In fantasy hockey choosing the right goaltender(s) can make or break a season. Other than a few elite options (see: Vasilevskiy/Shesterkin/Saros) the position can be quite volatile from year to year. With so many factors at play it can be difficult to sift through the plethora of information to narrow down ones targets.
Having said that here are some goaltending option for you to keep your eye on for the upcoming season.
Ilya Sorokin:
Sorokin firmly took over the #1 spot with his stellar play in an otherwise forgettable season for the Islanders. The stat line is quite impressive when you factor in the teams play from last year. Sorokin finished the year with a record of 26-18-8 with seven shutouts, a 2.40GAA to go along with a solid .925SV% as well as 69.2% of his games played being quality starts. The Islanders as a team should fair better this year seeing as they will not be starting their year with a 13 game road trip and hope to avoid any covid related issues such as the ones that decimated the club last year. The organization looks to tighten things up a little more on the defensive end with the addition of Romanov which could benefit Sorokin’s numbers slightly. The talent is there in Sorokin, it’s just a matter of if the team can raise their level of play to match that of his own for him to firmly establish himself as a bona fide top five goaltending option.
Alexander Georgiev:
This will be an interesting case study to be sure as no other players value skyrocketed more than that of Georgiev over the summer. This of course has more to do with the team than the player as Georgiev benefits from a roster that can flat out dominate and in no way needs him to steal games for this team to win. Georgiev has mediocre numbers at best but in this case it’s more about the team being a source for wins and only needing above average goaltending to succeed. Many fantasy managers will reach for this player come draft time but if Georgiev falls a couple rounds in your draft I would highly suggest you snap him up! Ideally if you can, I would handcuff that selection and take Francouz in the later rounds to secure the bevy of win totals that the Avalanche are slated to put up this year.
Jack Campbell:
We all saw the tale of two season that Campbell endured last year, amazing first half with an underwhelming second half to say the least. Even with that brutal second half he was still a source for wins during that time and will find himself in quite a similar situation with the Oilers this year. With such a potent offense the Oilers rarely need a goaltender to steal games for them to win and instead just need consistent above average goaltending to do any damage. I mean look what they were able to accomplish with a tandem of Smith/Koskinen!!!! Campbell at the very least is an upgrade to the position and should reap the benefits as long as he can stay health. Skinner should be seen as a possible handcuff in the later rounds to maximize on team win totals.
Just a few names for you to keep an eye on and add to your ever growing lists as we make our way to another draft season.
Good luck to all!!
