The Goalie Report: Risers & Fallers

It's that time of year again. No, not winter, but injury season. The first month can be tough because it's incredibly intense with all 32 teams trying to jostle for position and with so many new players looking to make an impact as a rookie or as a veteran on a new team.

The two biggest developments have been injuries to Jake Oettinger, who has since been replaced by Scott Wedgewood and will be re-evaluated next week, and Mackenzie Blackwood, whose absence has paved the way for Vitek Vanecek to become the starter. Jeremy Swayman also got injured, though Linus Ullmark had a pretty firm hold on the starting job already and will now have veteran Keith Kinkaid to back him up.

Here are your goalie trends as we enter November.

Trending Up

Scott Wedgewood, Stars (2-2-1, .903 Sv%, 3.29 GAA)

Wedgewood's big test will come Saturday against the Oilers, as he's only faced the Kings at home and the Coyotes on the road since taking over for Oettinger. He won the starting job over Anton Khudobin during the preseason and was one of the better backups in the league last season, and if he plays well, the Stars might opt to be more cautious with Oettinger. Short term, Wedgewood should be rostered, since the Stars are a good defensive team with an excellent top line that is providing the sixth-best goal support in the league.

Vitek Vanecek, Devils (4-1-0, .911 Sv%, 2.06 GAA)

Vanecek's save percentage is merely decent, but his goals-against average is very good. That means that while he doesn't stop more pucks than the average goalie, he definitely faces fewer shots. The Devils are the league's best team when it comes to puck possession and still hold a 16-shot (!) margin over their opponents in average shots per game. How long Blackwood will be sidelined for is TBD, and with Jonathan Bernier still not ready to return, look for Nico Daws and maybe Akira Schmid to get called up. Both saw NHL action last season but Daws fared better, starting 23 games and winning 10 while Schmid lost all four of his starts. Either way, Vanecek is going to be a workhorse from here and is immediately worth rostering in all leagues.

Ville Husso, Red Wings (4-1-1, .934 Sv%, 2.17 GAA)

It looks like the Wings have settled on Husso as their starter since Alex Nedeljkovic is a wild card most nights and can barely be trusted. While Husso's numbers lately have been very good, note that the Wings are not providing a lot of goal support. Lucas Raymond is off to a slow start, Tyler Bertuzzi is still a couple weeks away from returning, Dominik Kubalik has one assist in his past three games and is playing on the third line and everyone is done waiting for Filip Zadina to break out. This is likely a short-term issue and while it means wins will be a bit harder to come by, Husso is looking like a top-15 fantasy goalie so far.

Arvid Soderblom, Blackhawks (1-1-1, .935 Sv%, 2.37 GAA)

Soderblom has played well in Petr Mrazek's absence and will take the lion's share of the starts over untested backup Dylan Wells. Soderblom's three-game stint last season didn't go very well (0-2-0, .863 Sv%, 5.01 GAA), but his improved play will make the Hawks more comfortable starting him. Mrazek's injury will keep him out of the lineup for a little while longer, and with his injury history, it's conceivable Soderblom ends up playing more games than Mrazek this season. When the Blackhawks are playing well, Soderblom might be worth a streaming start, otherwise just keep an eye on him just in case he becomes a really good source of saves.

Trending Down

Anton Forsberg, Senators (3-6-0, .898 Sv%, 3.58 GAA)

Cam Talbot's injury gave Forsberg a chance to take an early stake in a potential timeshare for the crease, but he's failed to live up to last season's standards, losing a league-high six games so far. Talbot will make his first start on Saturday in a relatively easy matchup against the Flyers, who play hard but don't have a lot of scoring talent. If Talbot plays well, look for the Sens to give him an extended look, which means Forsberg should be dropped to the waiver wire. Forsberg will need Talbot's play to slip and for his own play to improve should he wish to at least make D.J. Smith's decision more difficult.

Jordan Binnington, Blues (past 4 games: 0-4-0, .828 Sv%, 4.94 GAA)

It's important to note that since winning the Cup in 2019, the Blues' advanced metrics really don't paint a pretty picture. They're consistently in the bottom third in possession analytics, and they're incredibly inconsistent, looking dominant some nights and completely listless in others. Binnington isn't all to blame, but a few times each season he gets mired in these really, really bad slumps, and his only reaction to this is to try and fight the other team's goalie. This is nothing new; fantasy managers who rostered Binnington know that he can be feast or famine, and that painfully rostering him through this tough stretch is just part of the fun.

Tristan Jarry, Penguins (past 3 games: 0-2-1, .861 Sv%, 5.26 GAA)

It's interesting that the Pens' and Blues' losing streaks began on the same date, and both teams' goalies are really struggling. There are fewer excuses for Jarry and the Pens, who got Jake Guentzel back from injury but continue to struggle. What was shaping up to be a strong season from the Pens has really faded, and so has Jarry's fantasy value. The smart money is to hold onto Jarry, but we'll have to dial back the expectations for the Pens from dark-horse Cup contender to longshots.