Ranking the NHL’s five best goalies ahead of 2023-24 season
Hockey is back! To celebrate I’ve been running through my list of the best players in the NHL based upon position. The skaters are done; you can check out my list of centres, wings and defensemen if you’re so inclined. Today, we celebrate the goalies.
There is perhaps no position in any team sport that can influence a game as much as the men between the pipes do. A hot glove not only saves a goal, but it can also completely suck the air out of your opposition and its crowd. In turn, knowing that your goaltender will blot out any mistakes allows the skaters in front of him to play with increased freedom and fluency.
This list is based on current production, though where I was conflicted, both historic and potential future production was taken into consideration.
(NB: all advanced stats come courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.)
5. Juuse Saros – Nashville Predators
Saros is damn near indefatigable. The Finn has played 135 games (almost 8,000 minutes!) in the past two seasons. The fact that the Preds haven’t won a playoff game in the past two seasons isn’t on Saros who has been a remarkably consistent presence for Nashville.
His 91.9% save percentage is right in line with his career average whilst his GSAA of 30 was a career high and saw him finish 5th in the NHL.
The Predators seem to be moving towards a rebuild and what they do with Saros could be fascinating. Whilst quality goaltending can help ease the pain of introducing a raft of youngsters to the ice, general manager Barry Trotz has to weigh up that stability against the assets that another team might give up for the star netminder, as well as the very real possibility that Saros is simply too good to let the Preds bottom out completely. On the other hand, Saros is still just 28-years-old. Could he still be a genuine No. 1 goalie when the next generation of Predators is ready to hunt?
4 Jake Oettinger – Dallas Stars
In just his 3rd season as a pro, the 24-year-old Oettinger became a workhorse for the Stars, starting in 61 games. Despite the increased workload, Oettinger thrived. He recorded a 2.37 Goals Against Average and a 91.9% save percentage, those numbers 7th and 6th in the NHL, respectively. His 26.2 Goals Saved Above Average for the season also ranking 7th in the NHL.
In his first extended playoff run, Oettinger did perhaps show some signs of fatigue as he struggled the further along the Stars progressed. How Oettinger fares in Dallas’ next playoff run will tell us plenty about this talented young netminder.
The Stars core is already a Stanley Cup contender – they’re my outside bet to win the whole shebang – with devastating young talent up and down the roster, backstopped by one of the best goalies in the NHL.
3. Igor Shesterkin – New York Rangers
It takes a lot to make a rabid, success-starved fanbase forget about a much-loved and brilliant (and strikingly handsome) superstar goalie like Henrik Lundqvist, yet that’s exactly what Igor Shesterkin is doing in Madison Square Garden.
The 27-year-old, quite understandably, couldn’t replicate his otherworldly 2022 Vezina winning form, though he was still elite by practically any measure in 2023. His GSAA of 20.6 fell dramatically from his utterly ridiculous 2022 number of 44.9, yet still ranked 8th in the league.
Shesterkin’s slight slippage this season seemed to be a concentration issue as some perhaps easier chances for a goalie of his quality wriggled their way through his defences. Yet, when the situation was most dangerous, Shesterkin was at his best with a league-leading – by a significant margin – 87.2% save percentage on high-danger chances.
2. Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets
Hellebuyck was the driving force behind the much-changed Winnipeg’s drive into the playoffs – where they got curb stomped by the eventual champion Golden Knights – last season.
Always a remarkably consistent goalie, Hellebuyck had his best season since his 2020 Vezina win. The 29-year-old sported a 92% save percentage and a stunning SGAA of 31.1 in 64 games.
With just a year left on his deal, Hellebuyck was shaping as a key addition to any contender looking to fortify it’s strength in the crease (Edmonton Oilers have entered the chat) however his recent re-signing with the Jets (Edmonton Oilers have left the chat) at the very least gives Winnipeg a stronger negotiating position on any trade and at most an elite backstop for the next five or so years.
1. Ilya Sorokin – New York Islanders
Sorokin didn’t make his NHL debut until he was 25-years-old and wasn’t a regular starter until a year after that. He was well worth the wait.
In his two seasons as a starter, Sorokin leads the league in GSAA (65.6) whilst sporting a stellar 85.5% high-danger save percentage.
Just three seasons into his career, Sorokin is almost undisputedly the best goaltender in the NHL. Backstopping a crew of skaters that don’t exactly provide ideal offensive support, Sorokin is the difference between a win and a loss for the Islanders practically every time he takes to the ice. There is a Vezina – probably more than one – in this man’s future.
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