The Goalie Report: Risers & Fallers

Trending Up

Jeremy Swayman, Bruins (8-7-2, .914 Sv%, 2.35 GAA)

The bombshell news dropped late Tuesday evening that Tuukka Rask is halting his comeback and might retire. It's been a long road back for the veteran netminder, and despite a good initial showing, Rask struggled against faster teams and a bigger workload. His troublesome hip seems to be an issue again, which means the Bruins will run a tandem with Linus Ullmark and Swayman the rest of the season. Since neither goalie managed to really grab the reins of the starting job when they were together, expect some form of timeshare between the young goalies. Ullmark should get the slightly heavier workload due to his experience, and truthfully, he has been fairly solid this season even though the fanbase may think otherwise. Fantasy managers who already have Ullmark rostered should look for Swayman on the waiver wire as an insurance policy, and those who are missing quality goaltenders on their roster definitely should. 

Jon Gillies, Devils (2-6-0, .899 Sv%, 3.20 GAA)

Gillies' 30-save performance snapped a personal four-game losing streak and a seven-game losing streak for the Devils. Even when Dougie Hamilton returns, it's hard to see the Devils winning a lot of games. Gillies is a No. 3 goalie at best, and both Akira Schmid and Nico Daws are still too green to get anything beyond the occasional or emergency start. There's some fantasy value in Gillies' workload, but note that his career high is three wins (in 11 games), and I have some doubt if he will even be able to match that.

Matt Murray, Senators (Since Dec. 28 callup: 5-1-2, .930 Sv%, 2.33 GAA)

Murray stopped 32 shots in a 4-1 win against the Devils on Monday, the only blemish being a sneaky backhand tip by Nico Hischier on the power play. The Sens are missing key players but are a plucky and talented bunch, beating the Hurricanes and Oilers in recent weeks. If the Sens can just stay at this pace, Murray could be a valuable fantasy goalie. His numbers will obviously regress, but if his performances can stay between this and what he was prior to that — 0-6-0, .883 Sv%, 3.67 GAA — he'll at least be able to stay in the league. The Sens likely will split starts between Murray and Anton Forsberg for now, but Murray's rostered in 25 percent of Yahoo leagues and climbing.

Petr Mrazek, Maple Leafs (6-2-0, .902 Sv%, 2.93 GAA)

Mrazek had to come in relief for Jack Campbell, and as a result has three wins in two starts. It is mildly concerning that, aside from a 7-1 win against the Devils, Campbell suddenly has started to struggle. Keep in mind, that win was in Campbell's 32nd appearance of the season, which is a career high for a goalie who had battled injuries much of his career. That has opened the door for Mrazek to get a bit more playing time; his performances can be erratic because he relies so much on his athleticism despite a lengthy injury history entering his 30s, but the Leafs offense should get him wins. Mrazek is available in more than half of Yahoo leagues and at least worth a speculative add.

Laurent Brossoit, Golden Knights (9-3-2, .905 Sv%, 2.66 GAA)

Brossoit started against the Oilers on Tuesday because Robin Lehner gets to play the Flames on Wednesday, so there's no need to wonder why Pete DeBoer went with Brossoit coming out of the All-Star break. It does get interesting, however, if Lehner loses to Calgary. He's been playing much better lately (ranked 87th in 5v5 GSAA before Jan. 1, but 30th since, according to naturalstattrick.com), so one bad start won't really hurt his fantasy value. But, if Brossoit goes on a hot run, he could demand more playing time. Platoons are becoming popular — count at least Colorado, St. Louis and Minnesota among them — at the midpoint of a grueling 82-game season, hopefully the first to be completed in three years, and we might see something similar in Vegas if both Lehner and Brossoit keep playing well.

Honorable Mention: Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen, Wild; Tristan Jarry, Penguins; Thatcher Demko, Canucks; Connor Hellebuyck, Jets

Trending Down

Ilya Samsonov and Pheonix Copley, Capitals (Combined since Jan. 1: 1-5-1, .881 Sv%, 3.80 GAA)

The Capitals better figure out their goaltending quickly because it's actually alarming how awful they've been. Since Jan. 1, the Caps are 5-8-2 with a .400 P%, tied for 25th in the league and allowing 3.27 goals per game. Vitek Vanecek has fared best, but he's on injured reserve, leaving the Caps with little choice; Copley was pulled against the Jackets on Tuesday, and the Caps are going to end up relying on Samsonov more than they really should. Samsonov's a talented goalie but nearly everyone is stuck in a big slump, and fantasy managers should probably move him to the bench until things start to look up. Samsonov is still worth rostering because of his workload and talent, but note Vanecek is only rostered in 60 percent of Yahoo leagues and could take over the starting job upon his return, whenever that may be.

Mike Smith, Oilers (2-3-1, .893 Sv%, 3.80 GAA)

Something's got to give because the Oilers can't keep doing this forever. Smith allowed four goals on 28 shots but received little help from a thin defense and no help from his forwards. The Oilers' top six were on the ice for all of the Knights' goals and finished a combined minus-12. Smith might have been a good idea at the beginning because the Oilers were expected to win a lot of games, but they're not and their defense has been a disaster, and that makes Smith as risky a proposition as Mikko Koskinen. Oilers goalies generally aren't worth the headache — they're too matchup dependent, and the Oilers can't beat anybody — until Ken Holland fixes that defense, and it would have to be a significant move to make a difference.

Dishonorable Mention: Karel Vejmelka, Coyotes; Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, Hurricanes; Cayden Primeau, Canadiens