The Goalie Report: Risers & Fallers

No matter how many times we've told ourselves to be patient with an injured or struggling goalie, it inevitably comes full circle again.

Jacob Markstrom, Joseph Woll and Philipp Grubauer were all injured in the past week, and their injuries aren't of the short-term variety, either. Markstrom hurt his hand in practice, leaving Dan Vladar and rookie Dustin Wolf to hold the fort. Woll's timeline is measured in weeks after he suffered a high-ankle sprain, while Grubauer was placed on IR, meaning he'll miss a minimum of four weeks.

It feels like it's been a horrible season for goalies in fantasy, and in some ways that's true. This time last season, there were 24 goalies with a save percentage higher than .910 with a minimum of 10 games played; this season, there's only 19 with a top-five made up of two backups (Charlie Lindgren, Jonathan Quick), a timeshare (Jeremy Swayman) and two goalies who were overlooked in most fantasy drafts (Adin Hill, Cam Talbot).

Trending Up

Joey Daccord, Kraken (3-4-6, .894 Sv%, 2.99 GAA)

Daccord's fantasy value has increased based solely on the increase playing time and now his improved play. With Grubauer injured, the Kraken will move forward with Daccord as their 1A option and Chris Driedger, who has yet to play a minute in the NHL this season, as their 1B. Daccord has lost both of his most recent starts, allowing a total of seven goals even though he faced just 21 shots in each of the contests. With little goal support and uninspiring play, Daccord is worth adding or streaming only if fantasy managers need goalie starts.

Dustin Wolf, Flames (1-2-0, .900 Sv%, 3.04 GAA)

Wolf seems to have the inside track on the starting job with Markstrom hurt but in all likelihood will split the starts with Dan Vladar this coming week, with a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday and then a likely split in the remaining two games at home and on the road. If you had to pick, Wolf's the goalie to roster; his upside is much higher, and he's already rostered in more Yahoo leagues (10 percent rostered) than Valdar (6 percent rostered). The tough part is the Flames' schedule, as they have one of the league's most difficult to close out the 2023 calendar year.

Ilya Samsonov, Maple Leafs (5-1-3, .886 Sv%, 3.21 GAA)

Samsonov looked good in his first start since Woll was injured, shutting out the Predators. Leafs nation breathed a sigh of relief with Samsonov returning, mostly because it means they won't have to move forward with Martin Jones as their No. 1. This is Samsonov's chance to reclaim the starting job, and he's off to a great start. He'll start the majority of games for the Leafs, and despite his woeful save percentage should win plenty of games thanks to good goal support.

Stuart Skinner, Oilers (Last week: 2-0-0, .932 Sv%, 2.00 GAA)

The Oilers have ripped off a seven-game winning streak to no one's surprise. When their offense is humming, as it has been recently, the Oilers are a top-tier team. They don't need awesome goaltending to win games, but to Skinner's credit, he's been excellent. As long as Calvin Pickard's the backup and Jack Campbell's in the minors, Skinner will get a high volume of starts and needs to be started every night from here on out.

Devon Levi, Sabres (Last week : 1-0-1, .952 Sv%, 1.44 GAA)

The sojourn to the AHL certainly served Levi well. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen still ill and Eric Comrie winning just once in seven games this season, Levi has seized the opportunity to be the Sabres' No. 1 again. Levi is worth a short-term stash right now and might even be worth holding onto upon Luukkonen's return. Tage Thompson has returned, giving Levi and the Sabres plenty of goal support.

Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers (13-6-1, .913 Sv%, 2.42 GAA)

With a four-game winning streak, it's worth noting how reliable Bobrovsky has been this season. His play goes through major highs and lows, and behind a healthy blueline and a strong defensive team, Bobrovsky has returned to an every-night starter in fantasy. Even with a capable backup in Anthony Stolarz and top prospect Spencer Knight still stewing in the minors, Bobrovsky's hold on the No. 1 job is not in doubt this season. Start him whenever you can.

Trending Down

Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes (Combined: 10-11-1, .866 Sv%, 3.27 GAA)

The Hurricanes are literally a disaster. Their normally stalwart defense can't control gaps and they've been awful at clearing the crease. Raanta and Kochetkov's combined GAA isn't the worst, but their low save percentage is a result of inconsistent play and also because the Canes don't allow many shots. Each goal they allow makes a huge dent in their save percentage, and the goal support has been spotty, failing to overcome their weak goaltending. A team that was expected to be a contender should not have their two goalies combine for a losing record. At this point, it's best to bench both goalies until the Canes show signs of turning it around.

Anton Forsberg, Senators (Last week: 1-1-0, .895 Sv%, 3.04 GAA)

Forsberg looked like he was going to take over the starting job until Joonas Korpisalo allowed one goal against the Wings. The Sens started the season favoring Korpisalo as their starter, and we're back to status quo. Forsberg hasn't played well enough to hang onto the starting job; at best, he's looking at a 50-50 timeshare, rendering him a streaming option rather than a season-long hold.

Alex Lyon, Red Wings (Last week: 1-1-0, .877 Sv%, 4.20 GAA)

It was a tough week for Lyon, whose hot streak seems to be over. Ville Husso has factored back into the rotation, and keep in mind, James Reimer is still part of their rotation, too. Lyon needed to keep winning games to keep the starting job, and now it's anyone's guess again who the Wings will go with going forward. Keep rostering Lyon for now until the picture comes clearer, but it's either hope that Husso and Reimer falter again, sell high on Lyon or be prepared to dump him on waivers.

Joel Hofer, Blues (5-5-0, .893 Sv%, 3.19 GAA)

Hofer was a top candidate to unseat the incumbent going into the season, but his so-so play this season means Jordan Binnington remains the starter. Hofer has lost three straight with 11 goals allowed against teams that aren't normally so effective at scoring, including the Preds and Coyotes. It's tempting to stream Hofer, but expectations must be tempered going forward. Hofer doesn't look quite ready to take over just yet.