Monday Ramblings

Good morning, good afternoon, and don't go to sleep yet because I'm going to give you the guaranteed keys to win your fantasy league this season. Just kidding, fantasy goalies are never going to be that straightforward but what we can do as always is use what he have supplied to us to try and weed out some possible early problems to make room for some potential early season bloomers to act on here early in the year!

Goalies you can safely pluck from the garden

1 Ville Husso/Any starter on Detroit Red Wings

I feel bad for Red Wings fans. The team has been an up and comer for about 5-6 years now. The wings kind of remind me of the Buffalo Sabres with a bit less fantasy fare going on around them every year. There's multiple players who you feel should be taking a bit larger steps than they have been, but outside the usual top performers there's not much to write home to grandma about. Husso was placed on waivers last night and with this being the last year of a $4.75 million cap hit (Lil Wayne - a milly playing in the background) I don't think he's much of a thought for other teams looking for free-ish goaltending help. One caveat is that surprisingly, I have been wrong before and we will find out at noon today. Pass on Red Wings goalies even with Cam Talbot posting a gem of a first start. Talbot helped buoy a lot of zero G teams early last year but Cinderella's pumpkin lost its wheels and smashed around turn 4 (game 30).

2 Joonas Korpisalo/Boston Bruins

Now I'm hoping that this one is a bit of an obvious one for most of you people but if it isn't, don't fret. I've included Joonas Korpisalo because he was the waiver pick up of the week for a few weeks. Until Jeremy Swayman found his shiny new $8.25x8 million dollar horse and swiftly rode in on it two days before the season. Korpisalo is a drop in every league. Swayman is the opposite. Interested to see how Swayman puts up with a full workload this year. Something to watch.

Goalies to mulch and keep on your roster for now

1 Lukas Dostal/Anaheim Ducks

I'm not going to lie. Anaheim goalies have not been on my radar for probably six years. John Gibson is sidelined for the foreseeable future, opening hte door for Dostal. He looked unreal in his first start this season going 8/8 on high danger scoring chances against. It's stil very very early on and it is Anaheim, but I am assuming they crawl out of the NHL's dark damp basement and finally see a bit of light in their rebuild. Dostal is firmly in the hold for now and see what happens category.

2 Darcy Kuemper/Los Angeles Kings

I've had some success with Darcy Kuemper on my roster during his early Coyotes days. He was a decent Zero G guy and it seems as though this year is no different. I'm giving Kuemper an extended run here on this Kings roster based mostly on how Cam Talbot fared there last year. The Kings have the potential to give their goalies some easy runs at backstop. Kuemper sits 7th in league GSAA (Goals Saved Above Average) and will be a guy to hopefully roster late into the season.

Goalies to prune and water for the whole season

1 Sam Montembeault/Montreal Canadiens

So this was a bit of an unexpected start from Mr. Montembeault but in his first two games he's only allowed 1 measly goal against with a shutout and is sporting an absolutely ridiculous 6.29 GSAA, matching Connor Hellebuyck's start in that stat line. Now that's value! Again, it is early and you can guess at these things until you drop dead but there is not much competition and if the Habs take a step this year he may be a big reason why. Montembeault is also a goalie to watch for team Canada this year and that is yet another reason I'll have him on my watchlists and/or rosters.

2 Anthony Stolarz/Joseph Woll/Toronto Maple Leafs

Now this one is a bit of a swing by me. I'm going to say that Anthony Stolarz in my books, has built up a bit of good will throughout the last season and the start he's had in this one. Joseph Woll cannot stay healthy and we may need to douse him in polysporin and wrap the guy in bubble wrap between starts. I pull for all NHL players (mostly), and you hate to see guys not hitting their strides because their bodies won't let them. Whichever one of these guy's it is that takes a more prominent role in the center of the universe (Toronto) this year will be a welcome addition. My bet is on Stolarz for health reasons but Woll being younger is the ideal candidate to pop off for the Leafs and may get a bit more leash because of it.

In closing

NHL goaltending will forever have a high level of uncertainty. We can only use the stats and past patterns of player handling provided to help us make informed decisions we can feel good about whether we lose or win our weeks/years. Thanks for joining us on GoaliePost and as always im available on Twitter/X @LOGoalz for any questions, concerns, or abuse you may want to throw my way. Hope your weeks within and outside of fantasy go smoothly! Adios friends.