Welcome back to The Journey.

Here we are, just weeks away from the fantasy playoff season. This means that you are likely spending the weekend tinkering with your rosters and sifting through the market to sell your soul and go for a deep run. Of course, this means that you will be taking a good look at the most important position of them all, goaltending. 

With the condensed season and of course Covid playing huge roles on every team, fantasy goaltenders have been a roller coaster this season. With such inconsistency in scores, a year like this brings out a few different types of GMs. 

First, you have those such as myself. In my "main" league, I have decided to run with the one-goalie system. Granted, my one happens to be Andrei Vasilevskiy, but I remain firm on saving myself from the headache of additional blowouts. I sit right on the bubble but currently fall outside of a playoff spot. 

Second, you have GMs like Ian Gooding. Or, in other words, "a goalie hoarder", taking all the good options and storing them away:

I don't think I've ever had a "pick 2 of 5 goalies" problem, yet here we are. pic.twitter.com/1fsKOKRl4x

— Ian Gooding (@Ian_Gooding) March 25, 2021

Both are fine options, but obviously, Ian's route is likely more lucrative in the long run. This gives him a vast number of options come trade deadline. If he is a seller, he has the ultimate value platter in order to gain future assets, and if not, carries a number of strong goaltenders for his run. In fact, with this many, he can comfortably enjoy the benefits to both sides by selling one or two and still compete. Nice job.

Regardless, it is imperative that you solidify your situation between the pipes if you are looking to go the distance in fantasy. Luckily, for my sake as a writer, there has been a long list of rookie goalies worthy of a look this season. Some of which may just be strong enough to help you take it down. 

Here are my thoughts on a few of those, along with their remaining opponents to assist in your decisions.

Igor Shestyorkin, Rangers 

Following his dominant 10-2-0 transition last season, the hype was real. Yes, I am rightfully guilty of adding to that fanfare. Fast forward to 2020-21, and he has certainly drifted back to earth. Of course, with a 7-7-1 and .922 save percentage, it's nothing to forecast any issues heading into the future. More so, the team, as a whole, has been inconsistent and overall underperforming. He certainly cannot be held solely accountable.  

In fact, with wins in three straight, he looks to be heading back in the right direction. Mediocre stat line, or not, there is no denying his potentially dominant upside. Furthermore, with the Rangers icing an above-average squad (at least on paper?), you have to assume that they will stay afloat – at the very least – to close out the season. 

As you can see below, their schedule is quite open, so do not base your final week’s decision on matchups. Just trust the process and ride Shesty into the sunset. 

Remaining Schedule:

Capitals: 4

Islanders: 5

Sabres: 4

Flyers: 3

Bruins: 2

Penguins: 2

Devils: 4

My verdict: Go for a run.

Ilya Sorokin, Islanders 

After taking a 0-2-1 hit during his first three matches, Sorokin has been unstoppable within the past month and change. Literally. Over his last eight starts, he has yet to lose (7-0-0) and has allowed over two goals in just one of those matches.

As expected, the 25-year-old looks to be settling in just fine to life in the NHL, continuing on from his incredible career overseas. The Islanders are an extremely well-rounded team, with a strong goal-differential and sound defensive gameplan. While he may only split the remaining games with fellow Russian, Semyon Varlamov, Sorokin is nothing short of a strong option to carry into your upcoming playoff run.

Remaining Schedule:

Capitals: 5

Rangers: 5

Sabres: 2

Flyers: 3

Bruins: 2

Penguins: 2

Devils: 2

My verdict: Go for a run.

Kaapo Kähkönen, Wild

After (personally) preaching his game all summer long, Kähkönen is finally getting a chance to showcase his talents this season, continuing on from his AHL "goaltender of the year" worthy performance last year. Yes, it has been benefited by a string of injuries to his peers, but the 24-year-old has taken that opportunity and ran with it. 

Not only does he boast a 12-5-0 record, but is in the midst of an incredible 9-1-0 run. This stretch includes a 1.89 GAA, along with a 0.934 save percentage with two shutouts to boot. Of course, with Cam Talbot healthy and looking to take on a heavier load down the stretch, the Finnish netminder's stock takes a hit. Worry not, he's likely to continue receiving games, and should Talbot slip up, even slightly, the crease could be won back by the young netminder. 

Remaining Schedule:

Avalanche: 2

Sharks: 5

Kings: 1

Golden Knights: 4

Coyotes: 3

Ducks: 2

Blues: 6

My verdict: Go for a run.

Cal Petersen, Kings

After years of anticipation, Cal Petersen's time has finally arrived. And well, it's gone as one would expect a 2021 LA Kings netminder to produce. With a 6-7-4 record, he's been a classic "start at your own risk" fantasy option. With LA entering the year as a fringe team, at best, expectations are somewhat kicked to the curb. This means that if Petersen manages to muster up a win, fantasy owners should just be happy and not to expect the same result in his next match. Inconsistency is the name of the game at the moment.

At the very least, it's encouraging to finally see the 26-year-old get a fair share of the load, and when the club's extremely potent depth charts begin to rise up, his long-term potential has a chance to be quite nice. As for the time being, I would look to inquire more consistency, if possible, heading into the next few weeks.

Remaining Schedule:

Avalanche: 4

Sharks: 4

Wild: 1

Golden Knights: 4

Coyotes: 5

Ducks: 5

Blues: 0

Verdict: Hit the trade market.

Vitek Vanecek, Capitals

Opportunity. Sometimes that is all a netminder needs. We have seen it in Washington on many occasions, see: Semyon Varlamov, Braden Holby, even Ilya Samsonov himself, who happens to be the netminder to hand this opportunity to Vanecek.

Well, to the pleasant surprise of Vitek owners, he has taken this torch and gone on a nice little run for with it. Not only is he leading many of the rookie statistics, but he also sits in good company among the entire league. His 14 wins are currently good for fifth league-wide, while his 12 quality starts are well within the top-10. 

Yes, Samsonov is slowly easing his way back into games and still likely the answer long-term. Yet, with the numbers that the 25-year-old is posting, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he loses title as majority holder for the club's future starts. At least, not this season. 

Unfortunately, the Caps have seen most of their matchup versus the Sabres and Devils, but this tandem remains a hot commodity down the stretch.

Remaining Schedule:

Islanders: 5

Rangers: 4

Sabres: 2

Flyers: 4

Bruins: 4

Penguins: 2

Devils: 2

My verdict: Go for a run.

Jake Oettinger, Stars

Ben Bishop, the king of injuries, has begun skating. However, he is still considered week-to-week, meaning Oettinger will likely continue his backup duties well into your playoff run. Of course, you are taking a calculated risk, as there is potential for a quicker than expected return. 

Even so, the 22-year-old's status will remain as the backup, as long as Anton Khudobin is healthy. In his defense, Oettinger cannot catch a break with six overtime losses. Yet, I cannot, in good faith, recommend holding him. Unless you are going for the handcuff and hold Khudobin or even Bishop in your IR stash, he may not be worth the roster spot. 

Remaining Schedule:

Predators: 4

Panthers: 5

Lightning: 3

Blackhawks: 4

Hurricanes: 4

Blue Jackets: 2

Red Wings: 4

My verdict: Hit the trade market.

Kevin Lankinen, Blackhawks (Ranked: Feb: 16, Mar: 33)

If there was an award for "Best Story", Kevin Lankinen wins it and it’s not even close. The number of worldwide fantasy GM's fading the Blackhawks, myself included, was at an all-time high to begin the year. For good reason, I might add. Yet, out of nowhere, and I mean nowhere, the 25-year-old Finn, with zero NHL experience, came in as relief and has yet to look back. You know the rest. 

He sports a tremendous 12-7-4 record, with 14 quality starts on his ledger. Suddenly, the Hawks find themselves in a playoff spot, with a new No. 1 between the pipes. With most of their highflying opponents out of the way, and by that, I mean the Lightning and the Panthers, his schedule is quite favorable heading forward. To the surprise of even myself, I recommend riding him for your run. 

Remaining Schedule:

Predators: 6

Panthers: 2

Lightning: 1

Stars: 4

Hurricanes: 5 

Blue Jackets: 2 

Red Wings: 2

My verdict: Go for a run.

Alex Nedeljkovic, Hurricanes

If I am being honest, I was secretly hoping that the Hurricanes would ship a goaltender during the offseason, giving Nedeljkovic a spot as a true backup. Being a long-lasting fan of his game, I just felt that he was ready. I’ve kept a (somewhat) close eye on his progression throughout the years, and although his overall statistics (GAA and SV%) don’t necessarily jump out as elite, he understands how to get the job done.

During his four-year stint in the American League, he sports an impressive 89-45-14 record. He took home the 2018-19 "Goaltender of the Year" award, backstopping his Charlotte Checkers to a championship, while also posting back-to-back years with the league's most wins (31 and 34). He topped it all off by scoring a goalie goal along the way.

With Mrazek shelved, he’s finally been handed his shot and has not disappointed. Through 12 games, he's rocking an 8-2-2 record, with a solid .929 save-percentage – which sits third league-wide among goalies with three or more starts. It's been a tremendous run and definitely keeps me happily vindicated, personally. 

However, tread lightly. Reports indicate that Mrazek, who has been ailing from a thumb injury since late January, is back on the ice and could be approaching a return. There is potential for him to see third-string duties in the near future. 

Remaining Schedule:

Predators: 4

Panthers: 4

Lightning: 3

Blackhawks: 5 

Stars: 4

Blue Jackets: 1 

Red Wings: 3

My verdict: Hit the trade market.

Thanks for reading and best of luck! Follow me on Twitter @hall1289 for more prospect updates.