NHL Goalie Rankings 2023

Doug Bonjour
@DougBonjour
Last Updated: Sep 15, 2023

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Author

Doug Bonjour

Doug covered college and prep sports in Connecticut for more than a decade, including stints as the UConn women’s basketball and UConn football beat reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media. During his time reporting on the 11-time national champion Huskies, he covered three NCAA Final Fours. He also has written for the Associated Press and New York Times.

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