Lower rostered goaltending options to start the season

Did you get to the final round of your league’s draft, and you realized that you had only drafted one goaltender? Didn’t realize that Robin Lehner is on IR? Maybe just looking to be deep at the goalie position? Whatever the reason, if you’re looking for a late addition in net before the season gets underway there are still some lower rostered options that can get you the starts you need in net to open the season. Here’s three goaltenders to potentially target if you’re in need of some starts to open up the season.

James Reimer, San Jose Sharks (Rostered in 3% of ESPN leagues, 38% Fantrax, 24% Yahoo) Last season – 46 starts, 19 wins, 10 OTL, 2.90 GA/G, .911 SV%, 1 SO.

Let’s be honest with ourselves here, there’s a reason the roster numbers are low here (and subsequently will be for all of these) but what we can assume here is that Reimer is going to get starts in net this season. Unlike the rest of the names on this list, Reimer has one start already under his belt last weekend in the NHL’s Global Game series, giving up three goals on 28 shots. That start in and of itself might be a microcosm of what we will come to expect from Reimer this season, wins might be hard to come by but at the very least you’re going to get saves and have less to worry about as far as who will be starting for San Jose each night.

Last season the Sharks traded for Kaapo Kahkonen from the Wild who started in 10 games and I think although the margin between Kahkonen and Reimer is fairly thin, this will be Reimer’s net to start the season. The Sharks season is technically underway, but their next game will be Friday vs Carolina, but they will play the following day vs Chicago. Reimer will get one of those two starts with my guess being that he will start vs the Canes.

Vitek Vanecek, New Jersey Devils (Rostered in 40% of ESPN leagues, 66% Fantrax, 43% Yahoo) Last season – 39 starts, 21 wins, 4 OTL, 2.67 GA/G, .908 SV%, 4 SO.

One of the biggest problems for this Devils club last year was their goaltending which they addressed this offseason signing twenty-six-year-old Vanecek to a three year deal. New Jersey was 2nd worst in the NHL last season in goaltending behind Seattle with an .881 team save percentage and part of the reason for that was injuries to starters MacKenzie Blackwood (left heel) and Jonathan Bernier (hip). Vanecek’s roster numbers are a little higher on all three prominent fantasy sites but if he’s available, there’s optimism that he’ll not only get his fair share of starts, but this is a Devils club that might be able to get wins in front of him as well.

Devil’s GM Tom Fitzgerald has said that he would like to see a 1A/1B tandem with Vanecek and Blackwood this season but if Vanecek produces quality starts in net it might be likely that the bulk of the work comes Vanecek’s way. In goalies with at least 1,500 minutes of time on ice last season, Vanecek allowed 35 high danger goals at even strength which was the best in that grouping. Sure, the larger the sample size the more goals likely get added to that total but it’s an encouraging stat moving into this season. The Devils open their season on Thursday vs the Flyers.

Jake Allen, Montreal Canadiens (Rostered in 4% of ESPN leagues, 49% Fantrax, 18% Yahoo)
Last season – 35 starts, 9 wins, 4 OTL, 3.30 GA/G, .905 SV%, 2 SO.

Fresh off signing a new two-year deal with Montreal and with Carey Price set to miss at the very least the first month or so start of the season, it’s reasonable to think that Jake Allen will see the majority of the starts in net to start the 2022-’23 Habs campaign. Will he get starts in net? Yes. Wins? Maybe. Shots against? Yes, absolutely. The Habs were third in the NHL in shots against last season, trailing only Arizona and Columbus so even if it’s a tougher night in the crease for Allen you’ll at the very least get points for saves.

I think this Montreal club could be kind of fun to watch this season…I said fun not good, but hey if you need a goaltender to get you starts in net it’s likely Allen will be available in your league. He'll also likely be the cheapest option in DFS on most nights, so if you need to save the extra money for your lineup he’ll likely be your go-to punt option in net. Montreal opens their season tomorrow vs Toronto.

For continued fantasy news and notes throughout the season, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz