Ranking every NHL starting goalie 31-21

It is the offseason so it is the perfect time to rank every NHL starting goalie.

This post is without a doubt going to catch some heat, but it is fun to do nonetheless. When the idea first popped into my head, I didn’t think creating a list like this would be nearly as difficult as it has proven to be. After trying to create it and switching names in and out over and over, it proves just how tough it is to rank goalies throughout the NHL.

Of course, there are some that stand out as they are truly elite, but after that there are a lot who are all pretty similar in talent. When making this list, I didn’t base it off of just last season, although that certainly did play a factor, even more so than I realized as recency bias is a real thing.

However, what I attempted to do was a mixture of which goalie you would want on your team for the 2020-21 season, as well as how they have played over the last couple of years. This also proved to be tough, as some of the goalies on this list have only been in the league for one or two seasons.

Nonetheless, here are the rankings I decided on from 31-21…

It’s tough to figure out what Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman is doing. Heading into the 2019-20 season, he had both Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford. He now enters the 2020-21 season with Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia, who have combined for 84 career NHL games.

When they traded Lehner at the deadline, it was somewhat surprising as he is just 29 while Crawford is 35, but was understandable given that the latter has been with the organization for a long period of time and has won two Stanley Cups with them. Not only that, but he has still continued playing at a pretty high level when healthy. However, trading Lehner only seemed more bizarre when the Blackhawks announced prior to Free Agency that they would not be re-signing Crawford, who is now a member of the New Jersey Devils.

With this move, it really solidified the fact that the Blackhawks are attempting to rebuild, and the team even released a statement recently confirming just that. It has since come out that many Blackhawks veterans including captain Jonathan Toews are not happy with the direction of the team, and it’s hard to blame them.

The 2020-21 season could be a long one for this organization with Subban as their starting goaltender.

The 2020-21 season could end up being one that allows Linus Ullmark to climb well up this list. The 27-year-old actually had an okay 2019-20 season with the Buffalo Sabres, going 17-14-3 with a .915 Save Percentage and a 2.69 Goals Against Average, but he has struggled with consistency throughout his 97 career NHL games.

While he doesn’t have much experience under his belt and has never really been considered a high-end prospect, he is a much better option for the Sabres going forward than Carter Hutton, who was signed to a three-year, $8,250,000 deal prior to the 2018-19 season. Unfortunately for Hutton, his time with the Sabres has been a complete disaster to this point.

The 2020-21 season could finally be the season where the Sabres compete for a playoff spot. Despite having one of the more talented players in the league in Jack Eichel, they have been one of the worst teams in the league for quite some time as management has not done a good job with this roster. However, the surprise signing of Taylor Hall in Free Agency, as well as players like Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Dahlin blossoming into stars, the Sabres could do some damage this year.

Perhaps a better team in front of him is what will allow Ullmark to turn himself into a legitimate NHL starter.

Despite the Detroit Red Wings being a complete train wreck last season, Jonathan Bernier managed to have himself a fairly solid year. He faired much better than Jimmy Howard, who had one of the worst statistical campaigns by an NHL goalie in quite some time, and as a result was not re-signed and remains an unrestricted free agent.

The Red Wings instead decided to sign Thomas Greiss, who has mainly been considered a 1B goaltender throughout his NHL career. His numbers in those roles, in which he generally has received about 40 starts a season, have been quite impressive and he played a key role in the New York Islanders’ recent success, though it remains to be seen how he would fair with a heavier workload.

At this point, it doesn’t seem like the Red Wings have decided on a clear cut starter. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them go with a near 50/50 split, unless one vastly outplays the other. If they do elect to use them like that, this could actually turn out to be a decent tandem going forward.

However, given that the Red Wings will likely struggle again this upcoming season, it could be a long year for both goaltenders.

This duo, with how they both played last year, could easily be argued to be 30th on this list. Martin Jones, in particular, has been horrendous for the last two seasons, including going 17-21-2 with a .896 Save Percentage and a 3.00 Goals Against Average in 2019-20.

Prior to his struggles, however, he was a very solid starting goalie in the NHL. Perhaps the addition of Devan Dubnyk this offseason, a goalie who is very capable of cutting into his playing time, could be the motivation he needs to rediscover his game.

As for Dubnyk, he was a very capable starting goalie up until this past season, where he struggled in front of a subpar Minnesota Wild team. It could easily just be chalked up as an off year, but there is concern given that he is 34-years-old. If he is able to re-elevate his play, this could be a great pickup for the San Jose Sharks.

Like the Bernier/Greiss situation in Detroit, it is unknown who the starter will be in this system. It is something that Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner himself probably doesn’t know yet either. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them also go with a 1A and a 1B approach and ride the hot hand throughout the season.

If either of these goalies is able to have a good year, the Sharks could be in store for a huge bounceback season. Right now though, it is hard to have much confidence in this duo.

It is extremely hard to get a read on Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek. He has the athleticism to make some of the best highlight reel saves in the league, but is also very inconsistent and is prone to giving up soft goals. That description explains his first four seasons in the league with Detroit and has continued to be true through his first two seasons with the Canes.

One big positive going forward for Mrazek is that he plays on a great team with one of the best bluelines in the entire NHL. They are also a very young team, so they will only continue getting better. Playing with a roster like the Hurricanes have may finally help him turn into a top NHL starter like so many have thought he would become.

There is still time for Mrazek, though not much, as he is now 28-years-old. Goalies are known to take longer to develop than other forwards and defenseman, so perhaps this is the year Mrazek is able to find consistency. He certainly has the talent to be a top tier starter. If he is not able to, the Hurricanes may have a different starting netminder for the 2021-22 season.

What a change a couple of years can make. For a long time, Jonathan Quick was highly regarded as one of the top goalies in the entire league. His resume speaks for itself, as he has two William M. Jennings Trophies, two Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe to his name. However, both he and the LA Kings have fallen off dramatically over the past couple of seasons.

Given Quick’s past, it is too soon to completely write him off. Is it possible he bounces back and re-establishes himself as a top tier goalie? Of course it is but, given the fact the Kings will more than likely struggle again during the 2020-21 campaign, it does leaves little room for optimism. That’s what makes ranking Quick so tough. Has he really fallen off this much, or is it more a result of the team in front of him?

The good news for Quick and the Kings organization is that they have the best prospect pool in the entire league, meaning it shouldn’t be too long until they are once again a dominant team. Quick, however, is 34-years-old, so there are no guarantees he will still be around once their prospects turn into impactful NHLers.

Another goalie like Jonathan Quick who has fallen off in a big way is Pekka Rinne. Though Rinne doesn’t possess as much hardware as Quick, he does have a Vezina Trophy which he won during the 2017-18 campaign, and has been regarded as an elite goalie for quite some time. However, Rinne had a disaster 2019-20 season, going 18-14-4 with a 3.17 GAA and a .895 SV%, and ended up finding himself playing in fewer games than Juuse Saros.

Saros, who has been Rinne’s backup for a number of seasons now, was the much better of the two last season. He posted a .914 Save Percentage and a 2.70 Goals Against Average to go along with a 17-12-4 record. That has many questioning whether or not he is officially this franchise’s starter.

Given Rinne’s past, much like Quick’s, a bounce back certainly isn’t out of the question. However, also like Quick, age is not on his side as he is 38-years-old.

Given Rinne’s age, even if he does have a bounce-back season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Predators have them start about 50/50 again this season in order to keep him from fatiguing. The Predators, despite struggling last season, have a good team and still have a chance to do some damage if Rinne is able to play like he has in the past. If he isn’t, they will be forced to rely heavily on the inexperienced Saros.

Not all that long ago Cam Talbot was viewed as one of the better goalies in the league. He had finally been given a shot as an NHL starting netminder with the Edmonton Oilers and, early on, made the most of it. However, both he and the team struggled during his last few seasons as an Oiler. As a result, he was forced to sign a one-year deal with the Flames and began the 2019-20 season as their backup.

Thanks in large part due to his play down the stretch of the season, and even more so in the Playoffs, Talbot has been given a chance as a starting goaltender again after signing a three-year, $11 million contract with the Minnesota Wild. This is great news for Talbot, as he was able to secure one last big pay day and will get a chance to be a starting goaltender again.

The bad news, however, is that the team he will be playing behind isn’t very good. That played a huge part in why Devan Dubnyk struggled last season, and may continue on with Talbot if they aren’t able to clean things up.

While Talbot is a good goalie, he is not elite, and will not be able to singlehandedly carry them. If he is to have a good 2020-21 season, he will need his teammates to be at their best. Given the lack of talent on that roster, along with the fact that he is 33-years-old, means it could be a long year for both Talbot and Wild fans.