Ranking every NHL Starting Goalie Part Two: 20-11
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.