The Wild West: Goalies, goalies, and more (goalies)!
Lucas Main
2026-10-19
Happy Monday y'all!
We may finally have a resolution in the Connor Hellebuyck situation. Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday night that Hellebuyck told the Winnipeg Jets he was planning on returning, but since he skipped out on training camp, the Jets were allowed to suspend him for a "reasonable length" which looks like is considered three weeks because the end date for the goaltender looks to be Friday, October 23. This is great timing for the American netminder because the Jets are scheduled to play in the Heritage Classic on Sunday, October 25.
Will the majority of the media be talking about how Winnipeg has told Hellebuyck to stay home (with pay) or will they allow him around the team for the festivities and let him start playing? Although it is early, the Jets have looked solid without him, going 4-2-2 with 10 points through eight games and in a wild card spot. Stuart Skinner is 3-0-2 thus far and we all know the type of goalie he is. He played lights out against the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche, but has looked a little shaky at different points. The former Edmonton Oiler is a competitor and has earned the right to remain the organization's starter.
So will this finally force a trade? The rumor mill has been heating up over the weekend as this "suspension" comes to an end, but we have been expecting some action since the draft. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff typically does not swing for the fences in the offseason or at trade deadlines, but he does play hardball with players when they ask to be moved (see the returns for Jacob Trouba, Pierre-Luc Dubois, etc). The Jets seem to always receive good hockey value in these trades, unlike other organizations that have their hands tied. When a trade does break, make sure to check out Dobber's write up on the fantasy impact of each player because I'm sure there will be lots of players impacted.
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Speaking of goalies, the Oilers may have found their undisputed number one. Devon Levi has stopped 108 of his last 115 shots he has faced and after giving up seven goals in his first contest of the season, the netminder has only allowed seven in his last four games. With the shortened training camp and new coaching staff, it has taken a couple of games to play within the new team structure, but players are buying in and this will help the biggest plague the Oilers have had; the crease.
Edmonton is also getting healthy; Zach Hyman returned and scored on the powerplay. However, Mike Babcock and company elected to keep Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Vasily Podkolzin together, which left Hyman with Kasperi Kapanen and Colton Dach at five-on-five. It is nice to see he still has that powerplay time, but being demoted at even strength is a bummer. Once Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returns from his stint on the IR, that will give Hyman some more talent to play with on the second line. But as long as Draisaitl and McDavid are playing together, I have a feeling that line will take up most of the playing time.
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The Los Angeles Kings are the last winless team in the league. It is always smart to look at context though; they have played the least amount of games so far, only having six games on their schedule thus far. However, it still has not looked pretty. The Kings are averaging two goals per game, while letting in 4.17 per contest.
Darcy Kuemper is a shade of his former self and the team snuck into the playoffs last season on the back of Anton Forsberg, so I'm not quite sure why they are not leaning on him. Both netminders are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season so one, if not both, should be sold off for spare parts. Like I said earlier, Kuemper seems to have lost all of his steam so he is a nice depth option, but if Forsberg can land consistent starts (whether in LA or elsewhere), he showed at the end of last year that he can heat up and go on a run so keep him on your watch list. They have been rumored to be one of the teams interested in Connor Hellebuyck so that would put a bandaid on their problem, but it runs a lot deeper than in net.
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In Las Vegas, the Golden Knights have not suffered from any Stanley Cup Final hangover as the team has started 8-2. Both goalies have been playing great hockey, which will be huge for the club to maintain. Carter Hart was running on empty headed into the finals, but through six games this season he has a 2.35 GAA and .911 save percentage. Not to be outdone, Adin Hill has started 4-0 with a 2.21 GAA and .906 save percentage. Hill is only rostered in a shade above 25% of Yahoo leagues and was a great zero-goalie option during the offseason. The former Arizona Coyote is only one year removed from being Vegas' number one and he holds enough value right now receiving alternate starts, but if Hart was to miss any time, Hill would be an easy top 10 fantasy option.
As always, if you have any lineup questions, need someone to bounce any trade ideas off of, or just want to talk hockey, hit me up on Twitter @LAM1926. Have a great week!