goalieguild

If the Islanders want to take full advantage of their current hot streak (4-0-1 in last five), Jack Capuano needs to label Al Montoya as his starter and be done with it all. Not only is Montoya statistically the team’s best goalie, but he's also the strongest horse to ride if they want to push for the playoffs. He played in all five games during this current run, so the players know it, the coaches know it, and he knows it.

Since today is Thanksgiving here in Colorado, it’s a rare day off for me from GoaliePost and The Goalie Guild. But I still wanted to have some fun by showing thanks to a set of coaches and goalies that have made my fantasy teams successful so far. It has been quite an entertaining first quarter of the season, so with that in mind, here’s a crew of characters I’m grateful for on this Thanksgiving holiday.

The Hurricanes have suffered a total core meltdown in November. The defense is deplorable, Eric Staal is now a league-worst -18, and Cam Ward is just 2-6 with a 4.34 goals-against average and .878 save percentage this month. Poolies know he’s too valuable to drop; he’s currently projected to play 76-78 games. He’s also an elite talent, so we all know he could turn things around on his own, or be a major beneficiary of any potential coaching staff shakeup.

It’s quite simple, really. Jonas Hiller and Ryan Miller, two of my Top-10 Fantasy Goalies, have been killing poolies this past week. Miller was lit up for three goals in less than ten minutes last night against the Flyers, while Hiller suffered a meltdown against the Capitals on Tuesday in a 5-4 OT loss. Were these just ghastly “off nights” for the elite goalies, or were these games a sign of something more foreboding?

We’re now three weeks into the season, and already there are some intriguing developments taking place between “starters” and their “backups” right now. For example, you could stab my eyes out with a plastic fork, but I’d still see the polarizations taking place between Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider advocates and fans. The tandem of Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier in Los Angeles has also been a hot-button topic over the past few days.

If the season ended today, Kari Lehtonen would probably win the Vezina Trophy. As crazy as that sounds, when you consider just how well he has played for the Stars, all poolies come to the realization that each and every year is totally unpredictable in the realm of goaltending. No matter how much research you do, you almost always end up drafting one fantasy killer and one fantasy gem.

Before I begin, allow me to recite the Golden Rule of fantasy goalie rankings. “Explain the format, lay out the parameters and clearly state the stipulations that create every ranking.” With that in mind, this year’s Top-10 Fantasy Goalies ranking for one-year leagues is focused on volume. It includes goalies that I feel will not only play a ton of games and see tons of shots, but also make a high percentage of saves and have the best odds of playing consistently well from start to finish.

In terms of sheer depth at the 2011 Colorado Avalanche Training Camp, I can safely say it was the most talented group of defensemen and goaltenders I have seen (since 2006). With a star in Semyon Varlamov and a mentor in J-S Giguere, this new tandem, if they stay healthy, will be flat out sick. But by adding the steady Jan Hejda, the burly Shane O’Brien, the healthy Kyle Quincey and a fully acclimated Erik Johnson into the mix, both fragile goalies are bubble wrapped and on their way to being potential fantasy darkhorses.