Who is the NHL’s best goaltender? Each of the last 10 seasons has concluded with a different Vezina Trophy winner, proving the answer often changes.
With the start of training camps approaching, we have provided our rankings. The one caveat: We used only projected starters, meaning some of the NHL’s better goalies in timeshares – for example, Marc-Andre Fleury – were left off the list.
Without further ado, here are our NHL goalie rankings ahead of the 2023-24 season.
NHL Goalie Rankings
32. Petr Mrazek, Chicago Blackhawks
The 31-year-old Mrazek is simply a placeholder for Chicago at this point. Nothing more, nothing less.
31. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
Gibson’s goals-against average was an unsightly 3.99 last season. Enough said.
30. Jake Allen, Montreal Canadiens
The veteran Allen could find himself in another timeshare with 26-year-old Sam Montembeault. Either way, this situation leaves much to be desired.
29. Mackenzie Blackwood, San Jose Sharks
Acquired in a trade with New Jersey, Blackwood will try to elevate one of the NHL’s worst teams. Good luck.
28. Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets should be improved under Mike Babcock, but only if they can get more production in net.
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That starts with Merzlikins, who is coming off a lower-body injury.
27. Karel Vejmelka, Arizona Coyotes
Vejmelka should receive the bulk of work again for Arizona despite a 3.43 GAA last season.
26. Cam Talbot, Los Angeles Kings
Talbot has signed with Los Angeles, his sixth different team in seven seasons. Maybe reuniting with Todd McLellan, his coach in Edmonton, will help.
25. Devon Levi, Buffalo Sabres
The 21-year-old showed promise in his brief stint as a rookie, going 5-2 with a 2.94 GAA in his first seven starts.
24. Ville Husso, Detroit Red Wings
Detroit added insurance behind Husso in journeyman James Reimer. This tandem is, shall we say, underwhelming.
23. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers can’t afford to waste another year of Connor McDavid‘s prime. The pressure is on Skinner to produce.
22. Philipp Grubauer, Seattle Kraken
Grubauer isn’t ultra-reliable, but he did help Seattle to a 100-point season. That counts for something.
21. Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Was Binnington just a flash in the pan? St. Louis sure hopes not.
20. Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
Hill went 11-4 with a 2.17 GAA and .932 save percentage in the postseason, finishing third in the voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
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He’s back with the Stanley Cup champions on a two-year deal but could face competition again from Logan Thompson.
19. Darcy Kuemper, Washington Capitals
Kuemper was a big disappointment for the Capitals, failing to recapture his form from Colorado’s Stanley Cup run.
His SV% dropped to .908, and Washington missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
18. Joonas Korpisalo, Ottawa Senators
The Senators bet big on Korpisalo this offseason, inking him to a five-year, $20 million deal.
For it to pay off, he needs to help them end their six-year playoff drought.
17. Carter Hart, Philadelphia Flyers
With Philadelphia looking to offload veterans, Hart is a prime candidate to get moved.
16. Jacob Markstrom, Calgary Flames
Markstrom was a Vezina finalist in 2022 but regressed last season, watching his GAA climb from 2.22 to 2.92. Was it fatigue?
Markstrom appeared in 63 games the year prior, plus 12 in the playoffs. Or maybe, at 33, time is beginning to creep up on him.
15. Akira Schmid, New Jersey Devils
Schmid looked the part in the playoffs, helping carry New Jersey to the second round.
It’s still unclear if he’ll remain the starter, but he gets the nod over Vitek Vanecek for now.
14. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers
Bobrovsky, 34, fell flat in the Stanley Cup Final, allowing 21 goals in five games.
If the two-time Vezina winner can’t turn it around, Spencer Knight is presumably waiting in the wings.
13. Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
If he can stay healthy, Jarry is capable of 30-plus wins, especially after Pittsburgh bolstered its lineup with Erik Karlsson.
But that’s no guarantee.
12. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
Andersen fizzled in the playoffs, but Carolina thought highly enough to bring back the 33-year-old on a two-year deal as it continues its pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
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11. Ilya Samsonov, Toronto Maple Leafs
Samsonov went 27-10 with a career-best .919 SV% in his first year with Toronto.
Outlasting Matt Murray, he led the Leafs to their first playoff series win since 2004 before injuring his neck.
10. Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks
Demko posted a .920 SV% over the final two months of the season, turning the page on a miserable, injury-plagued start.
If healthy, he is good enough to lead Vancouver back to the playoffs.
9. Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
Gustavsson split time with Fleury and was the far better of the two. His 2.10 GAA ranked second in the NHL behind Linus Ullmark.
The Wild would be wise to give the 25-year-old more work.
8. Alexandar Georgiev, Colorado Avalanche
Colorado gambled on Georgiev and won. After backing up Igor Shesterkin in New York, Georgiev, 27, won 40 games and posted a 2.53 GAA during his first season with the Avalanche.
7. Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Nashville missed the playoffs through no fault of Saros, who posted a 2.69 GAA and .919 SV% in 64 games. Despite his smallish stature (5-foot-11), he’s a true workhorse.
6. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
The Jets would be wise to lock up the former Vezina winner, who has faced more shots than anyone over the past three seasons.
- Get this year’s best Vezina Trophy odds & winner predictions.
But at 30, Hellebuyck wants no part of a potential rebuild in Winnipeg. There will be a long list of suitors if he hits the market.
5. Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
Oettinger doesn’t turn 25 until December. He was tremendous in the regular season (2.37 GAA, five shutouts) before showing fatigue during Dallas’ run to the Western Conference Final.
4. Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins
Ullmark was spectacular for the Presidents’ Trophy winners. He registered 40 wins, a league-best 1.89 GAA, and .938 SV% to take home his first Vezina.
Because of the salary cap, there had been rumblings that Ullmark would get traded this offseason. But he remains a Bruin, even if it means splitting time again with Jeremy Swayman.
3. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Are all those playoff games finally catching up to Vasilevskiy? Perhaps.
But it’s still hard to find much fault in the 29-year-old Russian, who already owns two Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, and a Vezina.
2. Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
Sorokin, 28, was the Vezina runner-up last season after turning in a 2.34 GAA, .924 SV%, and an NHL-best six shutouts.
Fortunately for the Islanders, his best days are still ahead.
1. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
Although he hasn’t been quite as good as his Vezina-winning season in 2021-22, Shesterkin remains one of, if not the best at his position. His overall numbers – 2.48 GAA and .916 SV% – were still very strong.
If he continues to play at an elite level, the Rangers will be a legitimate Stanley Cup threat again in 2023-24.