2013 Goalie Rankings

1. Henrik Lundqvist- King Henrik looks to have another standout season with the powerhouse Rangers in the Atlantic division of the Eastern conference. The Rangers finished first in the East last season, and were led by the best tender in fantasy hockey. Expect Lundqvist and the Rangers to contend again this season.
 
 
2. Jonathan Quick- Coming off of a strong playoff performance and a Stanley cup championship, the Kings are equally as strong in net as they are anywhere else on the ice. Quick’s strong positional play will lead the Kings back into the post season and they will be looking to once again contend for the cup.
 
 
3. Tuukka Rask- With Tim Thomas taking a year off, Rask has been given the number one job by default. The Bruins are one of the best defensive teams in hockey and will win plenty of games leading to an impressive season from Rask who has already proven himself in the past.
 
 
4. Pekka Rinne- Rinne has consistently been one of the top goalies in hockey over the last few years. The Predators have a strong defensive system in place, and keep the majority of shots to outside the perimeter. Rinne uses his size to take away much of the net and also possesses strong rebound control. Rinne will post solid numbers again this season.
 
 
5. Jaroslav Halak- Halak and the Blues are downright stingy, he and Elliot posted some  of the best team numbers in history last season in what was essentially a timeshare in goal for the Blues. We think Halak takes the #1 job and runs with it this season and will be in the Vezina conversation come season’s end.
 
 
6. Cory Schneider- Look for Luongo to be moved out of town early this season and Schneider will have the crease all to himself. Late last season Luongo relinquished the starting gig to Schneider, who in only 28 games started racked up an impressive 20 wins. Schneider is the tender of the future for the Canucks and the future starts right now.
 
 
7. Jimmy Howard- Howard had his best season last year posting a nice .212 GAA, He’s now posted 35 or more wins in three consecutive years. The wings will have a bit of a different look on defense this year with the departure of Lidstrom, but we expect the impact on Howard’s statistics to be minimal.
 
 
8. Mike Smith- Heading into a contract year, and coming off of a career season where he established himself as an elite level goalie, we expect Smith to stand tall in the Coyotes crease again this season. Don’t draft him too high though, he’s a guy who can hang around in the draft for longer than he should.
 
 
9. Carey Price- Price took a small step back last season with an injury riddled team and a season that basically got away from the Habs. We look for Price to rebound nicely this season as the Canadiens should be a healthy squad and play a strong puck posesion style game.
 
 
10. Marc-Andre Fleury- After a disappointing performance in the post season last year, Fleury is turning into a very streaky goalie. When he’s on, he’s great, but when he’s off, he’s terrible. The real Marc-Andre Fleury lands somewhere in the middle, couple that with what looks like the NHL’s best team and you still have a nice fantasy goalie. Don’t worry about Fleury he’s a solid choice.
 
 
11. Ilya Bryzgalov- If you watched much of Bryzgalov in the Flyers net last season you would have found that at times he looked a bit lost. He suffered from confidence issues and never really got things figured out, however Bryzgalov is pretty entrenched as the starter on a potent Flyers team. He should  rebound nicely and post numbers closer to the ones we are used to.
 
 
12. Cam Ward- Ward-o as called by his teammates should be a big beneficiary of the Canes offseason moves. Look for more offense and puck moving D-Men to lead to a rejuvenated starting goalie in Carolina. Don’t let him slide too far; he is a tender to target when the big boys are gone.
 
 
13. Braden Holtby- Now somewhat cemented as the Capitals starter in goal look for Holtby to standout in the Capitals net. The Capitals should have no problem filling the back of the net at the other end of the ice so all Holtby needs to do is use his solid skillset and he will have a strong season for your fantasy team. He’s on the rise.
 
 
14. Ryan Miller- Miller didn’t have his best season last year, but it would still fall into the solid season category. The Sabres are a young team that should take a small step in the right direction this year. Look for Miller to step up and lead them into the playoff chase in the East. He will have a better season this year, so draft him accordingly.
 
 
15. Antti Niemi- The Sharks are once again contenders in the West, and Niemi is their starter. Despite the ups and downs in his tenure with the Sharks he still has intriguing fantasy value, and should be drafted accordingly. After the big names are off the board, look to Niemi as a lower tier #1.
 
 
16. Roberto Luongo- He’s still a Canuck for now, but we don’t foresee that lasting. Regardless of where Luongo lands, we expect him to be an impact player both in real and fake hockey. He’s still an all-star caliber netminder and will post a nice stat line by seasons end. Don’t forget about him and let someone else benefit.
 
 
17. Semyon Varlomov- Varlomov posted the best numbers of any goalie in the KHL during the NHL lockout. Look for him to carry the momentum into the regular season for an Avs team that is getting better very quickly.  Varlomov is a serious sleeper, who is getting a lot of nice ink within the fantasy hockey community.
 
 
18. Kari Lehtonen- The Finn is surrounded by a group of veterans, some young stars, and it’s hard to imagine that Lehtonen won’t have a strong season. He’s good enough to be considered a lower tier #1 fantasy goalie, and should be drafted with confidence in the middle rounds of the draft.
 
 
19. Jonas Hiller- Usually an afterthought for most fantasy owners, Hiller has the ability to carry the Ducks at times. He’s not an elite option, but if you are in a jam for a starter, or are looking for a good #2 look to Hiller and he’s unlikely to disappoint.  His  health concerns appear to be a thing of the past.
 
 
20. Martin Brodeur- No longer the horse he used to be in goal for the Devils, Brodeur still plays a fair amount of games and managed to take the Devils all the way to the Stanley cup finals last season. He’s still a nice secondary option in goal. Enjoy watching him this season, as one of the all-time greats in goal looks like he may hang the skates up at season’s end.
 
 
21. Niklas Backstrom- If Backstrom can play a full healthy season he could slide right up the rankings, but as has aged he has shown signs of slowing down. We think he still has another decent season or two left in him but he’s not the same goalie he once was. The Wild have a strong team and he could surprise, but they also have a couple talented young goalies in the system.
 
 
22. Devan Dubnyk- Dubnyk will step up this season as the Oilers emerge as a strong young team in the West. Dubnyk suffers from poor rebound control and it costs him and his numbers. If he can take care of that issue expect a far better season than last from Dubnyk.  He could win some games with a potentially potent Oilers’ offense.
 
 
23. Anders Lindback- We look for Lindback to take over the crease this season in the Tampa net. He’s never been given a shot at a starting job at the NHL level but expect that he’s up to the task. Look for Lindback to slide nicely into the middle tier, with potential to excel, but temper your expectations until he proves himself.
 
 
24. Miikka Kiprusoff – Kipper is still solid in the crease. He’s still quite capable of holding down the #1 job in Calgary and should be in the net plenty in this lockout shortened campaign. The Falmes should be able to push near the playoff picture in the West and Kipper should net a decent amount of wins.
 
 
25. Craig Anderson- Despite a bit of a weak GAA from Anderson last season, he was able to overcome it and post a decent SV%. Anderson needs to slow down his game a bit and his stats should improve. The Senators have two young and almost ready goalies waiting in the wings so it’s turning into a now or never situation for Anderson in Ottawa. Draft with caution and don’t expect upper tier numbers.
 
 
 26. Ondrej Pavelec- Pavelec is a star on the rise for the Jets. The problem is that they will likely struggle to win a lot of games, which limits his upside. He has good secondary stats and is a guy that should be looked at especially in keeper formats as the Jets should be slowly on the rise.
 
 
27. Corey Crawford- We’re not yet sold that Crawford is a legitimate #1 NHL goalie at this point. He benefits from a strong team in front of him and has thus far only posted average numbers on the strong Hawks team. If he can hang onto the crease and fend off Ray Emery for starts he should still get his fair share of wins, but don’t expect solid fantasy numbers across the board.
 
 
28. Brian Elliott- It’s hard to imagine after Elliott posted one of the best seasons in History between the pipes, that he would be rated this low in fantasy leagues. Simple fact is that we think Halak is better and is going to carry the load for the Blues this season in goal. Elliott was amazing and at least earned a spot in our top 30. Draft him only as a 2nd or 3rd option unless you feel he can somehow steal starts away from Halak again this season.
 
 
29. James Reimer- On a team that simply struggles to keep the puck out of the net, Reimer will have a tough time posting respectable numbers unless the Leafs improve their team defense. If the Leafs can take care of that issue under new Head coach Randy Carlyle, Reimer does have the potential to step up and post solid numbers. Draft him if you are looking for a backup, as we do expect him to get the lion’s share of starts. Unless of course, the Leafs are able to make a move for a more proven option in nets, Luongo anyone?
 
 
30. Sergei Bobrovsky- On what many consider to be the worst team in hockey, Bobrovsky is now #1. He’s shown that he can post solid stats in the past and will now look to take a step forward in his career with the Blue Jackets. Wins could be hard to find but the secondary stats are worth having on a fantasy team, if the league is deep enough.
 
 
 
31. Evgeni Nabokov
 

32. Jose Theodore
 

33. Ray Emery
 

34. Michal Neuvirth
 

35. Johan Hedberg
 

36. Tomas Vokoun
 

37. Thomas Greiss
 

38. Josh Harding
 

39. Ben Bishop
 

40. Jhonas Enroth
 

41. Jonas Gustavsson
 

42. Anton Khudobin
 

43. Michael Leighton
 

44. Eddie Lack
 

45. Jacob Markstrom
 

46. Richard Bachman
 

47. Nikolai Khabibulin
 

48. Al Montoya
 

49. Mathieu Garon
 

50. Jean-Sebastien Giguere
 

51. Martin Biron
 

52. Jussi Rynnas
 

53. Henrik Karlsson
 

54. Peter Budaj
 

55. Chris Mason
 

56. Jason LaBarbera
 

57. Jonathan Bernier
 

58. Justin Peters
 

59. Robin Lehner
 

60. Matt Hackett
 

61. Kevin Poulin
 

62. Steve Mason
 

63. Leland Irving
 

64. Scott Clemminsen
 

65. Viktor Fasth
 

Mark Coldwell leads our rankings team.