Goalies to Watch and Key Insights from Dobber's Fantasy Hockey Guide

Dobber’s 2026-27 Fantasy Guide is out now and available for download over at DobberSports.com

Updated projections, team by team analysis, dynasty gems, schedule planners, and more! Plus it includes “Goalies to Watch,” an article which you will be given a preview of right here since it was written up by yours truly.

Having read the guide from front to back a few times already, allow me to share some of the insights that stood out to me from this years Fantasy Guide, which was written up by the group of dedicated fantasy hockey writers and geniuses over at Dobber Hockey. I won’t give away all their secrets, you can pick up a copy of the guide for that, but let’s explore a few takeaways from the Dobber team’s wealth of fantasy hockey knowledge.

Caleb Desjardins provided a deep dive of the upcoming NHL schedule. And while we highlighted back-to-backs and various scheduling quirks in the July 30 article on Goalie Post, Desjardins broke things down much further. His analysis projected the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers as having the most difficult strength of schedules when it comes to facing opposing offenses. With aging net minders John Gibson (age 33) and Jacob Markstrom (age 36) set to lead the crease for Detroit and Florida, respectively, fantasy managers should be wary of their GAA creeping above 3.00 early and staying there for good.

Desjardins, also, offers an incredibly useful chart that showcases the number of games each team plays on “light days.” In Fantasy Hockey, light days refers to any contests taking place on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday. For 2026-27, the Washington Capitals (40) and New York Rangers (39) lead the pack, coming close to doubling that of the lowest team, the Nashville Predators (22). Streaming isn’t just for skaters, there is a lot of value in knowing how to maximize games played from the goalie position, too. Most fantasy leagues only offer one or two starting slots for goalies, so having an elite keeper like Logan Thompson starting up to 40 games on off nights would be a huge advantage. Conversely, rostering both Juuse Saros and Joel Hofer (STL - 24) in a league with just a single starting slot for goalies could leave you picking your poison most every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

In “Stock Drops,” Michael Clifford highlighted some players whose fantasy profiles are swinging downwards. His insights on the New York Rangers’ newly acquired No. 2 net minder should erase any hope of a bounce back campaign for Joonas Korpisalo. Clifford writes, “former Rangers backup Jonathan Quick averaged 22 starts per season over the last two years with New York. Korpisalo could lose 25% of his workload, and that’s even if youngster Dylan Garand doesn’t assert himself in any meaningful way.”

One name that wasn’t listed in my “Goalies to Watch” article, but was featured in Puneet Sharma’s “Calder Candidates” is Toronto Maple Leaf Artur Akhtyamov. Of the 24 year old Russian netminder, Sharma writes, “Akhtyamov is coming off a breakout year, leading the AHL Toronto Marlies to the 2026 Calder Cup while earning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as Playoff MVP … Akhtyamov has established himself as Toronto's next man up and would likely be the first goalie recalled if injuries create an opportunity.”

Now to finish up our run down of Dobber’s 2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Guide, here is a glimpse at five Goalies to Watch:

Sebastian Cossa, Utah Mammoth

A 1st round draft pick by Detroit in 2021, Cossa has only 1 NHL game to his name entering this season, but joins a Mammoth team that is desperate for reliability behind workhorse Karel Vejmelka. A full time NHL gig is his to lose entering camp, and the 23 year old could feel added comfort being reunited with forward Dylan Guenther, whom Cossa won a WHL championship with in 2021-22. At 6’ 6” Cossa has the frame and pedigree to be given plenty of opportunities to succeed at the NHL level, as soon as this year.

Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks will be hard pressed to play worse defensively in 2026 than they did in 2025. Even amidst last year’s disastrous campaign, Demko finished nearly perfectly aligned with the NHL’s status quo (Demko: 2.90 GAA, .897 SV% vs NHL avg: 2.88 GAA, .896 SV%). Although injuries are always a concern, the talent is not, and landing a goalie just 2 seasons removed from a Vezina nomination at a major discount could be a boon for fantasy managers in 2026.

Michael DiPietro, Boston Bruins

After trading away Joonas Korpisalo, the #2 goalie slot should belong to the back-to-back Aldege “Baz” Bastien Award winner as the AHL’s most outstanding goalie, Michael DiPietro. The 26 year old has made just 4 NHL appearances thus far, but has been lights out in his time with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, posting a combined 60 Wins in 85 GP alongside a .929 SV% over the last 2 seasons. The Bruins, like fantasy managers, are hoping DiPietro will be this year’s Brandon Bussi.

Jacob Fowler, Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens are becoming a power-house in the East and last year’s promotion of Jakub Dobes over incumbent Samuel Montembeault proves that the team is willing to put winning ahead of niceties. Fowler, who went 9-6-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .908 SV% in 17 games as a rookie last season, should push for a heavier workload in 2026 as he continues his ascent towards becoming Montreal’s goalie of the future.

Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators

Ullmark may have fallen out of fantasy managers’ favor after last year’s up and down campaign. Still, it’s worth noting that, since his return from a personal leave of absence on January 31, Ullmark was 2nd in the NHL with 14 wins in 21 starts and provided a healthy 2.40 GAA and .904 SV%. With an 84 game schedule, and backstopping a Senators club that has made back-to-back playoff appearances, Ullmark should easily be able to top 30 wins and set a new career high in games played (49).

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading! My name is Garrett Finlay and you can follow me on X @garrett_fi51284 and on Bluesky @garrettfinlay.bsky.social where I am often talking goalies and fantasy hockey. I’ll be back here next Thursday, so until then - Happy Hockeying and good luck out there!