One of the most unique aspects of fantasy hockey leagues is the idea that the top backup goaltenders in the NHL actually have higher value than the worst starters. Securing the No. 1 job doesn’t necessarily make a netminder more valuable than a backup unless they are producing the numbers to support that notion. For example, Brian Elliott moved from the St. Louis Blues to the Calgary Flames in the offseason and is now the unquestioned No. 1 goalie. However, the team in front of him isn’t as defensively sound as it was in St. Louis and Elliott’s numbers have been terrible as he has just three wins with a 3.36 goals against average and .882 save percentage so far. There are backups with better numbers than those and they have actually provided more fantasy hockey value to this point. Here is a look at the most valuable backup goaltenders for NHL fantasy leagues so far this season.
Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins
With every successful start it’s becoming clear that Murray is the Penguins’ no. 1 netminder but since he is still battling Marc-Andre Fleury to secure that job it makes sense to include him in this column. Murray missed the first few weeks of the season due to injury but has come on strong with four wins, a 1.25 GAA and .961 save percentage with one shutout in his first four starts. Murray was lights out for the Penguins during their Stanley Cup run a year ago and he has emerged from a capable backup to a stud No. 1 in a very short span of time.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Vasilevskiy could be next in line to steal a No. 1 job after outperforming his teammate Ben Bishop early on this season. Bishop is 5-5-0 with a 2.93 goals against average and .903 save percentage while Vasilevskiy is 4-1-1 with a 1.66 goals against average and .945 save percentage with one shutout. We saw a bit of a changing of the guards last postseason when Vasilevskiy stepped in and played admirably. That opened the door for the conversation to be had in NHL fantasy circles and now it appears that those trends are continuing. If he keeps performing like the better goaltender, it could be hard to keep him in the No. 2 slot.
Head coach John Cooper praised Vasilevkiy’s potential following a 4-0 shutout win over the New York Islanders on Monday and it won’t shock anybody if Vasilevskiy continues to steal starts throughout the season.
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings
Howard came down to earth a little bit in his latest start against the Montreal Canadiens when he allowed five goals in two periods before getting pulled. However, even with that start he is still 4-3-0 with a 1.80 goals against average, a .943 save percentage and one shutout. Petr Mrazek has established himself as the No. 1 netminder in Detroit this season but Howard’s numbers have been good enough to give him some added value in NHL fantasy leagues. This has mostly been a 1 and 1A type of situation over the last couple of seasons with Howard leading the way and Mrazek pushing to take his job, but now the shoe is on the other food. Howard is a seasoned veteran and could nab the No. 1 duties if this continues.
Antti Raanta, New York Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist is still a premier fantasy hockey goalie but he is getting older and that means the Rangers will attempt to give him a little more rest to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Raanta has allowed New York to have that option with an excellent start to the year as he is 4-0-0 with a 2.05 goals against average and .938 save percentage so far this season. Raanta has shown over the years that he is more than capable of holding his own in between the pipes for the Rangers and he should continue to see a decent amount of starts as a valuable backup goaltender in NHL fantasy leagues.
A lot of people were expecting the Rangers to take a step back this season but they have done the complete opposite. They’re currently the top team in the Metropolitan Division by four points and are two points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot in the East.
