Central Division Rankings: Goalie Tandems
Seven of the eight Central Division teams made a move to bring in either a new starter or a backup goalie in the offseason. The Central division is ranked according to the projected NHL goalie tandems.
The Arizona Coyotes finished last in the division with 57 points last season. Karel Vejmelka started 49 games and played in 52, while Jon Gillies played 20 games between the St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils last year.
Petr Mrazek was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks from the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer. Alex Stalock has played 152 games in the NHL and the American Hockey League in a decade. He played just one game last season with the San Jose Sharks.
The Colorado Avalanche signed Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers. Pavel Francouz is their backup goalie. Francuzo won the Stanley Cup in the 2022 Stanley cup playoffs. The Central Division has six goalkeepers. The Avalanche are ranked 6th in this year's Central division.
Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood are the Dallas Stars' starting goalkeepers. Oetger is expected to be the team's starter in 2021-22 and the next year. Wedewood is a capable backup who has made 68 starts in his career.
Jordan Binnington lost the starting job to Ville Husso last season. Huso was traded to Detroit this summer. Thomas Greiss was brought in to be the team's number two goalie. He was lights out in the 2022 playoffs, going 4-1-0 in five starts and stopping 167 of 176 shots faced.
The Minnesota Wild have a new starting goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury. They traded Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators for Filip Gustavsson. Gustavson is 24 years old and going into his third NHL season. He played on a bad team last year.
Connor Hellebuyck is the most overworked goalie in the NHL. He faced a league-leading 2155 shots last season. David Rittich was the backup in Nashville last year.
Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen are the top goalkeepers in the Central Division. Saro won 38 games last season and placed third in Vezina Trophy voting. Lankenin signed with the Predators this summer after two seasons with Chicago.
