Ranking each NHL team's current and future goaltending outlook, Part 3: The top 10 (2024)

By Jesse Granger, Sean McIndoe and Scott Wheeler

We’ve made it to the third and final part of our attempt to answer one question for each of the 32 NHL teams: How good should they feel about their goaltending, both for right now and looking into the future?

Part 1 covered the bottom 10, and you can find it here. Then we went through the mushy middle, and that post is here. Today, it’s the top 10.

But first, one last cut-and-paste reminder on how this works:

We’ve given each of the 32 teams a ranking in three categories:

Current goaltending: How good is their goaltending at the NHL level right now? How good does it project to be in the near term, which we define as the next three years? This section includes the two goalies who are expected to start the 2024-25 season, as well as anyone else in the system who can be projected to play games. The Athletic’s goaltending expert, Jesse Granger, handled this section.

Future prospects: This section ranks each team’s goaltenders in the system who’ve yet to establish themselves as full-time NHLers, with a focus on ceiling and upside. Prospect expert Scott Wheeler weighs in here.

Note that in theory, there can be some overlap between the first two sections. Yaroslav Askarov is a prospect, but will almost certainly spend meaningful time in the NHL over the next three years. Jake Oettinger is the Stars’ starter now, and at just 25 years old he’s also their future. That’s OK, because Jesse and Scott are looking at those players from two different perspectives: How good they are now (Jesse), how good they can be and for how long at their eventual peak (Scott).

Cap and contracts: Who makes what, and for how many years? Ideally, a team will have the security of having their good goaltenders locked in at a reasonable price and term. In a hard-cap league, a good player making too much for too long may be a negative asset, so contracts matter. There’s going to be some guesswork here, as some key players need new deals. For example, Shesterkin hasn’t signed an extension with the Rangers yet, but that doesn’t mean we just assume that he will walk as a UFA in 2025. The key is that this section is about getting value from good players for as long as possible, not simply having the lowest cap hit you can. Sean McIndoe handles this section, with cap info from PuckPedia.

For each category, teams were ranked from 1 to 32. Those scores were then weighted, with “current goaltending” getting a 1.0 weight, while “future prospects” was given 0.75 to recognize the difficulty in peering too far into the future. “Cap and contracts” was weighted at 0.5; it’s important, but history shows us that there are ways to wiggle out of bad deals, although it may be painful.

Congratulations in advance if you’ve been following along and haven’t seen your team yet. It’s time for the top 10.

10. New Jersey Devils

Current: 13

Granger: After trading for veterans Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen the Devils have a solid goalie tandem for the immediate future. Considering they’ll both be 34 before the season begins, it may not last long, but Markstrom should fit perfectly into the high-paced style New Jersey likes to play. Beyond that, 23-year-old Nico Daws hasn’t shown well in the NHL to this point but still has upside to be a starter down the road.

Future: 17

Wheeler: I wanted to see better numbers out of Mikhail Yegorov before giving him a second-round rating but he’s an awesome kid and an incredible athlete and teams were really high on him in the 2024 class. Nico Daws probably is what he is at this point as a 2/3 but that’s not nothing. And while I’ve always been low on Tyler Brennan, I’ve always liked Jakub Malek, who is building a nice track record for himself in Finland and will give the AHL a go after next season.

Cap: 8

McIndoe: Between Markstrom and Allen, the Devils are the only team with two established goalies having big chunks of their salaries paid by other teams. Markstrom still isn’t exactly cheap at $4.125 million, and with two years left the risk here is non-zero. The Devils are fine with that risk, obviously, given how crucial it was for them to upgrade here after trying to go cheap last season.

Bottom line: The goaltending should be very good for the short term, the pipeline is decent and the cap isn’t too onerous. That’s enough to get the Devils into the top 10, if only barely.

9. New York Rangers

Current: 1

Granger: It’s tough to choose between the group of elite goalies atop the NHL, but if I had to pick one for the next three years it would be Igor Shesterkin. Not only is he younger than Andrei Vasilevskiy, Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros, but he’s shown a clear ability to raise his game in the biggest moments. Shesterkin has stopped an incredible 48.6 goals above expected in 43 career playoff games. He’s an absolute weapon in net who gives his team an advantage every game, and at 28 he’s only beginning to hit his prime years.

Future: 27

Wheeler: The Rangers only really have two goalie prospects of note. I’ve always had a lot of time for Dylan Garand, who I think is closer to his two strong AHL playoffs than his two sub-.900 regular seasons and I believe will become a reliable 2/3. And Hugo Ollas is massive and was solid for three seasons at Merrimack, so I’m looking forward to watching him in the pro ranks next season (he’s still a bit of a project but there are some tools there to go with the size).

Cap: 16

McIndoe: Can I rank them as “TBD”? The Rangers might be the toughest team to score in this category since Shesterkin is about to go from being one of the league’s best values to … well, something else. Most seem to expect him to be the highest-paid goalie in the league, on a deal that might surpass Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky. That won’t necessarily be a bad contract, but it will introduce a ton of risk, and their chances of getting much excess value out of a deal like that will be slim. Until then, his one year at $5.67 million is a massive bargain.

Bottom line: The next chapter of the Rangers’ window hinges on how long Shesterkin can maintain his elite status, and at what price.

8. Florida Panthers

Current: 9

Granger: Bobrovsky’s renaissance has catapulted the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, and changed the entire outlook of the state of the crease. He’ll be 36 before next season starts, but his otherworldly work ethic has maintained his athleticism into his mid-to-late 30s, and his postseason run shows he hasn’t slowed down yet. Add in the upside of Spencer Knight — who is still only 23 — and Florida checks a lot of boxes for the present and future.

Future: 10

Wheeler: Despite his 57 games of NHL experience, $4.5 million contract and how long it feels like he’s been around, the 23-year-old Knight is still younger than some goalies who would be considered prospects and still has real 1A/1B upside despite a challenging couple of years. Behind him, the Panthers have quantity but mostly question marks. Cooper Black and Olof Glifford both have size but need a lot of work. Denis Gabdrakhmanov was good on a bad MHL team last year but is a question mark. And I actually like Kirill Gerasimyuk best of their group after Knight but he’ll be 21 at the end of August and hasn’t played in the KHL yet.

Cap: 24

McIndoe: In theory, you get what you pay for. The Panthers have been getting Cup-caliber goaltending from Bobrovsky, and paying top dollar for it. At $10 million, he carries the highest cap hit of any active goalie, at least until Shesterkin extends. That makes it hard for the contract to be good, but lately it’s been good enough, and is down to just two more years. Knight at $4.5 million is also high.

Bottom line: They’re getting good goaltending, probably at too high a price, but flags fly forever.

7. Boston Bruins

Current: 5

Granger: The all-world, hugging, goalie tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark had to end at some point thanks to the pesky salary cap, and Swayman’s ascension over the last two years gave the Bruins the confidence to trade the 2023 Vezina winner. Swayman, 25, is five years younger than Ullmark, and getting Joonas Korpisalo back in the deal gives Boston a solid (albeit diminished) tandem for the next several years. Few organizations have developed goalies at a more impressive rate, so it’s safe to assume Boston will continue thriving in the crease.

Future: 15

Wheeler: Swayman is a one-man band here but having a 25-year-old goalie of his caliber does go a long way. Perhaps Providence’s Philip Svedeback can be something, as he’s all they’ve got behind him.

Cap: 22

McIndoe: The Swayman extension will get done one way or another, but it certainly hasn’t seemed like smooth sailing so far. He won’t come cheap, but as an RFA, he’s unlikely to have the leverage to force the Bruins into something truly regrettable. That Korpisalo deal for four more years, though … yikes. That feels like it has to potential to be a serious self-inflicted wound.

Bottom line: RIP hugs.

6. Vancouver Canucks

Current: 7

Granger: Coming off Thatcher Demko’s career year and the pleasantly surprising playoff run by 23-year-old Arturs Silovs, the future in net is bright for the Canucks. There may not be a more technically proficient goalie tandem in the league, and that’s no coincidence under the tutelage of goalie coach Ian Clark, who’s as good as they come. My only hesitation to put the Canucks even higher on this list is Demko’s injury history, but if he can stay relatively healthy Vancouver is in great shape.

Future: 25

Wheeler: I was a little lower on Silovs for a while but he looks like he’ll be a good, if a little erratic at times, NHL backup or certainly No. 3. Nikita Tolopilo is gigantic and had a decent rookie season in the AHL last year, and could become an option to play NHL games at some point. Their other two goalie prospects of mention are Ty Young, who they’ve signed but has never excited me and looks like AHL/ECHL depth, and Aku Koskenvuo, who will be 22 next year as a junior in college and still hasn’t become the starter for Harvard.

Cap: 1

McIndoe: At $5 million per for two more years, Demko represents some strong value, and at this point, you’d probably wish the deal was even longer. Silovs just signed for near the minimum, so the Canucks are very nicely set up for at least the short term.

Bottom line: If this was a video game and we could go into the settings and turn off injuries, the Canucks crack the top five with ease. But even with Demko as a higher-than-average injury risk, they’re in good shape.

5. Calgary Flames

Current: 20

Granger: Dustin Wolf is one of the best young goalies in the world at the moment. His edgework is on another level, allowing him to glide around the crease like few can. He hasn’t shown particularly well in limited action in the NHL but should get much more opportunity with Markstrom moving on.

Future: 3

Wheeler: Wolf is one of my favorite prospects in the sport at any position and I believe he’s going to take the Flames net and run with it toward an excellent NHL career starting next season. Penn State transfer Arseni Sergeyev is a B-grade prospect as well, and recent Russian draft picks Yegor Yegorov and Kirill Zarubin are both long-term dice rolls.

Cap: 5

McIndoe: The duo of Wolf and Dan Vladar will be cheap, and the books are clean for the future. They lose a few points for having to eat almost $2 million on Markstrom for each of the next two seasons, but even that shouldn’t hurt much given what looks a lot like a rebuild.

Bottom line: You never know with young goalies, but Scott and Jesse both think the Flames really have something with Wolf.

4. Montreal Canadiens

Current: 12

Granger: Last season, Sam Montembeault quietly finished inside the top 10 in GSAx despite playing behind the second-worst defense in the NHL. He’s outperformed expectations for two straight seasons backstopping a rebuilding Canadiens squad. If the team in front of him can take a step forward I think more people will start to take notice of the work Montembeault has done. Cayden Primeau, 24, put up an impressive .910 save percentage as a rookie, and projects as a good 1B. That’s not even mentioning Jacob Fowler, who could be a star down the road.

Future: 6

Wheeler: The Habs’ pool has a two-headed monster in net, led by an A-grade talent in Fowler and a B or B-plus goalie prospect in Jakub Dobes. Quentin Miller is also coming off two strong seasons in the QMJHL and Yevgeni Volokhin was one of the top goalies in the MHL last year, though both of those guys are a cut below Dobes and certainly a cut or two below Fowler. In Fowler and Dobes, the Habs may have a 1/1A and a 2/3.

Cap: 15

McIndoe: They’ll be spending about $6 million on goalies this year, and a third of that comes from the retention on Jake Allen. The big issue here is Carey Price, still on the books for two more years at $10.5 million; that can sit on LTIR if needed, but there are downsides to that, and it complicates an otherwise decent situation.

Bottom line: The future is bright in Montreal, a town that’s used to having elite goaltending. The present is a bit more debatable, but if Jesse’s on board then so are we.

3. Buffalo Sabres

Current: 11

Granger: I absolutely love the current trajectory of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He took major strides in his second full NHL season, stopping 22.46 GSAx (sixth in the league, just behind Swayman) despite playing behind a porous Buffalo defense. Luukkonen’s biggest asset is his mind, reading the ice to stay ahead of plays and make saves look easier than they should. He recently began working with respected Finnish goalie coach Hannu Nykvist (who famously worked with Bobrovsky). At 25, the future is bright for UPL and the Sabres, who also have high-upside prospect Devon Levi.

Future: 2

Wheeler: Luukkonen’s no longer a prospect but Levi, Scott Ratzlaff, Ryerson Leenders and Topias Leinonen are, and each has varying degrees of potential. I still believe Levi’s one of the best young goalies in the sport and the heir apparent (over UPL) for the Sabres net long term, and I’ve got a lot of time for both Ratzlaff and Leenders, even if though don’t have the size teams covet. Leinonen does have the size but I worry about his feet/mobility/fitness. Still, in Levi, I think they have a potential 1A and between the other three, you hope that one becomes a backup/No. 3 down the line.

Cap: 10

McIndoe: The Luukkonen extension dropped this week, and if Jesse is right about where he ranks, it’s decent value at $4.75 million, although at five years it’s certainly not without some risk. With Levi and veteran James Reimer both on cheap deals, the Sabres’ spending here is reasonable.

Bottom line: Did we … did we just dump a bunch of optimism on the Buffalo Sabres? This is so confusing.

2. Dallas Stars

Current: 6

Granger: The 2023-24 season wasn’t the best one for Jake Oettinger, but the Lakeville, Minn., native is only 25 and remains one of the best young goalies in the world. In three full NHL seasons, Oettinger already has two All-Star appearances and has finished top-five in Vezina voting twice. He’s also started more playoff games over the last three years than every goalie except Bobrovsky. The Stars don’t have a clear No. 2 in the system, but considering Oettinger’s age and ability to shoulder a heavy workload it’s not much of an issue.

Future: 14

Wheeler: Remi Poirier is good AHL depth as a No. 4 and Maxim Mayorov has played well over the last couple of years but turned 20 this summer and hasn’t played above the MHL yet. The Stars have clearly prioritized other positions in the draft knowing they have Oettinger at the NHL level, but they should probably take or sign a young goalie or two in the near future to replenish the pool (though Oettinger was obviously the driving force behind their future ranking).

Cap: 2

McIndoe: It will be fascinating to see what they do with Oettinger, who has one year left at $4 million and will be an RFA next summer. Presumably, you want to get a long-term deal done here, and that number could be daunting. The good news is that he won’t have UFA leverage to squeeze them with, and more importantly, he’s young enough that they should still be buying a chunk of his prime, not just chasing past performance. Until then, he’s a bargain this year, and Casey DeSmith or whoever else backs up will do it for cheap.

Bottom line: The Stars are basically a one-man show, but that one man is very good, he’s young and he’s cheap for another year before an extension that should lean toward team-friendly.

1. Nashville Predators

Current: 3

Granger: The Predators might be the only team with two goalies under contract with the potential to be top-five in the NHL. Saros is already there, and 2020 first-round pick Askarov appears well on his way. Saros’ stellar .917 career save percentage and 97.93 GSAx are even more impressive when you consider he’s never played a full season behind a defense ranked inside the top 13 by expected goals allowed. With incredible edgework and lightning reflexes, he’s one of the best in the world despite being undersized. From Pekka Rinne to Saros to Askarov, the line of succession in the Nashville net is the envy of the league.

Future: 5

Wheeler: Askarov might be the highest-upside goalie prospect in the sport and while he’s also going to have to win starts away from one of the league’s most established starters in Saros, his athleticism, mobility and talent are all high-end. The Preds also have Jakub Milota, an undersized but athletic CHL import who had a decent year in the QMJHL last year to get picked in the fourth round of the 2024 draft.

Cap: 13

McIndoe: Saros is a bargain this year at just $5 million, before an eight-year extension kicks in. Any contract that goes that long for a goalie carries all sorts of risk, but the $7.74 million cap hit came in under expectations. Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood is cheap and Askarov will be on an ELC to start with. I don’t hate it, but any wobble from Saros will be worrying.

Bottom line: With an established star who’s still relatively young and one of the game’s best prospects on the way, the Predators take the top spot with some room to spare.

(Top photos of Jake Oettinger and Igor Shesterkin: Ashley Potts / NHLI via Getty Images and Joshua Sarner / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)