Stanley Cup Playoffs: 3 young goaltenders to keep your eye on

Which young goalies could be a huge impact in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

While goaltenders traditionally mature later than players at other positions, there have been many exceptions to this rule. The Stanley Cup Playoffs have seen rookie goalies surprise everyone. In 2016, Matt Murray won his first Stanley Cup as a rookie and technically won a second Stanley Cup as a rookie in 2017. Just last season, Jordan Binnington helped the St. Louis Blues bring home the Stanley Cup.

This year, there are three promising young goaltenders who will try to create some playoff magic for themselves.

1. Carter Hart

More from Puck Prose

While Carter Hart is no longer an NHL rookie, it is just his second season in the league and his first-ever postseason appearance. His emergence has completely transformed the Philadelphia Flyers’ path as they have finally found the right goaltender to round out their team.

When Hart was playing his best in January and February, the Flyers soared up the standings and even had a nine-game winning streak in which he played in seven of them. If the season hadn’t paused, the team would have passed the first-place Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan standings. He’s one of the best young goaltenders in the league and it will be exciting to watch him perform in his first postseason.

2. Elvis Merzlikins

When Jonas Korpisalo went down with a knee injury, it seemed like the Columbus Blue Jackets season was over. Their next man up was a European goalie named Elvis Merzlikins who was in his rookie NHL season. Merzlikins ended up stealing the show and gave the Blue Jackets a fighting chance.

On a team that struggles to score and focuses most of their energy playing defensive hockey, Merzlikins’ performance was crucial. He passed with flying colours and now John Tortorella has two dependable goaltenders to rely on this postseason.

His play endeared him to fans as well as his iconic post-game celebration with Nick Foligno which was awarded “2020 Best Celly” in the NHL’s Fan Choice Awards. I wonder what kind of celebration we will see from Merzlikins if he wins a series with the Blue Jackets.

3. Igor Shesterkin

Igor Shesterkin only played 12 games this year but was lights out in his performances. He had a dominant 10-2 record and won all four games in which he had to face 40+ shots. Along with Alexandar Georgiev and Henrik Lundqvist, they make up the most dominant trio of goaltenders in the NHL.

Next. Every Team's Greatest Player Of All-Time. dark

It will be tough for David Quinn to decide who will start but there’s no way Shesterkin doesn’t get a look. Both him and Georgiev are the future of the New York Rangers and gaining some postseason experience would be huge for their overall development. Perhaps we see a passing of the baton this year with Lundqvist stepping aside for the youngsters to take over – much like what we saw with Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray a few years ago.

Home/Stanley Cup Playoffs