Monday Morning Ramblings: Vasilevskiy's Decline? Annunen's Rise, Hofer's Arrival And More

Good morning everyone and welcome to another edition of the Monday Morning Ramblings. This week I’ll be taking a look at three goaltenders who offer some great streaming value both for the remainder of the season and into next year. We’ll also take a look at one of the game’s elite netminders and his potential decline. Let’s get to it!

Is Vasilevskiy’s Game In Decline?

Are we beginning to see some chinks in the armour? It’s a fair question to ask when it comes to Andrei Vasilevskiy’s game over the course of the 2023-2024 NHL season. In 44 games played this year Vasilevskiy owns a record of 26-16-2 accompanied by a 2.94 goals against and .897 save percentage with two shutouts. Regardless of the back injury that delayed the start to his campaign, those are just not the type of peripheral numbers that we have grown accustomed to when referring to the Big Cat.

Vasilevskiy’s numbers have been in decline since the 2020-2021 Cup winning season. One has to think that those extended playoff runs combined with the fact the Lightning have not employed a reliable backup to help spell Vasilevskiy’s workload is beginning to catch up to both player and team as evidenced by his play this year.

So where does that leave us from a fantasy perspective you ask? Well, we cannot just push aside the fact Vasilevskiy stepped onto a moving train to begin the year and needed some time to adjust to the pace of a season almost at the quarter mark. Add to that the extended injury to the team's second best defenseman in Mikhail Sergachev and you begin to see some unexpected variables that have contributed to the Big Cat’s struggles to this point in the season.

As for Vasilevskiy’s outlook for the rest of the season and beyond, quite simply you just can”t bet against him. The Lightning may not be as deep as year’s past but this is still a club that can make anyone look very foolish with elite players and a lightning quick offence (pun very much intended!) which can strike at any moment to completely break open a game. Combine that with the fact that Vasilevskiy still has the ability to take over / steal a game and you have a goaltender who can offer you a reliable source for wins and play upwards of sixty games per year until the team can find themselves a decent backup.

Lindgren Loving Life In D.C.

It has been quite an intersting year for the Washington Capitals as presumed number one starter Darcy Kuemper has been usurped by what was thought to be the team’s backup goaltender in Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren has put together an unexpectedly decent campaign sporting a 20-12-5 record with a 2.67 goals against and .912 save percentage, accompanied by four shutouts. He has given the Capitals a glimmer of hope as it pertains to this year's playoff picture with the Caps currently holding down the East’s second wild card spot.

In what is sure to be a case study at some point, Lindgren has been able to help keep this team afloat when it relates to a postseason berth as the numbers certainly suggest otherwise with the Capitals owning the league’s sixth worst goal differential at -27 yet still find themselves fighting for a playoff spot so late into the season. It may not be pretty but Lindgren has come up with some timely saves at critical moments for the resilient Caps of late, going on an exceptional run of 7-2 with a 1.89 goals against and a .931 save percentage over his last nine starts.

Signed through the end of the 2024-2025 season at an average annual value of $1.1M, the Capitals are getting arguably one of the best value contracts league wide. If Lindgren can continue his strong play for the remainder of the year, it will certainly position him well moving forward as it relates to the Washington crease. As for the here and now, look for Washington to lean heavily on Lindgren due to his exceptional performance of late and the simple fact the Capitals are basically in desperation mode, needing every last point in order to qualify for the NHL postseason.

Annunen Proving His Worth To Avalanche

Justus Annunen has seemingly taken over as the Colorado Avalanche backup goaltender with his recent string of performances at the NHL level. Since his recall from the minors on January 16th, he has put together a solid 5-2-1 record with a tidy 2.38 goals against to go along with a .926 save percentage in eight games played.

As a third round selection in 2018, the Avalanche have been patient with the 6’4” Finnish netminder and it has paid off in the form of two solid seasons with the club AHL affiliate the Colorado Eagles. In the past two seasons Annunen has a combined record of 36-15-12 with a 2.56 goals against and .913 save percentage in 63 games started, so it is not like the kid is coming out of nowhere.

This has to be somewhat reassuring to the team’s management group including coach Jerad Bednar as the organization can’t afford to keep rolling out Alexander Georgiev at his current pace and expect him to be fresh come playoff time. Georgiev has started 55 of the team’s 71 games to date and is on pace for a total of 63 by season’s end which the team would like to have addressed in the form of a lighter workload. So to say that Annunen’s recent play has come at the right time would be an understatement, seeing as Georgiev’s current 2.82 goals against and .903 save percentage are a little sub par for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.

Annunen fantasy value may be slightly limited this year with Colorado, Dallas and Winnipeg vying for the Central division title but with his strong play he has earned some runway to accrue starts the rest of the season and look for a much more increased role going into the 2024-2025 NHL campaign.

Hofer Playing All The Right Notes For Blues

Joel Hofer has given the St. Louis Blues a reliable backup to the somewhat resurgent Jordan Binnington which in turn has given the Blues a solid tandem to work with as they attempt to retool their roster on the fly. The 23 year old Hofer has fashioned a respectable 2.73 goals against and solid .917 save percentage in his 23 starts this year as he continues his development.

In his last three games, Hofer has gone 3-0 with a phenomenal 1.67 goals against and .952 save percentage which bodes well for the player in the form of increased playing time as well as the team who look to have a safety net behind the always interesting case that is Jordan Binnington. With the team having invested so much in their starting netminder, it may be a couple years before we see Hofer’s true ceiling when it comes to his fantasy value as there are another three years remaining on Binnington’s contract.

That being said, Hofer could see a much bigger role if Binnington regresses or struggles in any way having gained the team’s confidence in his abilities. Ultimately until the Blues decide to move on from Binnington either through buyout or trade, the most a Hofer owner could hope for would be a timeshare therefore giving Hofer a bigger piece of the pie in which to ply his trade.

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See you all again next Monday!