Unless you’ve got an elite goaltender like Andrei Vasilevskiy, Igor Shesterkin or Jake Oettinger, there’s a good chance you’re always looking for an upgrade. 

Each year, it seems like new goalies emerge as starters. Some even become stars. Last season, Calgary Flames' Dustin Wolf and Los Angeles Kings' Darcy Kuemper solidified themselves as true starting goaltenders.

Every season is different, so here are three teams that may have a new starting goaltender by the end of the season, in comparison to last year. 

Jet Greaves, Columbus Blue Jackets

If there’s one thing the Columbus Blue Jackets fans should be looking forward to this season, it’s Jet Greaves. The Blue Jackets have been dealing with goalie issues the last few seasons, with their No. 1 option, Elvis Merzlikins. He’s been inconsistent and hasn’t posted a save percentage over .900 since the 2021-22 season. 

It’s worth noting that Columbus wasn’t a strong team for several years, as they’ve missed the playoffs for the last five seasons. In three of those campaigns, the Blue Jackets finished last in their division.

However, there are signs of improvement as the team put together a strong 89-point season last year, yet his numbers had barely improved.

Merzlikins, 31, is entering the latter half of his career. Greaves, however, is 24 years old and showed flashes of potential last season.

In 11 starts last year, Greaves notched seven wins, including two shutouts and a .938 SP, while helping the Blue Jackets in a late-season surge before ultimately missing the playoffs by two points.

Greaves excels with both high-danger and midrange shots. Despite his small sample size last season, his SP was in the 99th percentile for both categories. Furthermore, the netminder led the NHL in SP and goals-against average (1.91), among all goalies who made at least 10 appearances.

While it’s still early in the season, both goalies have been given starts. So, it wouldn’t be surprising for the team’s management to see how Merzlikins and Greaves start the season and make a decision based on their performances. 

The Blue Jackets also added Ivan Fedotov in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers last month, so the team could test the waters on him as well. However, it’s highly unlikely he’ll make a push to be the starter.

The Blue Jackets may not be contenders this year, but last season showed they aren’t far off. If Greaves can show more consistency and potential early on, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the organization turn to him in the hopes that he can become their goalie of the future.

Carter Hart, Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are the team to bring on Carter Hart, inking the former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender to a professional try-out (PTO). Following his acquittal in the alleged Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, the NHL announced that Hart, as well as the other four players accused, would be suspended until Dec. 1. 

Vegas is expected to officially sign Hart when he can join the team, which will have to wait until Nov. 15. Until then, he's expected to start working with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.

Despite his year-and-a-half absence, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be a reputable option once he returns. 

Hart last played in the 2023-24 season, where he notched 12 wins in 25 starts, and had a modest .906 SP. Furthermore, Hart has been consistent over his career, only posting an SP below .900 once during the shortened 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With the departure of Ilya Samsonov, Vegas is in need of another reliable goaltender as they prepare to make another push for the Stanley Cup. There’s nothing wrong with their current starter, Adin Hill, but it’s worth noting his numbers took a hit in the playoffs last year, leading to the team’s second-round exit.

Hill, 29, posted a .906 SP across 50 regular-season starts last year. However, in the playoffs, he put up a career-low .887 SP across 11 starts, which was a significant decrease from 2023 (.932) and 2024 (.931).

Vegas may opt to split starts, but if Hart looks better in the first month or so, there’s reason to believe he could get the nod more frequently down the stretch and in the playoffs. 

Cam Talbot, Detroit Red Wings

If there’s one goalie who has the opportunity to overtake the starting job early in the season, it’s Cam Talbot. Heading into the season, John Gibson was expected to serve as the 1-A and Talbot as the 1-B, but just five games into the season, it’s looking like that could change soon.

After allowing five goals on 13 shots in his Detroit Red Wings debut, Gibson was pulled for Talbot, who looked much more comfortable.

Since then, Talbot got the nod for three straight games and won all three, including back-to-back wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Talbot’s off to a strong 3-0-0 start, and has a 1.78 goals-against average and a .932 SP to back it up.

“It felt good, from the get-go, made a couple of stops early, confidence grows,” Talbot told reporters after their win against Toronto on Monday. 

That’s exactly what Detroit needs, a confident goalie. They’ve struggled to find someone who can consistently perform, and have turned to a number of different names, including Ville Husso, Alex Nedeljkovic, Alex Lyon and Petr Mrazek in recent years. 

Talbot’s 2024-25 season was shaky, but he looks rejuvenated and ready to play hockey at a high level.

With Gibson as his only competition, it’s unlikely Detroit decides to turn away from Talbot, especially if he continues his strong level of play. If that’s the case, he could become the undisputed starter in the next few months, barring a major trade.

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