Welcome fantasy managers to another week of the Monday Ramblings. With the conclusion of the 4 Nations Cup last Thursday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the goaltending from what was a resounding success for the league and it’s players as they made their long awaited return to international best on best. Let’s get to it!

Hellebuyck Hitting New Heights

Winnipeg Jets star netminder Connor Hellebuyck has arguably been the gold standard over the past few years as it comes to an elite level of play and consistency. One would think that he has reached the pinnacle of his game, however, the reigning Vezina winner hit another level at the recent 4 Nations Cup with another display of goaltending excellence.

Hellebuyck”s immense talent was again on full display as he fashioned a phenomenal 2-1 record with a miniscule 1.59 goals against and a stout .932 save percentage against some of the league’s best, with his only loss coming in the final against Canada. The Michigan native continues to build an extremely strong case to return as the Americans number one for next year’s Olympics in Italy with such an impressive performance.

The 6’4” 207lbs All-Star will now focus his efforts on continuing his strong season in which he has put together an exceptional 34-7-2 record accompanied by a league leading 2.06 goals against and .925 save percentage, in addition to six shutouts. Plying your trade behind the NHL’s number one ranked offense and defense certainly helps, however make no mistake about it, Hellebuyck has consistently been a difference maker for Winnipeg and is a massive part of the Jets identity.

Hellebuyck is as close to a lock as you can get from a fantasy perspective, with the combination of a heavy workload and such a consistent high level of play you really can just set it and forget it! That being said, for those lucky enough to be in a daily fantasy league you will want to monitor Hellebuyck’s usage throughout the remainder of the season as the Jets organization will want to scale back his workload (if only slightly) in order to keep their star netminder “fresh” for the NHL’s postseason.

Binnington Silences Doubters

Jordan Binnington quite simply did his job which is stopping pucks. The fact that he did it in such spectacular fashion while backstopping Canada to a Four Nations championship only cements his status as a goaltender that excels in big moments when it matters most. Coach Jon Cooper stated that Binnington was his “guy” showing a ton of faith in the St. Louis Blues starting netminder in sticking with him throughout the tournament while being rewarded with a phenomenal performance in the final.

While his stat line may not have been as eye-popping as Hellebuyck’s over the course of the 10-day tournament with a record of 3-1 accompanied by a solid 2.37 goals against and .907 save percentage, he outplayed the reigning Vezina winner when all the chips were down going into the third period and overtime. On top of it all, Binnington himself mentioned just how comfortable he is at Boston’s TD Garden, the site of his greatest triumph, a clinching Game 7 victory to secure the 2019 Stanley Cup.

Binnington’s 2024-2025 NHL season has been a bit of a struggle to this point as he is currently sporting a 15-19-4 record to go along with an inflated 2.89 goals against and .897 save percentage in addition to three shutouts. However, this latest accomplishment is a nice feather in his cap heading into the stretch run as his St. Louis Blues continue their push for a spot in the NHL’s playoff picture.

As it pertains to his value for the remainder of the fantasy season, that is a little less certain as the Blues find themselves on the outside looking in at a playoff spot. Much will depend on how Blues GM Doug Armstrong decides to approach this year's trade deadline and whether the team will be buyers or sellers with the likelihood being the latter. That being said, if the team can remain in the hunt over the next couple weeks Binnington could find himself taking on quite a workload down the stretch as well, which is something fantasy managers would more than welcome with the looming fantasy playoff picture taking shape.

Lankinen Living Large

Nothing like turning a late off season signing of a one year contract into a five year deal worth 4.5M annually, which is exactly what Vancouver Canucks starting netminder Kevin Lankinen was able to secure with his exceptional play this year. After jumping on board with the Canucks to start the season, Lankinen quickly found himself as the teams' number one with the uncertainty surrounding Thatcher Demko and his ongoing battle with a lower-body injury.

Lankinen took full advantage of his opportunity with some exceptional play over the course of the season as he fashioned a very respectable 19-8-7 record accompanied by a 2.53 goals against and .905 save percentage in addition to four shutouts, earning the 29-year-old his shiny new deal. Personally, I would have preferred a little less term, however, this does offer Vancouver a little insurance in the event that Demko cannot rid himself of his nagging lower-body ailment.

Suffice to say Lankinen’s value has certainly been boosted slightly with news of his new contract as the team will be leaning heavily on the 6’2” 190lbs Helsinki native for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season, with the aforementioned Demko being placed on IR. Lankinen is in a decent spot with Vancouver currently holding down the second wild card in the Western Conference, with their sights set firmly on securing a playoff position as we make our way towards the league's trade deadline of March 7th.

From a fantasy perspective, one should expect Lankinen to carry the mail for the majority of the Canucks remaining schedule while providing the organization with some consistent goaltending. A good source of wins with solid if unspectacular peripheral numbers the rest of the way.

Gustavsson Making His Mark

Filip Gustavsson’s performance at the recently concluded Four Nations Cup may not have been up to par, however do not let that dissuade you from the fact that the 26 year olds trajectory is clearly on the upswing. The young Swede is putting together another fine campaign this year with a 22-11-3 record to go along with a 2.63 goals against and .915 save percentage, in addition to three shutouts.

Over the past few seasons we have seen the type of goaltending that Gustavsson can bring to the table. He is squarely in the conversation as one of the league’s top 10 netminders as evidenced by his 64-37-15 record combined with a 2.63 goals against and .914 save percentage in addition to nine shutouts since being traded to the Minnesota Wild going into the 2022-2023 season.

Under the mentorship of future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury, Gustavsson continues to demonstrate the attributes of a true number one with the remaining hurdle to cross being a heavier workload which could be coming around the corner with the upcoming retirement of the aforementioned Fleury at season’s end. Hence, one should expect an even greater value for Gustavsson going into the 2025-2026 season as the teams undisputed number one.

For those lucky enough to be rostering the 6’2” 184lbs Wild netminder, expect much of the same the remainder of this season as the team will continue to lean on im heavily as the battle to hold their spot in the Stanley Cup playoff picture. Gustavsson will continue to provide wins while also helping out in the peripheral categories as well.

There you have it folks, a look into goaltenders who had a chance to display their immense talents at the highly successful Four Nations Cup and their outlook for the remainder of the 2024-2025 NHL season.

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See you all again next Monday!