Goaltending is arguably the most important position in hockey. Who a team has in net can make or break a game, or even a whole season.
It seems year after year, no positional ranking changes more often than goaltenders. Guys in the top five a year ago have found their way outside the top 10, and others that entered the season with average expectations greatly surpassed them.
Hockey fans have been blessed recently with some elite goaltenders doing it year-in and year-in, such as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck. There are also young goaltenders such as the Russian pair of Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin who have proven that the league’s future is in good hands.
MORE: Ranking the league’s best 23 players under 23
With that, The Sporting News ranks the top 10 goalies in the league heading into the 2022-23 season.
Top 10 goalies in the NHL for the 2022-23 season
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning
While Rangers fans may say otherwise, the best goalie in the league is Vasilevskiy. No one has put up elite numbers on a consistent basis like the Russian, who at 28 years old already owns two Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe and a Vezina. He went 39-18-5 with a 2.49 GAA and .916 SV%. It marked the third season out of the last four he had a GAA under 2.50 and his sixth consecutive year with a SV% above .915. “The Big Cat” continues to bring it year after year for the Lightning.
2. Igor Shesterkin, Rangers
There’s no denying that there was no one better in the crease for the entirety of last season than Shesterkin. The young Rangers netminder went 36-13-4 in 52 starts, leading the league in GAA (2.07) and save percentage (.935) on his way to his first Vezina win. He added six shutouts, which were good for third in the league, and his 36 wins ranked sixth. At just 26 years old, the Rangers have their goaltender of the future that will help them continue to be Cup contenders.
3. Juuse Saros, Predators
In the age of teams looking for goaltenders to be over 6-2, Saros has defied those odds, as his 5-11 stature makes him one of the shorter goalies in the league. That hasn’t stopped him from being elite in the crease, finishing last season with a record of 38-253 with a 2.64 GAA and .918 SV%. No goalie played in more games than the young Finnish goalie, who started in 67 contests for Nashville. At 27 years old, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Saros earns a Vezina after he finished third in voting last year.
4. Jacob Markstrom, Flames
We go from the short Saros to the towering Markstrom, whose 6-6 frame has helped him become one of the best goalies in the league. The Flames goalie was the runner-up to Shesterkin for the Vezina, posting a 37-15-9 record with a 2.22 GAA and .922 SV%. He led the league in shutouts with nine. Markstrom has always been a good goalie, but the 2021-22 season was far and beyond Markstrom’s best season yet. Now it’s about showing that he can do it consistently.
5. Ilya Sorokin, Islanders
Since coming over to North Americans from the KHL in 2020-21, Sorokin has been everything the Islanders have wanted and more. In his two seasons in the league, his record is 39-24-11, his GAA is 2.33 and his SV% is .923. The Russian posted seven shutouts last year, which were second to only Markstrom, his 2.40 GAA was fourth and his .925 SV% was second. Sorokin solidified his role as New York’s starting goaltender, and now he will be tasked with helping them get back to the playoffs.
6. Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
In his first season in Carolina, Andersen was a key reason for the Hurricanes being the best defensive team in hockey. He and Antti Raanta combined to win the Jennings Trophy for the best goaltending tandem in the NHL. Andersen’s 2.17 GAA and .922 SV% were both career-highs for the Dane, but injuries kept him out of the playoffs. With Carolina gearing up to be one of the favorites to come out of the East, they will need Andersen to be just as good this year.
7. Thatcher Demko, Canucks
Some were skeptical when the Canucks elected to ride with Demko instead of Markstrom a couple of seasons ago, but it’s been the right decision. The 26-year-old keeps getting better, setting a new career-high in GAA with a 2.72 and tying his career-best SV% with .915. Vancouver gave him a large workload, starting in 61 games last season, and he’s expected to take on a similar task this season.
8. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets
Statistically, Hellebuyck is coming off one of his worst seasons, finishing with a 2.97 GAA and .910 SV%. He ended the 2020-21 season with a record of 29-27-10, the lowest winning percentage of his career. However, the Jets have asked a ton of Hellebuyck in his career — he started over 60 games for the third time in his career last year — and they haven’t necessarily helped him out in front of him.
9. Tristan Jarry, Penguins
One year ago, all people could remember was Jarry’s horrific playoff performance in the 2021 playoffs. But the Penguins goalie shut up the doubters last season, going 34-18-6 with a 2.42 GAA and .919 SV%, both marks that ranked sixth in the NHL. The 27-year-old missed six of the Penguins’ seven playoff games with injuries and aims to get Pittsburgh back in the postseason this season to prove he can get it done under the bright lights.
10. Marc-Andre Fleury, Wild
Fleury continues to defy Father Time, as the 37-year-old remains a reliable option in net. Last season, he started the year with the Blackhawks, putting up less than impressive numbers on a horrid team before he was traded to the Wild. “Flower” ended the year with a combined GAA of 2.90 and a SV% of .908. It was certainly a down year after winning the 2021 Vezina, but he’ll get his first full season as Minnesota’s starter this season.
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