Ranking every NHL Starting Goalie Part Two: 20-11
This is the second article in this series of ranking NHL goaltenders, and it hasn’t gotten any easier.
As already mentioned, a lot of the goalies throughout the league, especially in these middle rankings, are very similar. Still, it is a fun list to try and put together nonetheless.
As mentioned in the previous article, this list isn’t based off of just last season, though it does play a factor. The attempt is to try and base it on who you would want in net for your team during the upcoming season, while also factoring in how they have faired over the last few seasons. This is again tough, as some of the guys on this list have only been in the league for a season or two.
Without further ado, here is the ranking from 20-11 of the NHL’s top starting goaltenders.
Pick Analysis. G. . Matt Murray . 20. Scouting Report. player. 91
It seems crazy to have a 26-year-old who has already won two Stanley Cups at just number 20 on this list, but it goes to show how much Matt Murray has struggled the past few seasons. The Pittsburgh Penguins were aware of these struggles as well, as they recently traded him to the Ottawa Senators, electing to keep Tristan Jarry instead.
This move comes just three years after the Penguins decided to leave longtime franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury unprotected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft for the Vegas Golden Knights to claim. To be clear, this isn’t a shot at the Penguins management, it just goes to show how highly regarded Murray was throughout the league just a few years back. The Senators clearly believe he will turn it around as they signed him to a giant four-year, $25 million deal.
While the contract Murray was given may be an overpay, acquiring him was just one of many solid offseason moves the Senators have made over the last month. Though they will likely still not be a playoff team this upcoming season, they have improved a ton. This is still a young team however, meaning the first season or two of Murray’s tenure may be a bit of a struggle.
19. G. . Tristan Jarry. player. 92. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Coming in right above Matt Murray is the man the Penguins believed was the better of the two to keep, Tristan Jarry. The 25-year-old was taken in the Second Round (No. 44 overall) just a year after the Penguins drafted Murray in the Third Round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft (No. 83 overall). Despite being a higher pick, it has taken Jarry much longer to develop than his former goaltending partner.
This past season, Jarry was the far superior of the two netminders which is why General Manager Jim Rutherford made the decision to stick with him going forward. However, Jarry has just 62 career games to his name, making it a very risky move. While Jarry has had a solid professional career to this point with a 34-20-4 record with a .914 Save Percentage and a 2.61 Goals Against Average, his NHL experience is very limited.
The 2020-21 season will be huge for Jarry as he will be relied upon as an NHL starter for the first time. With a strong season he has a chance to climb well up this list, but a bad one could have him drop near the bottom. Playing behind another strong Penguins team indicates he should be able to put together a successful season, but it remains to be seen.
. Sergei Bobrovsky. 97. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. G. 18. player
Another very tough player to rank on this list is Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. In the previous article, which you can read here, I mentioned how goalies like Jonathan Quick, Pekka Rinne and Braden Holtby were all recently regarded as some of the best in the NHL. The same can be said for Bobrovsky, who won two Vezina Trophies in the 2012-13 and 2016-17 seasons respectively.
Up until this past season, many considered him to be arguably the best goalie in the entire league. However, this was based more so on reputation as many failed to notice that his numbers were not nearly as good as seasons past. That made some who did take note very skeptical when the Panthers gave him a massive seven-year, $70 million contract prior to the 2019-20 season.
While the money and term were certainly an overpay, many still thought this was a deal that would benefit the Panthers for a few seasons, and that it could be devastating that the Columbus Blue Jackets lost their franchise netminder.
Thankfully for the Blue Jackets, they decided not to match that crazy offer, and the Panthers are left wishing they had. Bobrovsky had a horrible first season in Florida, going 23-19-6 with a .900 Save Percentage and a 3.23 Goals Against Average, and was often a liability on what was a pretty good roster.
The only thing saving him from being near the bottom of this list is that he was still recently one of the best in the game and at 32-years-old could still bounce back.
Bobrovsky’s team needs him to given the ridiculous money they are paying him.
player. Pick Analysis. G. . Mikko Koskinen. 17. 148. Scouting Report
Despite what a lot of both Edmonton Oilers fans and media around the hockey world say, Mikko Koskinen really isn’t a bad goalie. In fact, his numbers last season were quite good. Unfortunately for him, Head Coach Dave Tippett seemed to prefer his other goalie in Mike Smith and split them evenly throughout the year despite Koskinen posting far superior numbers and clearly giving his team a better chance to win.
His first season with the team wasn’t nearly as bad as some have made it out to be either, as he ended up claiming the number one role over Cam Talbot which resulted in the latter being traded. That ended up being bad news for Koskinen, who was forced to start nearly every game for the remainder of the season as Anthony Stolarz, who the Oilers acquired in the Talbot trade, was simply not an NHL level goaltender and couldn’t be given starts. The heavy workload admittedly wore on Koskinen as he saw his numbers fall.
Though Edmonton had the chance to acquire a new goalie partner for Koskinen, they re-signed Smith to a one-year deal. The hope is that they use Koskinen as their true number one this season, as it is very evident he is the superior of the two at this stage in their careers.
However, given Tippett’s history with Smith, it’s hard to say whether or not that will happen. If he does begin to use Koskinen more, the Finnish netminder may just prove to everyone why he was regarded as one of the best goaltenders in the KHL for a number of seasons.
player. 85. Pick Analysis. G. . Mackenzie Blackwood . 16. Scouting Report
It appears that the New Jersey Devils have found their franchise goalie in Mackenzie Blackwood. Although it’s early, the soon to be 24-year-old has been quite good since being called up to the Devils midway through the 2018-19 season. ‘Quite good’ is very impressive given both his age and the team he has been forced to play behind.
While the Devils had high hopes in Blackwood from the time they selected him 42nd overall at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, they likely didn’t picture him being as good as he has been this early. He was the only real bright spot for New Jersey in 2019-20, posting a .915 Save Percentage and a 2.77 Goals Against Average in 43 starts.
The one concern moving forward with Blackwood and something that could hinder him from posting great numbers over the next few seasons is that the Devils are not a very good team. They do have some young talent who they are hoping can turn into impactful NHLers, but that won’t help them much for the 2020-21 season where they will more than likely struggle once again.
One positive for Blackwood is that he won’t carry the pressure of being the only team’s goaltender capable of winning games, as the Devils recently signed two-time Stanley Cup winning goalie Corey Crawford after the Chicago Blackhawks let him walk. His winning past will make him an excellent mentor for Blackwood, and he is more than capable of stepping in if needed.
Jordan Binnington. 15. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 99. G. . player
2019 was a magical year for Jordan Binnington. The now 27-year-old was looking like he may be a career minor league goaltender until he was called up by the Blues in December of 2018. Soon after, he got red hot and quickly became the starting goaltender, leading a Blues team who was near the bottom of the league to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That in itself would have been impressive enough, but Binnington wasn’t done, as he and his Blues teammates went on to defeat the Boston Bruins and win the first ever Stanley Cup in franchise history. The still relatively unknown goaltender was set to become a free agent, and had earned himself a huge raise. However, general manager Doug Armstrong played it smart and got his new starting goalie to sign a two-year, $8.8 million contract.
The short-term deal may have been the right call for the Blues, as Binnington was average at best throughout the 2019-20 season and struggled immensely in the playoffs. The 27-year-old went 0-5-0 in the postseason with a woeful .851 Save Percentage and an appalling 4.72 Goals Against Average, a far cry from his heroics the year before.
It now begs the question as to whether or not he is for real or if he was a one-hit wonder. In reality, it is likely somewhere in between, which makes it a relief Armstrong didn’t commit to him long-term.
The 2020-21 season will help define how good Jordan Binnington truly is.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. . player. 113. G. Elvis Merzlikins. 14
When it was confirmed Sergei Bobrovsky had signed with the Florida Panthers, many questioned whether Joonas Korpisalo had what it took to be the Columbus Blue Jackets new starting goaltender. He proved he was more than up for the challenge, as he had a terrific season with a .911 Save Percentage and a 2.60 Goals Against Average, and was selected to play in the 2020 All-Star game as a result.
Near the end of December, the 26-year-old goaltender suffered a knee injury which required surgery and was expected to miss four to six weeks. This seemed like a disaster for a Blue Jackets team who struggled to score and were relying heavily on their starting netminder. However, the injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise as rookie Elvis Merzlikins came in and played as good if not better than Korpisalo, going 13-9-8 with a .923 Save Percentage and a 2.35 Goals Against Average.
As a result, the Blue Jackets appear to have a rock solid duo heading into the 2020-21 season. The only reason they are not higher on this list is due to the fact neither goaltender, especially Merzlikins, have much NHL experience. As of now, it appears they will split games evenly throughout the season. If that happens and they play like they did in 2019-20, they will likely crawl into the top 10.
13. player. 95. Pick Analysis. G. Igor Shesterkin. Scouting Report.
There may be some that disagree with Igor Shesterkin being this high on the list given that he only has 12 career NHL games to his name. However, the 24-year-old, who played his first season in North America this past season, proved why he was being referred to as the league’s number one prospect.
Shesterkin played the first half of the 2019-20 season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and was recalled in early January after posting fantastic numbers. Once he got to the NHL, those great numbers continued and as a result he became the team’s number one goalie down the stretch, forcing franchise icon Henrik Lundqvist to be a healthy scratch on numerous occasions. Had Shesterkin not been injured in a car accident late in the season, he would have played a lot more than just 12 games.
Shesterkin conquered the NHL as he has every other league he played in, winning 10 of his 12 starts and posting an impressive 2.52 Goals Against Average to go along with a .932 Save Percentage.
The great play of Shesterkin played a huge part in the Rangers buying out the final year of Lundqvist’s contract that had a cap hit of $8.5 million. That will put some additional pressure on the young Russian netminder, as Lundqvist was beloved by Rangers fans. He has some massive shoes to fill, but there is a reason he has so much hype. While his team is still a year or two away, they are on their way to becoming a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference.
G. . 12. player. Pick Analysis. Scouting Report. Semyon Varlamov. 106
After the 2018-19 season, New York Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello turned some heads when he decided to let Robin Lehner, who had been the team’s best player that season and was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, leave via Free Agency and instead signed Semyon Varlamov to a four-year, $20 million contract.
The deal to Varlamov itself wasn’t a bad move as the 32-year-old has been a very capable starting goalie in the NHL for some time, but it was nonetheless surprising given that Lehner is three years younger and had posted far better numbers that previous season.
The 2019-20 season was a solid one for Varlamov, who went 19-14-6 with a .914 Save Percentage and a 2.62 Goals Against Average. However, he did cool off as the year went on and struggled with consistency, something that has always been an issue for him.
When he is on top of his game, he is a top 10 goalie in the league but he seems to always go through cold stretches. Thomas Greiss leaving the Islanders will likely mean Varlamov starts a higher percentage of games in 2020-21, as he will have either rookie phenom Ilya Sorokin or veteran Cory Schneider backing him up.
Varlamov will likely have a similar if not slightly better season than 2019-20, as he continues to settle in with his new team after spending the previous eight seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. He plays in a very good goaltending system as Head Coach Barry Trotz preaches defensive play, allowing the Islanders, who don’t have a ton of talent, to find ways to make the postseason and often surprise teams. The style isn’t the most entertaining to watch, but it should help Varlamov remain one of the better starting goalies in the league.
. Frederik Andersen. 11. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. G. player. 116
The 2019-20 season was a bit of a rough one for Frederik Andersen, who had his worst season statistically since entering the league in 2013-14, going 29-13-7 but with a .909 Save Percentage and a 2.85 Goals Against Average.
It is hard to blame him, however, as the Toronto Maple Leafs play a very run and gun style, which often leads to many high-end scoring chances against. That, factored in with the Leafs having a suspect blueline, makes it a difficult task for any goaltender to succeed.
The good news going forward for Andersen is that the team was able to improve on the backend this offseason. Free agent signings in T.J. Brodie and Zach Bogosian give the team much more depth in the position, particularly in Brodie who will be relied upon as a top four defenseman. They also have tons of talent up front who are still very young and will continue to improve, which should help for the 2020-21 season.
Another bonus for Andersen is that he will have a reliable backup in Jack Campbell, something the team has really lacked the past two seasons. Having a backup they can trust to win games will allow the 31-year-old Andersen to get more rest than seasons past, which should boost his overall performance.
dark. Next. Don't panic just yet about 2020-21
With a bounce back season he will find himself back in the top 10 of this list.
We’ll be back with the final part of our Goalie Rankings in the coming days so stay tuned!