The days of a legit number one goaltender holding down the crease and playing 65-plus games are on their way out. More than ever before a team must employ, at least, two capable NHL goaltenders if that squad hopes to take a deep run at the Stanley Cup. Take a look at the Vegas Golden Knights, only two years removed from running out a carousel of netminders that ended up with perennial backup Adin Hill stealing them a banner. Hill's rise to fame and fantasy prominence was hard to predict, but there are a few situations out east that are shaping up for a puckstopper waiting in the wings to pounce on a big opportunity and take the crease for himself.

In our latest iteration of Eastern Edge, we're taking a look at a handful of goalies that are primed to establish themselves as go-to options, meaning fantasy hockey value to be had.

Pyotr Kochetkov

Fantasy hockey heads have been waiting on Kochetkov to explode with value for the past two seasons and he has yet to fully take the reins. Aside from some up-and-down performances and the tendency to make really poor in-game decisions when it comes to handling the puck and playing the angles appropriately, Kochetkov had to contend with a red-hot Freddy Andersen after he returned from blood-clotting issues at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Andersen returned to Carolina's crease and was nothing short of lights out down the stretch while the Hurricanes punched their postseason ticket for a sixth consecutive year, as Freddy posted a 9-1-0 record to go along with a sparkling .951 save percentage and three shutouts. With that said, Kochetkov still is a prime candidate to take a large share of the minutes in the crease this upcoming season for Rod Brind'Amour's crew, as Andersen is on the final year of his deal and will be 35 years old to start the season. Kochetkov is the goalie of the future in Raleigh who at some point this season, is likely to steal the crease away from the veteran Andersen, making the young Russian a sneaky under-the-radar add at the backend of fantasy drafts.

Anthony Stolarz

As much as everyone in Leaf Land is excited at the potential Joseph Woll has displayed in his limited amount of NHL action, we all know he's already got the "injury-prone" label tattooed all over him. When healthy, Woll looks to be a cerebral-like netminder with the ability to make a few 10-bell saves when his team needs him the most, registering solid numbers in both the regular season and playoff over the past two years for a Toronto club seriously lacking in options in the blue paint. Enter perennial backup and now Cup champ Anthony Stolarz who is coming off the best season of his career that saw him register a 16-7-2 record, .925 save percentage, 2.03 goals-against average, and two shutouts. Those numbers combined with Woll's injury concerns and we are left with a situation in Toronto that is already precarious, Woll goes down with any kind of ailment early and this will be Stolarz crease. Who knows, new head coach Craig Berube might have completely different plans and could be looking to instill Stolarz first as the guy to get the lion's share of time between the pipes. The Maple Leafs are at a tipping point but they still have more than enough elite offensive weapons to make some noise in the Eastern Conference, meaning Stolarz could wind up being the kind of netminder that takes a fantasy team over the top if he ends up being the guy for the Buds.

Samuel Ersson

Heading into the 2023-24 season Samuel Ersson had only 12 games of NHL action under his belt and not many were looking at him as an option for the Flyers. Fast-forward a season and Ersson should now be contending for at least half of the starts with relative unknown Russian enigma Ivan Fedotov. Potential issues with head coach John Tortorella aside, Ersson showed flashes of brilliance last year but ultimately finished the year a bit shaky and ending up with a .890 SV.% and 2.82 GAA. However, a 23-19-7 record, four shutouts, and an improving forward group that flaunts a boatload of intriguing young talent all point toward Ersson as a potential steal should the Flyers run out the team many expect to contend for a wild-card spot. This one might be the deepest cut of the three given Fedotov's arrival, but we love Ersson as a netminder to nab as a sleeper option in the cage.