Fowler, Cossa Among Young Goaltenders Who Could Make NHL Opening Night Rosters

Every year when training camp approaches, we wonder about who could be pushing for jobs in the NHL. Fans always look at their team's roster, see a weak point or an area of need, and naturally project their top prospect or a young player they want to see get an opportunity in that spot. 

Fans want the magic beans. The thing that they don’t quite know yet because it could be anything. 

In net, that becomes even more apparent due to the limited spots on the roster and the glaring need when you don’t have a capable goaltender. Coming into camp this year, there are a number of young goalies who could be pushing for NHL jobs or, at the very least, showing that they are capable of playing at that level. 

Let’s dive into a few young goalies who will be looking to prove they belong in the NHL as teams start to shift their focus from the off-season to training camp ahead of another NHL season. 

Acquiring 23-year-old Sebastian Cossa was arguably the Utah Mammoth’s most impactful move of the summer. Utah traded a first-round pick (23rd overall) to the Detroit Red Wings to land former 2021 first-round pick Cossa. Given a fresh start and a new lease on life, Cossa is expected to slot in as the backup for the Mammoth immediately. 

There isn’t much in the way of competition for Cossa, outside of a few young players who have not indicated that they are ready or nearly of the caliber that Cossa is to this point. That gives Cossa a clear path to playing a decent share of the games this season. The 6-foot-6 netminder has been one of the game’s top goalie prospects since being drafted. 

Utah may have found their goalie of the future in Cossa, and with Karel Vejmelka still playing well and under contract for a few more years, they will have the opportunity to ease Cossa in over the next few years. 

Although the Chicago Blackhawks have Spencer Knight locked into the starter role and Arvid Soderblom has been a serviceable backup, there is room for Drew Commesso to come in and push for the backup job in camp. Chicago has to be mindful of overworking Knight, who is coming off a career-high 55 games played last season, so the backup will get ample opportunity to get into the lineup. 

That presents an excellent opportunity for Commesso, who has been rock-solid at the AHL level following a strong NCAA career. It would also reunite Commesso and Knight, who were together at the U.S. NTDP during the 2018-19 season, with Knight leading the U-18 squad while Commesso was the starter for the U-17s. That pre-existing relationship could be beneficial for Chicago as well, as they look to have a cohesive tandem in net. 

Soderblom hasn't solidified himself as the backup, with underwhelming results overall and a team looking to take a step forward. Bringing in a capable backup netminder to help mitigate the concern in net when Knight isn’t starting, say 30 times a year, would be a big help in taking that step. 

Of all of the goalies on this list, Akhtyamov has the toughest task ahead of him. The Toronto Maple Leafs have Anthony Stolarz and newly signed Sergei Bobrovsky as their tandem in the crease. Stolarz has been the goalie of choice when healthy for the Leafs over the last couple of years. Bobrovsky is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and two-time Vezina Trophy winner, although he’s in the twilight years of his career. 

So where and why does Akhtyamov fit into all of this? Well, the young Russian is coming off an all-time playoff run with the Toronto Marlies, leading them to a Calder Cup largely on the back of his strong play. He looked good in his brief NHL experience last year and even had the chance to chat with Bobrovsky pre-game against Florida. 

Although Akhtyamov might not be the full-time backup, having him around Bobrovsky to develop a mentor-mentee relationship would be incredibly beneficial. Akhtyamov is clearly a talented netminder, and the Leafs seem to want to incorporate him in their plans this year, even if carrying three goalies isn’t a long-term solution.

Levi was traded to Edmonton, and many viewed him as the young goalie who could potentially help fix their biggest issue throughout the Connor McDavid era – steady play in the crease.

After landing Levi, the Oilers signed veteran and recent Stanley Cup winner Frederik Andersen as a free agent. The crease is a bit more crowded, as they still have Tristan Jarry, the goalie they traded Stuart Skinner for in hopes of fixing their goalie problem last year. 

Andersen has the trust of the new head coach, Mike Babcock, from their time together in Toronto, so he seems like a lock for the roster. Jarry had a less-than-stellar performance in Edmonton after the trade, so his spot isn’t quite as locked in. That’s where Levi’s opportunity can come from. 

When Levi signed in Buffalo at the end of the 2022-23 season, he was quickly deemed the goalie of the future, and his first stint with the club was intriguing. He won some games and lost some, but he looked good overall.

The following year, he split time between the AHL and NHL before spending the majority of the next two years in the AHL. He had lost his luster in Buffalo, but the promise is still there at just 24 years old. Now with a fresh start and a real opportunity to supplant the veteran Jarry, Levi could build back to what we all expected out of him. 

Simply put, Fowler has won everywhere he’s been. He’s always found a way to be one of the best goalies at every level he’s played at, and we saw flashes of that last year in Montreal when he was called up during his first pro season.

The Habs have starter Jakub Dobes leading the way in net with veteran Sam Montembeault still in the fold. That doesn’t exactly scream opportunity, but Fowler managed to battle through that last year and play in 17 games at the NHL level, even if injuries ahead of him on the depth chart played a role. 

The Canadiens have been on the verge of trading Montembeault all summer, but a deal hasn’t materialized. There has been some discussion that they are waiting for a team to be desperate in training camp, or for an injury in camp to create a void, but that is a lot of “ifs” and nothing concrete. 

Fowler is going to be pushing for a job, and he showed that he can handle the NHL last year. Now, another year older and with a summer of NHL-level training, he is only going to be even more ready. The Habs have a good problem on their hands with incredible depth in net, but carrying three goalies isn’t ideal, so they are going to have to figure things out. 

After two very solid seasons in the AHL, Murashov has been one of the most intriguing goalies for any team this off-season. Fans in Pittsburgh have been debating whether he should be in the NHL full-time or in the AHL, where he can take on a starter's workload. The Pens have Joel Blomqvist to play behind Arturs Silovs, and there have been some really nice flashes from the Finn, who is also a younger netminder. 

Murashov has been discussed as a potential long-term netminder with plenty of upside. He’s going to be in direct competition in training camp with Blomqvist, and as long as both netminders are healthy, it should be a really fun competition. In all likelihood, we will see both at the NHL level.

Murashov is going to be the one who excites Pens fans, though.

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