What's new is old and what's old is new. That's been the theme in 2023 so far, with a familiar name back at the top of the list and a few goalies coming back down from their highs. From Martin Jones ascending back to the starting job in Seattle and Pyotr Kochetkov possibly tumbling down the depth chart in Carolina, the fantasy landscape for goalies continues to move quickly.
Here's this week's most notable changes.
Trending Up
Martin Jones, Kraken (January totals: 3-0-0, .949 Sv%, 1.34 GAA)
Jones won 12 games in 18 appearances in the first two months of the season, which was excellent if we ignore his terrible save percentage. The Kraken offense was bailing him out a lot of nights, and when that scoring dipped and Philipp Grubauer returned, Jones started to cede starts. But with three straight wins and only four goals allowed, it looks like Jones is back in the starting crease again with the Kraken's first playoff berth genuinely feeling like it could be reality.
They're still too inconsistent without a bona fide defender to be truly good, but this is truly the best Jones has played all season. Dave Hakstol seems to have settled on a lineup that he prefers with Shane Wright back in major junior, four lines that can score thanks to the addition of Eeli Tolvanen and some quality depth at center thanks to Matty Beniers. The Pacific is awful, and if Jones can keep this up, he'll
What's new is old and what's old is new. That's been the theme in 2023 so far, with a familiar name back at the top of the list and a few goalies coming back down from their highs. From Martin Jones ascending back to the starting job in Seattle and Pyotr Kochetkov possibly tumbling down the depth chart in Carolina, the fantasy landscape for goalies continues to move quickly.
Here's this week's most notable changes.
Trending Up
Martin Jones, Kraken (January totals: 3-0-0, .949 Sv%, 1.34 GAA)
Jones won 12 games in 18 appearances in the first two months of the season, which was excellent if we ignore his terrible save percentage. The Kraken offense was bailing him out a lot of nights, and when that scoring dipped and Philipp Grubauer returned, Jones started to cede starts. But with three straight wins and only four goals allowed, it looks like Jones is back in the starting crease again with the Kraken's first playoff berth genuinely feeling like it could be reality.
They're still too inconsistent without a bona fide defender to be truly good, but this is truly the best Jones has played all season. Dave Hakstol seems to have settled on a lineup that he prefers with Shane Wright back in major junior, four lines that can score thanks to the addition of Eeli Tolvanen and some quality depth at center thanks to Matty Beniers. The Pacific is awful, and if Jones can keep this up, he'll be the starter on a team that should win around 45 games. In leagues where goalies aren't readily available, Jones is worth picking up again.
Jeremy Swayman, Bruins (Since Dec. 17: 3-0-2, .918 Sv%, 2.34 GAA)
Asides from Swayman's solid numbers, what's most noteworthy is that the Bruins have again been alternating starts between Swayman and Linus Ullmark since Dec. 17. They've lost only two games in that span, both with Swayman in net but also both in extra time. Ullmark had taken over the No. 1 thanks to his brilliant season and Swayman's early-season struggles, but this is starting to be more reminiscent of last season's arrangement.
Since Ullmark's been the better goalie he should remain the No. 1, but the increase in Swayman's playing time is certainly eating into his playing time, and as a result Ullmark's fantasy value takes a slight dip. This could be good because it will allow Ullmark to get some rest — he's never been a clear-cut No. 1 before — but this also means fantasy managers should look to roster at least one or both goalies if they can.
Samuel Ersson, Flyers (3-0-0, .905 Sv%, 2.90 GAA)
Ersson has little fantasy value as Carter Hart's backup on a team that can't score and will likely be headed for the lottery, but it's noteworthy that he's supplanted Felix Sandstrom as the backup. The Flyers sent Sandstrom to the AHL for a conditioning stint, but the reality is he has fared very poorly at the NHL level, and it's difficult to play well when you keep doubting your goalie.
Maybe Sandstrom will find his game in the minors and earn another call-up, but Ersson is the name to remember should fantasy managers be desperate for a goalie start. It does bear mentioning, though, that if managers are looking for quantity, Hart is on pace for a career-high workload, ranking 10th in the league in games started and 12th in total minutes played.
Magnus Hellberg, Red Wings (With Detroit: 2-2-0, .897 Sv%, 2.74 GAA)
Hellberg is one of the more well-travelled goalies in the league, as he keeps ending up on waivers and keeps getting claimed. That tells you that Hellberg is a serviceable but ultimately unreliable goalie, but like Ersson in Philadelphia, he's been the beneficiary of poor performances by goalies above him on the depth chart. Alex Nedeljkovic is currently in the minors on a conditioning stint after going a month without seeing any action, which has allowed Hellberg, who was claimed off waivers in November, to draw into the lineup. The Wings have a decision to make down the road because it seems unwieldy to carry three goalies all season, but it seems like Hellberg is the preferred option. Ville Husso isn't in danger of losing his starting job, however, and remains the only Wings goalie worth rostering.
Alex Stalock, Blackhawks (4-5-1, .916 Sv%, 2.77 GAA)
It's a dangerous gig being the starter on a bad team because you're almost set up to fail. Petr Mrazek, however, has been a total disaster since the start of the season. Stalock has started five of their past seven games with Mrazek having a season to forget, sidelined by injuries at one point and finishing with a save percentage above .900 just five times in 14 appearances. Neither goalie provides much fantasy value, if any, but note that Stalock's performances have exceeded what's expected of both him and the team in front of him. There's an upcoming matchup against the Flyers on Jan. 19 and then the Ducks and Coyotes in early February if you're planning ahead.
Trending Down
Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes (Past two starts: 0-2-0, .852 Sv%, 4.07 GAA)
Yikes. Antti Raanta won a lot of games even though it wasn't always pretty, and the assumption was that Kochetkov would return to the crease once he was over his minor ailment. Well, Kochetkov came back, but he laid an egg in both games upon his return.
It's unclear if Kochetkov wasn't quite fully healthy or if he was simply rusty, but there's little room for error on a team with three capable goalies. There's no return date set for Frederik Andersen and Kochetkov remains exempt from waivers, so if Kochetkov is anything less than very good going forward, he might be the one who gets cut. Raanta is a great insurance policy to have right now and all eyes are on Andersen, who may return as soon as next week. All of a sudden, Kochetkov went from being the No. 1 on a very good team to being droppable if he gets sent down to the minors.
Spencer Martin, Canucks (Since Dec. 1: 5-5-0, .867 Sv%, 3.95 GAA)
Martin started off well but his play has completely fizzled since, and he's starting to lose playing time Collin Delia, who has been much better since Dec. 1 with a 3-1-0/.925/2.42 line. Delia has now played in three of the Canucks' past six games, with Delia winning twice and Martin once. The Canucks are not a good defensive team and they're not expected to get better over the course of the season. They're not good enough and they don't have enough assets to make acquisitions for a playoff run, and it seems more likely than not that they will have to trade captain Bo Horvat at the trade deadline. Delia is a risky option, and don't expect his strong play to continue, making both of the Canucks' goalies moot in fantasy.
