
Sean AllenSep 30, 2025, 09:41 AM ET
- Sean Allen is simply a contributing writer for phantasy hockey and betting astatine ESPN. He was the 2008 and 2009 FSWA Hockey Writer of the Year.
Connor Hellebuyck's Vezina-and-Hart-Trophy-winning run successful 2024-25 looked similar a throwback to different era. While tandems person mostly defined the modern crease, Hellebuyck, on with a fistful of others, suggests the classical No. 1 goaltender is acold from extinct. We mightiness conscionable person to redefine it.
Let's look astatine the past 16 seasons of information -- 8 seasons earlier the Vegas expansion, 8 seasons since. From 2009-10 to 2016-17, the mean crease stock of a top-12 phantasy goalie was 74.1%, with an mean of 35.2 wins and 215.7 phantasy points. Among each teams, 25% had a goaltender with 75% crease stock oregon higher and 54.2% had astatine slightest 65%.
From 2017-18 to 2024-25, the mean crease stock of a top-12 phantasy goalie was 65.0%, with an mean of 32.6 wins and 181.2 phantasy points. This time, lone 7.9% had a goaltender with 75% crease stock oregon higher and 33.3% had astatine slightest 65%.
(The 2012-13, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons person each been prorated to 82 games.)
The mean goalie spent a batch little clip successful the crease since the astir caller expansion. Only 2 goalies had a crease stock larger than 75% successful 2024-25, and you cognize precisely who they are, arsenic Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevskiy are liable for 11 of 20 specified campaigns. Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy are a wide attraction of powerfulness here. Aside from them, lone Juuse Saros and Carey Price person deed 75% twice.
In the 2009-10 to 2016-17 stretch, anterior to expansion, determination were 17 goalies with aggregate idiosyncratic seasons of astatine slightest 75% crease stock and lone 11 others who managed it conscionable once. It wasn't a attraction of powerfulness then; goaltenders with monolithic workloads were common.
But if we little the barroom conscionable a little, alternatively of the classical 75% threshold, we get immoderate maturation successful single-goalie usage erstwhile we marque 65% the minimum for a "No. 1." Whereas we had lone 8 successful 2023-24, determination were 15 that took astatine slightest 65% of their team's crease past season.
Tying it each together, 65.0% is simply a just threshold for crease stock for a top-12 phantasy goalie since 2017-18. It's a bully people for the set-and-forget assortment of goaltender, particularly successful leagues with play lineup changes that don't let you to shuffle successful backups for a night.
That's 15 goalies that received and should proceed to person 65% of their team's crease. Blackwood and Knight didn't get 65% connected the play arsenic a whole, but cleared it erstwhile considering conscionable the clip with their caller teams.
But we tin adhd a fewer much to the list. Injuries and veterans successful the mode played a relation successful keeping 5 different goaltenders from clearing the barroom past play but we tin pencil them successful for this season, with nary tandem successful sight.
There is inactive a request to show tandems for the coming season. Firstly, conscionable due to the fact that a goaltender gets the workload, doesn't mean they get the phantasy results. Just inquire Saros and the Predators from past season.
Secondly, determination is value, particularly successful regular lineup leagues, successful leaning into tandem deployments due to the fact that of the outgo of acquisition, arsenic they spell successful drafts overmuch aboriginal than the full-time starters.
Thirdly, tandems don't person to enactment tandems forever. Goaltenders, particularly young ones inactive getting their feet bedewed successful the NHL, tin look from a time-share to go a unit successful fantasy.
So let's cheque connected the 12 remaining NHL teams that don't needfully person a goaltender projected to get 54 oregon much starts (65%) for the coming campaign, presented successful alphabetical order.
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Buffalo Sabres
2024-25 season

1 month ago
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