2021 Fantasy Hockey Goalie Rankings

Chris Ransom follow @DraftUtopia Last Updated: January 6, 2021.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning

Andrei Vasilevskiy was the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2012 first round pick. Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 2.76 goals against average or lower in each of his NHL seasons. He also has a .910 save percentage in each NHL season he's played in. Andrei Vasilevskiy is the NHL's best goalie as well as the top ranked goalie in most Fantasy Hockey leagues. I have a first round grade on Andrei Vasilevskiy in Fantasy Hockey.
Tuukka Rask, G, Boston Bruins

Tuukka Rask is my second best goalie in Fantasy Hockey behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. His worst goals against averarge in his career was 2.67 and he's had some seasons where he had a goals against average of under 2.00 whic is phenomenal. He has a .915 save percentage or higher in every season after his rookie season. One could argue he's more consistent than Andrei Vasilevskiy. I have a second round grade on Tuuka Rask, but I got Rask in the fourth round in one draft that I participated in.
Carter Hart, G, Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers 2016 second round pick was an amazing goalie on the Everett Silvertips. I knew this guy would change the fortunes of one NHL franchise as Hart has emerged into a top three goalie in the NHL with two great seasons. Hart improved from 16-13-1 to 24-13-3 in 2019-2020.

Hart also lowered his goals against average from 2.83 to 2.42. Carter Hart had a save percentage of .914 or higher in his first two seasons in the NHL. I currently have a third round grade on Carter Hart in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Anton Khudobin, G, Dallas Stars

Anton Khudobin came in for an injured Ben Bishop and took the Dallas Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals. With Ben Bishop not returning until April 3, 2021 at the very earliest, Anton Khudobin is a safe play for this season after earning a three-year contract extension with Dallas.

Anton Khudobin had a career best 2.22 goals against average in 2019-2020 during the regular season before dominating in the playoffs too. His .930 save percentage is his highest save percentage since 2012-2013. Anton Khudboin is in quarintine, but it's not something I'd read too much into. I have a third round grade on Anton Khudboin in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Robin Lehner, G, Vegas Golden Knights

Robin Lehner struggled with the Chicago Blackhawks because Chicago had lots of injuries on their blue line last season in 2019-2020. Lehner got hot once he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. Now he has a top 5 defenseman in Alex Pieterangelo to take pressure off of him. I have a third round grade on Robin Lehner in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg's 2012 fifth round pick may be the best goalie in the NHL outside of Andrei Vasilevskiy according to some. Connor Hellebuyck has posted a 2.90 goals against average or lower in each NHL season he's played in. His worst save peercentage was .907.

Connor Hellebuyck is final goalie with a third round grade. I've seen some Fantasy Hockey leagues rank him as a second round goalie and the second best NHL goalie so you may have to reach for him.
Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers

The New York Rangers 2014 fourth round pick showed great promise in his rookie NHL season when filling in as a backup for Henrik Lundqvist. Igor Shesterkin went 10-2 in 12 starts with a 2.52 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. I have a fourth round grade on Igor Shesterkin in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Carey Price, G, Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price was drafted fifth overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Carey Price had a save percentage of .900 or better. Price had a 3.11 goals against average in 2017-2018, but he's done well in every other season. Carey Price is a special goalie. He's probably the last special goalie in these goalie rankings. After Price, the drop off between All Star caliber goalie to great goalie begins.

I have a fourth round grade on Carey Price in Fantasy Hockey leagues. Carey Price is an excellent value pick if you can get him past the fourth round.
Philipp Grubauer, G, Colorado Avalanche

Philipp Grubauer was the backup goalie to Braden Holtby on the Washington Capitals team that won the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. Philipp Grubauer had a minimum of 2.64 goals against average and a .916 save percentage in his two seasons as the starting goalie with the Colorado Avalanche.

Draft Phillipp Grubauer in the fifth round of your Fantasy Hockey leagues. There's one other goalie with a fifth round grade if Grubauer's injury history scares you.
Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues 2011 third round pick killed it as a rookie with a 1.89 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. That dominant rookie season allowed the St. Louis Blues to win the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.

Jordan Binnington had a 2.56 goals against average and a .912 save percentage in 2019-2020. I have a fifth round grade on Jordan Binnington in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Marc Andre-Fleury, G, Vegas Golden Knights

Marc Andre-Fluery is the best backup goalie in the NHL as the first pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft is still a top fifteen goalie in the NHL. He's good enough to be a starter on twenty different NHL teams. His goals against average and save percentage have declined in each season with the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite this, I still have a sixth round grade on Marc Andre-Fleury in Fantasy Hockey leagues because his goals against average is still under 2.80 while his save percentage is still above .900.
Ilya Samsonov, G, Washington Capitals

Ilya Samsonov the Washinton Capitals 2015 first round pick made his NHL debut last season. Ilya Samsonov went 16-6 in 22 starts last season. Ilya Samsonov had a 2.55 goals against average and a .913 save percentage in 2019-2020. With Braden Holtby on Vancouver and Henrik Lundqvist missing this season due to a heart condition, Ilya Samsonov is a potential breakout candidate for Fantasy Hockey owners. I got a seventh round grade on Ilya Samsonov in Fantasy Hockey.
Braden Holtby, G, Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver replaced Jacob Markstrom with Braden Holtby. Holtby struggled last year with a 3.11 goals against average and a .897 save percentage in a contract year. If Holtby reverts to his old form, he could be a top fifteen goalie, but if he struggles, Thatcher Demko, who I will mention next will have a chance to cease the starting goalie job in Vancouver. I have a seventh round grade on Braden Holtby in Fantasy Hockey.
Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks

Thatcher Demko, the former Boston College goalie has yet to breakout during the regular season. He showed the ability to breakout in the Vancouver Canucks second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Vancouver trailed that series 3-1 before Demko won two games in a row to force a game 7. Demko even kept game 7 scoreless for two periods before Vegas found a way to win in the third period. I got an eighth round grade on Thatcher Demko in Fantasy Hockey.
Semyon Varlamov, G, New York Islanders

Semyon Varlamov was the starting goalie for the Washington Capitals before losing the job to Braden Holtby. He also started on Colorado for eight years before joining the New York Islanders. He had a comeback season in 2019-2020 with the New York Islanders where he had a 2.62 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. Varlamov got the New York Islanders to the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals. I have a ninth round grade on Semyon Varlamov in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Jacob Markstrom G, Calgary Flames

Jacob Markstrom was probably the biggest Free Agent signing at goalie outside of Braden Holtby signing with Vancouver. Markstrom did well with Vancouver in a contract year. He gives Calgary a franchise goalie that the team severely lacks. His goals against average is consistently in the 2.70 range so he's a top 20 goalie and a good starter, but he's not a great starter. Markstrom also posted a .918 save percentage last season. I have a ninth round grade on Jacob Markstrom in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Tristan Jarry, G, Pittsburgh Penguins

Tristan Jarry was the Pittsburgh Penguins second round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Jarry didn't show much in his first three years. He dominated in 2019-2020 with a 2.43 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. Jarry did well enough to steal the starting goalie job from Matt Murray with a statement season after three rough seasons. That's one reason I got a tenth round grade on Tristan Jarry in Fantasy Hockey leagues.

Jarry had moments last year where he looked like a top 5 goalie in the NHL during the regular season. He didn't showcase that consistently, fizzled down the stretch by losing to Montreal in the qualifier round, and Jarry is more of a top twenty goalie than a top fifteen goalie when you look at who he's stacked up against in Fantasy Hockey.
Pavel Francouz, G, Colorado Avalanche

Pavel Francouz had a 2.41 goals against average and a .923 save percentage going 21-7-4 in 31 starts with the Colorado Avalanche during the regular season. He was also the starting goalie in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs when Grubauer got injured. I have an eleventh round grade on Pavel Francouz in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Joonas Korpisalo, G, Columbus Blue Jackets

Joonas Korpisalo took over for Sergei Bobrovsky. He did a heck of a job in his first season as the starting goalie after previously struggling as the backup. Korpisalo had a 2.60 goals against average and a .911 save percentage in 2019-2020. His goaltending in the playoffs forced Tampa Bay to five overtime periods before beating Columbus. Get Koprisalo if he falls to round 12.
Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders

Ilya Sorokin, the New York Islanders 2014 third round pick is finally making the jump to the NHL. He dominated in Russia which is why I have a top twenty grade on Sorokin in Fantasy Hockey. We haven't seen what Sorokin can do at the NHL level, but I'm projecting a top twenty goalie if he plays like he did in Russia with the New York Islanders. I have a thirteenth round grade on Ilya Sorokin in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Darcy Kuemper, G, Arizona Coyotes

Darcy Keumper seems to have adjusted to Arizona after being traded to one of the Los Angeles Kings division rivals after struggling with Minnesota and Los Angeles. Kuemper dominated the last two seasons with the Coyotes. Even Joseph Potter, the co-host of my podcast kept mentioning Keumper in Arizona's loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Keumper had a 2.22 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. That's why I have a fourteenth round grade on Darcy Keumper in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky won the Vezina Trophy in both 2013 and 2017. He also had back-to-back 30 win seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014 and 2015 becoming the first goalie to do this. Bobrovsky struggled with a 3.23 goals against average and .900 save percentage in his first season with the Florida Panthers. I have a fifteenth round grade on Sergei Bobrovsky in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Matt Murray, G, Ottawa Senators

Ottawa gave up a 2020 second round pick to get Matt Murray. Murray took the starting goalie job from Marc-Andre Fleury when he led Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. I have a sixteenth round grade on Matt Murray in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Frederik Andersen, G, Toronto Maple Leafs

Frederik Andersen is a good goalie. He has moments where he's great and you can argue he should be much higher on these rankings. I have a sixteenth round grade on Frederik Andersen in Fantasy Hockey leagues.
Jake Allen, G, Montreal Canadiens

Jake Allen was the backup goalie on the St. Louis Blues. Now he is the backup goalie on the Montreal Canadiens thanks to a trade that Montreal made with St. Louis. I have an seventeenth round grade on Jake Allen in Fantasy Hockey leagues.

2021 Fantasy Hockey Goalie Rookies For Dynasty Leagues

Yaroslav Askarov, G, Nashville Predators

Nashville has Pekka Rinne and Jusse Saros. Both goalies appear to be stop gaps after Rinne was once considered a top 10 goalie back in 2015. Nashville took Yaroslav Aksarov eleventh overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old goalie has dominated in limited action with SKA Saint Petersburg and could be a top ten goalie in the NHL in ten years from now. His ceiling is that high, which is why Askarov is a must add for dynasty league goalies.
Drew Commesso, G, Chicago Blackhawks

Drew Commesso was a guy on the Chicago Blackhawks radar according to rumors and reports leading up to the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The starting goalie on the United States National Team Developmental Program was Chicago's 2020 second round pick. Malcolm Subban is Chicago's current starting goalie, so until Commesso gets called up to the NHL, I'm not sold on Chicago as a contender.
Joel Blomqvist, G, Pittsburgh Penguins

Joel Blomqvist was the top goalie prospect from Finland in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He was the goalie on Oulun Karpat. He is 2-0 with a 1.50 goals against average in 2 games in 2020-2021. Pittsburgh drafted Blomqvist with their second round pick that they got from their trade with the Ottawa Senators for Matt Murray.
Calle Clang, G, Pittsburgh Penguins

Calle Clang was my second best goalie in the 2020 NHL Draft behind Yaroslav Askarov. He was also the top goalie prospect from Sweden in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. His speed, coordination, and reflexes aren't as good as Blomqvist when you watch the tape. Also the fact that he doesn't have an SHL game under his belt in Sweden while Blomqvist already has Liiga games under his belt in Finland leads me to believe that BLomqvist is in better position to take over for Tristan Jarry at some point down the road. Clang still has time to develop and could still be a good backup to Blomqvist. I'm not ready to give up on him just yet.
Nico Daws, G, New Jersey Devils

New Jersey has Cory Schneider and Mackenzie Blackwood. Both are solid goalies, but neither ran away with the starting goalie job. That's why I understand New Jersey's decision to take Nico Daws as a developmental goalie in case New Jersey loses Schneider or Blackwood to Free Agency at some point down the road.