Welcome back to the only poll I've run every single year since I transitioned to the Roos Lets Loose column format. It's an important poll, because the goalie position is so key and there are always a number of teams with projected goalie shares or likely 1A/1B situations.

The poll is based entirely on the likelihood – expressed as a percentage – that an individual will end up being the true starting netminder on each team. For those of you wondering where you can find this information, it's just one of countless indispensible tidbits that are contained in the DobberHockey Fantasy Guide, available for order here. If you haven't bought your copy yet, you should stop reading and do so immediately.

But back to the poll. While for some teams their starter, baring injury, is locked in, that's not the case for many squads. Listed below are the 11 teams where no goalie is denoted in the Guide as having above an 80% chance of being their starter. What the poll is asking is which teams won't end up being a goalie share despite a cloudy preseason picture. By that I mean which of these teams will have one goalie – any goalie – start 50+ games for them this season. For those who are curious, a total of 13 goalies (up from 11 in 2021-22) started 50+ games in 2022-23. Will the upward trend continue for 2023-24? Your votes will have a lot to say about that.

To be clear – you're voting for a team, not for a particular goalie. As long you believe one of the goalies I listed, or even a goalie not named, starts 50+ games, that team should get your vote. But for each of the listed squads, if you think no goalie will end up starting 50+ contests, don't vote for them. You can vote for multiple teams, provided for each you believe someone will log 50+ starts this season. If somehow you think that no one on any of these teams will start 50+ games, there's a "None of the above" 12th voting choice which you should select.

Here are the teams, listed in alphabetical order plus the presumed two or more goalies – also listed alphabetically – who will likely be battling for starts. A link to cast your votes will appear at the end of the column. Will I list the percentage likelihood for each team? Nope – you need to buy the Fantasy Guide to find that out!

Boston Bruins (Jeremy Swayman/Linus Ullmark)

The Bs looked brilliant during the regular season by not departing from having their goalies alternate starts. Then the playoffs came around, and they turned to Linus Ullmark exclusively. Yes, supposedly he was injured; however, it also seemed he was ill prepared to play on an every day basis. Will 2022-23 unfold similarly for Boston, or might they focus on trying to have one of their talented netminders play on a more regular basis to ready him for the playoffs?

Buffalo Sabres (Eric Comrie, Devon Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen)

With the team looking poised to do better than it has in many seasons, it's somewhat surprising to see them enter the season with these three in the fold. Could young Levi emerge? Will UPL be able to connect the dots? Can Comrie stay healthy and be a factor? The answers to these questions will go a long way to determining whether any of them might start 50+ contests.

Chicago Blackhawks (Petr Mrazek, Arvid Soderblom, Jaxson Stauber)

For those of you who think that the drafting of Connor Bedard signifies the Blackhawks are emerging from their rebuild, just look at these names. Still, even though a team will be bad doesn't mean one goalie can't step up and carry the starter's torch.

Columbus Blue Jackets (Elvis Merzlikins, Daniil Tarasov)

I'm pretty sure Columbus didn't envision a universe where Elvis wasn't "the guy" at this stage of his career. But after an atrocious season, they might have no choice but to look to Tarasov to see if he can step up.

Edmonton Oilers (Jack Campbell, Stuart Skinner)

If Campbell wasn't being paid what he is, chances are the crease would be Skinner's. But the fat contract Campbell has, and the additional years for which he's signed, make it so Edmonton will continue to give Campbell a chance until either he rebounds or Skinner outplays him to an extent they can no longer factor Campbell into the equation.

LA Kings (Pheonix Copley, Cam Talbot)

With Talbot no longer young or a safe bet to be healthy, Copley should have a chance to be able to strut his stuff. But should we expect someone who played so poorly for so long as Copley to really be capable of being anointed a #1 goalie for a presumed playoff team?

Montreal Canadiens (Jake Allen, Casey DeSmith, Jakub Dobes, Sam Montembeault)

Four names is a lot; and I didn't even list Cayden Primeau, who probably is ticketed for the AHL. Jake Allen was supposed to be the solution when he was signed, but he's been hurt and played poorly. DeSmith is intriguing though, as the Habs likely brought him in with the idea he could be a factor.

New Jersey Devils (Akira Schmid, Vitek Vanecek)

Early in the 2022-23 season Vanecek was playing great. But he came back to earth in the second half and then imploded in the playoffs. Schmid was not supposed to challenge for the starting role, but his strong play in the second season, combined with Vanecek opening the door, has clouded the Devils' netminder picture.

Ottawa Senators (Anton Forsberg, Joonas Korpisalo, Mads Sogaard)

Last year it was Talbot who was supposed to seize the starter's reins in Ottawa. That did not happen, and they inked Korpisalo to a deal that seemingly gives him the initial edge in earning the role. But until last season his NHL career had been, at best, mediocre and at times downright lousy, perhaps opening the door for Forsberg or Sogaard.

San Jose Sharks (MacKenzie Blackwood, Magnus Chrona, Kaapo Kahkonen, Eetu Makiniemi)

Every year it's supposed to be Kahkonen who steps up; but that hasn't happened yet, and now there are three other potential netminders who could factor into the San Jose goalie outlook. Can Blackwood show he's indeed an NHL caliber goalie, or will one of the unproven others step in and steal the spotlight?

Vegas Golden Knights (Adin Hill, Robin Lehner, Jiri Patera, Logan Thompson)

Playoff hero Hill inked a deal that should give him the edge in terms of emerging as the starter. But since Marc-Andre Fleury left, the only thing that's been certain about the Knights' starting job has been uncertainty, so betting on any of these four might be a losing endeavor.

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There you have it – 11 teams with an unclear picture in net. Although it's likely most will indeed be timeshares, some will have one goalie emerge to start 50+ games. It's up to you to predict which team(s) will end up with a true starter for 2023-24, and vote for it/them. Or if you're convinced no one will step up for any of the 11 squads, there is the "None of the above" 12th choice. To cast your votes, click here.

Questions for Mailbag Column

I've received so many mailbag questions of late that I'm going to run two mailbag columns – one next week and another the week after – which means I have room for more questions. To get yours to me, you can either private message “rizzeedizzee” via the DobberHockey Forums or, instead, send an email to [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.