Could definitely work as a 1B somewhere other than Washington. Verdict: 1B goalie.
Varlamov/Giguere: They work really well in the system they are in. Giguere is an excellent backup/1B and Varlamov is a true starter, who does slump from time to time.
Jhonas Enroth-Overall his numbers are good, not great but good. Can't buy a win this year in Buffalo. A 1A/1B system, possible without Ryan Miller, is the next step. Verdict: 1A/1B goalie with starter potential.
Darcy Kuemper-Small sample size, but at least deserves a full backup spot with someone. Verdict: Backup with starter potential.
Ben Scrivens-Had fantastic numbers in LA....but it's LA. We'll see if it translates to Oiler hockey, which so far has had him overwhelmed with terrible D. Could work as an excellent 1B goalie next season, maybe even a 1A. Verdict: 1B goalie.
Josh Harding-Amazing what he has done despite dealing with MS, but can't be trusted to be a main starter because of what he's dealing with. However, a fantastic 1A option. Verdict: 1A goalie.
Anton Khudobin-Stats have been amazing at all levels for a while now. I believe someone MUST give him a starting shot. Or at least a 1A shot. Verdict: Better than the amount of starts he gets.
Jonas Gustavsson-Has he finally turned the corner? Well......kinda. Still don't see him as anything better than a backup option. Verdict: Backup.
Viktor Fasth-Strong year last season but injuries have plagued him this year. Still relatively unproven so not sure what we will see here. A backup position is the safest you can bank on. Verdict: Backup with potential.
Rask, Miller, Varlamov, Bobrovsky, Lehtonen, Howard, Thomas, Quick, Price, Rinne, Schneider, Lundqvist, Lehner, Smith, Fleury, Niemi, Bishop, Bernier, Reimer, Luongo and Holtby are who I believe are starting goalies. Khudobin is possible here too. Anderson and Crawford usually are here too.
2014-15 Possible Tandems:
ANA: Andersen/Fasth in a 1A/1B role, with Gibson knocking on the door.
BOS: Rask/Svedberg, with Subban knocking on the door
BUF: Enroth/Neuvirth
CGY: Reimer/Ramo
CAR: Ward/Peters
CHI: Crawford/Raanta
COL: Varlamov/Giguere
CBJ: Bobrovsky/C.Johnson
DAL: Lehtonen/Gustavsson
DET: Howard/Mrazek
EDM: Hiller/Scrivens
FLA: Khudobin/Bryzgalov, with Markstrom knocking on the door
LA: Quick/Jones
MIN: Harding/Backstrom/Kuemper/McElhinney (need 3 goalies as insurance for Harding, maybe 4 with Backstrom)
MTL: Price/Budaj
NSH: Rinne/Lindback/Hutton (need 3 as insurance for Rinne)
NJ: Schneider/Brodeur
NYI: Elliott/Nabokov, with Poulin knocking
NYR: Lundqvist/Talbot
OTT: Lehner/Anderson
PHI: Thomas/Mason
PHX: Smith/Greiss
PIT: Fleury/Dubnyk
SJ: Niemi/Stalock
STL: Miller/Allen
TBL: Bishop/Montoya
TOR: Bernier/Emery
VAN: Luongo/Lack
WSH: Holtby/Grubauer
WPG: Halak/Pavelec