With our first month in the rearview, let’s take a quick look at how our goalies in the West are stacking up. We are using the Fantasy Hockey Geek (FHG) tool for rankings and the categories of save percentage, saves, goals against average, and wins. In our rankings below we have a player rank which is that goalie’s rank with respect to the other goalies in the Western Conference and the overall FHG Value. It is a bit of a goalie themed week so for a season wide look at disappointing goalies check out Tom’s article.

Anaheim

Anaheim’s success thus far as been largely dependent on the excellent play of John Gibson. They have been dealing with a significant number of injuries and inconsistent play on the ice. As the top ranked goalie in the west, if you own Gibson, he has been treating you well. Ryan Miller has filled in well enough, but is not getting enough games to really be worth the own in most leagues.

Arizona

Antti Raanta (10th ranked goalie) has been solid in net this year. He has played fewer games than Gibson above, which hurts his overall value in the saves category, but has otherwise has been quite productive. He has followed up his fantastic end to 2018-19 well and continues to put up positive numbers. Kuemper has been good in his starts as well, but thus far just has not gotten the opportunity to be valuable in most formats.

Calgary

Over in Calgary, things are not looking so rosy. Mike Smith is decidedly more human at the start of 2018-19 than he was at the start of 2017-18. In fact he has been downright bad. His is the 15th ranked goalie in the west and really has only earned that ranking because of his volume of games played. His stat line is horrendous. To make matters worse for Smith (and his owners) David Rittich has been playing well, which is leading to owners worrying for Smith’s job and playing time. Those worries are not unfounded as Calgary’s last eight games have seen an even split in starts for both Smith and Rittich. If you need goalie help in your league consider adding Rittich, though many have jumped on this train already.

Chicago

There was some optimism for Cam Ward at the start of the season. Chicago was scoring goals and Corey Crawford was injured, meaning Ward had the net. Unfortunately he was terrible, and now with Crawford back, has only three starts in Chicago’s last ten games. At this point Ward doesn’t seem like he should be owned in most leagues. Things started well for Crawford, but his last few outings have been rough. It seems likely that Crawford alone isn’t enough to make up for some of Chicago’s defensive shortcomings. So while solid starters are definitely worth owning, Crawford does seem like one who it will be hard to count on for consistency.

Colorado

Semyon Varlamov is certainly one that has surprised in 2018-19. He is benefitting a bit from some luck (based on expected save percentage and penalty kill save percentage numbers), so the numbers will likely drop a bit, but anyone who drafted Varlamov should be happy with his performance (minus his last two games). Philipp Grubauer is another story, he has struggled. As was projected coming in to the season, has certainly been given more opportunities than a true backup. He is worth keeping an eye on as it seems like Colorado is hoping to see what they have in Grubauer with Varlamov’s contract is ending. For the moment though, Varlamov seems to been holding the challenge at bay.

Dallas

Ben Bishop has had a strong start to 2017-18. While Anton Khudobin has played well in his starts, Bishop is the undisputed starter and has earned that title thus far. Obviously he is worth owning, but unfortunately it is hard to recommend Khudobin for anything other than a spot start as he just has not been getting the time to provide more value.

Edmonton

The best thing that can be said for Cam Talbot at this point is that the Oilers are winning more games. His personal numbers aren’t great and after a rough 2018-19 there are certainly more questions than answers. It doesn’t help that he has sat out the last two outings in favor of Mikko Koskinen who has walked away with wins (if not with fewer GAA). He is certainly still the starter for now, but Talbot is going to have to up his game a bit if he doesn’t want a challenge from a backup who looks capable of playing more.

Los Angeles

Jack Campbell was thrust into the spotlight because of an excellent performance in the first few games after Jonathan Quick's first injury. Unfortunately the luster wore of quickly and he struggled until Quick’s return. Now with Quick officially on the shelf for a bit longer Campbell is once again the man in net. He hasn’t been great, but neither have the Kings as a whole. A new coach may help. If you need the starts (like maybe you own Smith?) and he is still available (40% owned in Yahoo) it is probably a good time to jump on board and see what value his can add to your team.

Minnesota

Devan Dubnyk is off to another good start. He, like Varlamov above, seems to be benefiting from some good luck so while the numbers may drop a bit enjoy the ride while it lasts. Alex Stalock has not been good. He also not been playing much so really isn’t worth your time at the moment.

Nashville

Man. What to make of Nashville? They look like a great team to own a goalie for, except that you will need to own two. Pekka Rinne had a decent (though not spectacular start), and Juuse Saros was definitely on the outside looking in. Then because it is Rinne, he got hurt. Poolies could jump for joy as Saros had the chance to step in and take the reigns, as of course he should. Saros was good, but not spectacular, and then when Rinne came back he had two excellent games and then signs a shiny new contract extension. It does not appear that Nashville is ready to turn the team over to Saros just yet. So what to do? Unfortunately I think it is try and snag both of them as Rinne seems to still be the number one, but given his age, health, and occasional bouts of inconsistent play, Saros could still see some starts for a great team.

San Jose

Martin Jones seems to be vacillating between great starts and not great starts, leaving him solidly productive, but not fantastic overall. I suppose it really depends on the week – either winning it for you or losing it for you. Aaron Dell hasn’t really mounted much of a challenge, and maybe the team just needs a few games of growing pains after adding Erik Karlsson. I am not too concerned about Jones at this point, and can’t really recommend more than a spot start for Dell (maybe). It is a situation that is worth monitoring though as Dell has challenged Jones in the past.

St. Louis

Remember when you wanted to own a goalie on St. Louis? When was that again? The best thing that can be said for St. Louis goaltending is they are having shots hit them (the word save sounds intentional and I am not convinced.) Jake Allen and Chad Johnson have been terrible. If you are unlucky enough to be in a position where you need one of them you obviously want Allen as he is getting the starts. You might be better off with any number of guys listed above though if they are available (Rittich, Campbell, Saros). Allen has been inconsistent now for a few seasons, so while he likely won’t end the season with a 4.42 GAA I have a hard time thinking he will significantly right the ship.

Vancouver

Which of Vancouver’s goalies do you want? Thus far it has been whichever is not injured. Markstrom likely has the inside track and has put together a few decent games recently, but he is certainly not consistent. The best thing about Vancouver goalies is they will give you a good deal of saves, just don’t expect great percentages. 

Las Vegas

Marc-Andre Fleury and Las Vegas as a whole have lost a bit of their shine in early 2018-19. MAF has been getting the bulk of the starts, which gives him excellent value if you need saves, though his percentage numbers are only ok. That doesn’t seem likely to change (barring injury) as Malcolm Subban certainly hasn’t been challenging the for the starting gig.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg isn’t exactly tearing out of the gate and high draft pick Connor Hellebuyck has not lived up to expectations as of yet. Laurent Brossoit has been significantly better in his limited action but there has been no indication that he is going to snagging starts away from Hellebuyck. For the moment it looks like hanging tight and hoping for a turnaround for Winnipeg is in order though it certainly is worth keeping an eye on Brossoit if he starts to steal more games.

Thanks for reading.