EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsResponsible for too many categories carrying too much weight, these characters play too great a part in determining your fantasy teams' success (or failure) to tackle lightly. Never even mind the extra influence brought on by negative figures that detract from your team's overall total. You won't win your league with sub-par goaltending, that's all there is to it.To illustrate, sticking with my perennial example from ESPN's standard game, a goalie who stops 28 of 30 shots in a 4-2 win produces 5.6 prized points. While surrendering five goals on 31 shots in a 5-4 loss nets a loss of -4.8 points. There's no worse feeling than watching your own fantasy netminder hemorrhage digits in real time while their coach leaves them out to dry. Especially when such a swing means the difference between winning your week or not. It's going to happen. The key is to secure the candidates that fall victim to such scenarios far less often.In standard redraft competition, the winning formula doesn't waver: You want a fantasy goalie who plays as much as possible for a better than average team, while denying the largest conceivable percentage of shots-faced. The challenge, of course, is to suss out who fits that fantasy mold in the here and now. As much as we can appreciate the individual prowess of a Dustin Wolf or John Gibson or Spencer Knight, if the club is going to struggle as a whole, fantasy points will always be harder to come by.More: Sign up for free | Rankings | Projections | League typesStrategyIn deeper conventional leagues comprising 10-12 managers, you're advised to corral your top-two netminders early on, then pad your roster with high-ceilinged sleepers or others in position to exceed expectations. If they work out, great. If not, you can later sub them out for those who overachieve their way out of the goaltending woodwork. Guaranteed, there weren't many who had Brandon Bussi, Dan Vadar, or Jakub Dobes in their fantasy sights ahead of 2025-26. Yet all three ended up rewarding their managers handsomely.The Hellebuyck IssueAs of mid-September, and despite his publicized wishes to be elsewhere, Connor Hellebuyck remains a member of the Winnipeg Jets. You can count on that being the case until GM Kevin Cheveldayoff receives an offer for his elite goaltender he finds sufficiently palatable. But while it isn't possible to thoroughly assess Hellebuyck without knowing where he's going to end up (hopefully) sooner rather than later, and last year's anomalously poor showing notwithstanding, he's too gifted not to target. Plus, if you're worried about the 2025 Hart/Vezina Trophy winner not showing up to compete for the Jets to start 2026-27, current scuttlebutt suggests he remains committed to being a good teammate until matters are resolved. Grab him after he's bypassed a couple of times by those more squeamish.Elite goalies to targetAndrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning: (projected: 171.4, last season: 172.6)Plays for a great team? Check. More active than just about anyone else? Check. Remarkable personal and team (wins) stats? Also check. Durable? Allowing for a two-month absence to start 2023 because of a disc issue, there's another bold tick mark. If you're going to exercise the option of selecting a goaltender exceptionally early, Tampa's No. 1 is your guy.Top-tier goalies to targetLogan Thompson, Washington Capitals: (projected: 136.8, last season: 151.4)We should probably get used to the idea that the former Golden Knight is now a top echelon fantasy netminder in Washington. He certainly performed as such this past season, finishing third in points in ESPN standard leagues. Plus, one the busiest clubs this offseason, the Capitals are perceivably better out front of the underrated netminder with Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner aboard. Alex Ovechkin isn't returning for another go around just to hang in there. Once Vasilevskiy is off the board, Thompson is my top fantasy choice between the pipes.Secondary top-tier goalies to targetJake Oettinger, Dallas Stars: (projected: 132.2, last season: 128.8)While not exactly the "Rodney Dangerfield" of the fantasy crease, the Stars' go-to netminder still doesn't quite get the respect he deserves. Since truly taking over in 2021-22, Oettinger has a 173-70-26 record for a very good Dallas team. Only Vasilevskiy has more victories in that stretch (seven), in 20 more games. Sure, sometimes the individual integers don't sparkle as much as they do for others, and yes, he's going to stumble through a couple (or more) mediocre stretches over the course of a regular season. That's why you pad your roster with other goalies to pick up the slack, when necessary. In ESPN standard and similar leagues, Oettinger serves as a top-5 fantasy netminder.Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders: (projected: 109.6, last season: 128.2)Competing for a superior squad, Sorokin would present as a top-tier fantasy goalie, no question. As it stands though, the reigning Vezina nominee plays for a very middle-of-the-pack-at-best Islanders team in a tough Metropolitan division, and even tougher Eastern Conference, when considering the strength of the Atlantic. The injection of new head coach Pete DeBoer, who took over for Patrick Roy in early April, is interesting though. As is the prospect of this squad taking another step forward with young star Matthew Schaefer entering his second season. If the Isles can manage to rifle the puck in the net steadily enough -- an enduring concern -- Sorokin will serve as one of the best in the fantasy biz. Even though other netminders on better teams will carve out more victories, when all is said and done.Karel Vejmelka, Utah Mammoth: (projected: 121.4, last season: 114.6)The only netminder to bust through the 60-mark, as no one made more starts (63) for their team in 2025-26. As long as GM Bill Armstrong doesn't fiddle with his goalie corps that now also includes former Detroit prospect Sebastian Cossa, Vejmelka will be right up there again this round, challenging Vasilevskiy for most wins. I'd also argue that after making the postseason this past campaign, the Mammoth are even stronger with forwards Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee aboard, and defender MacKenzie Weegar in place for the entire season.See also:Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers: (projected: 104.0, last season: 116.6)ESPN Fantasy Hockey is the fun, free way to get inside the game. Draft your players, set your lineups and earn points when the pros do. Sign up today!Mid-tier goalies to targetJeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins: (projected: 117.0, last season: 127.2)Yes, I'm well aware the Bruins goalie performed beyond admirably in what can only be characterized as one of the most impressive comeback performances of 2025-26. He was outstanding. However, I'm still looking at this Boston roster and wondering how it's going to measure up against all the other monsters in the Atlantic. The Panthers are apparently back. Tampa Bay remains strong. The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres appear legit. The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs can't be disregarded. Wins will be hard to come by from a club that can expect regular production from David Pastrnak, maybe newbie JJ Peterka, perhaps Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha, and that's about it. Individually, Swayman will have to be that much better than other fantasy goaltenders on superior teams.See also:Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators: (projected: 107.0, last season: 80.4)Jakub Dobes, Montreal Canadiens: (projected: 100.0, last season: 90.6)Tandem teammates to targetBrandon Bussi, Carolina Hurricanes: (projected: 110.2, last season: 101.2)Are we so sure Pyotr Kochetkov is going to see a healthy amount of playing time for the Hurricanes in 2026-27? After contributing nada to his club's first Cup in 20 years, I'm not convinced as much. In fact, the greater threat to Bussi's fantasy value may be the prospect of GM Eric Tulsky acquiring another prominent netminder before the season is through. Which isn't out of the question. Otherwise, Bussi projects to compete a whole lot for plausibly the best team in the East.Sergei Bobrovsky, Toronto Maple Leafs: (projected: 67.8, last season: 32.2)The Maple Leafs aren't paying the two-time Stanley Cup Champ $7-million to share the load equally with Anthony Stolarz. Bobrovsky will start a minimum of 50 games for a Toronto team that looks a lot better since snatching defender Darren Raddysh, a gaggle of scrappy depth forwards, and top-draft pick Gavin McKenna.Key sleepersJet Greaves, Columbus Blue Jackets: (projected: 77.4, last season: 114.4)The young netminder in Columbus is already garnering much attention as one-to-watch in what's expected to be his first full season, I wonder if he still qualifies as a true sleeper. Regardless, with Elvis Merzlikins hurt, and just-signed Cam Talbot in place to contribute sporadically at 39 years old, the Jackets' net belongs to the 25-year-old. If this squad remains competitive enough under Rick Bowness -- hey, Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko are still there -- Greaves will put up solid fantasy numbers.Stuart Skinner, Winnipeg Jets: (projected: 49.2, last season: 48.0)If Cheveldayoff manages to trade Hellebuyck in the not-too-distant and doesn't get a true heavy hitter in net in return, and the Jets perform much better than whatever that was this past season, Skinner could prove a pleasant fantasy surprise 2026-27. A lot of ifs there, sure, but the 27-year-old has been to two Stanley Cup Finals in the past three years. He's worth a flyer late in drafts as a potentially sneaky fantasy performer.See also:Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators: (projected: 74.2, last season: 61.8)Late-round picks to considerJacob Markstrom, Florida Panthers: (projected: 63.0, last season: 32.6)A fiddle-fit Aleksander Barkov is back, as is defender Radko Gudas, after a three-year stint in Anaheim. Veteran depth center Lars Eller and pest Garnet Hathaway are now part of the Florida fold. Oh, and then there's that Brady Tkachuk who's intensely jazzed to compete with his brother Matthew after bolting from Ottawa. After a banged-up off year, the Panthers are once again poised to make a great deal of noise in an anticipated march to the postseason. If Markstrom can hold down his end of the bargain in his second Florida turn -- as he has in previous stints with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and New Jersey Devils -- the 36-year-old could end up serving as one of the league's most valuable fantasy netminders. Keep in mind, the organization picked this guy to replace Bobrovsky -- not Akira Schmid.See also:Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings: (projected: 74.6, last season: 52.0)Made it this far? Create your own league with your own rules and play against your friends today.Avoid in drafts at current valueScott Wedgewood, Colorado Avalanche: (projected: 140.6, last season: 171.4)I'm not entirely sure why we're expecting the 34-year-old to once more put up similarly flashy fantasy numbers when Mackenzie Blackwood is starting the season healthy. Barring another injury to Colorado's other netminder, Wedgewood stands to split starts fairly even-stevens. Another serving of 16 measly regulation losses for the Avs is also a big ask. While the veteran is more than a serviceable fantasy performer in most leagues, there are too many other clear No. 1 netminders to target first.Joel Hofer, St. Louis Blues (projected: 110.0, last season: 118.4)At last check, Jordan Binnington was still a member of the Blues. As such, the 33-year-old can still be expected to pitch in his fair share of starts for an okay-but-not-great hockey club in a robustly competitive Central division. Top-20 fantasy netminder? Sure. But it's a stretch to expect Hofer to put up top-10 numbers in his contemporary role with his current team.See also:Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild: (projected: 131.2, last season: 113.0)Download the ESPN Fantasy Sports app and have every player right at your fingertips. Available on the App Store and Google Play.
