Dissatisfied with your fantasy hockey draft? Missed out on that player you really wanted? Here are five goalies that went undrafted in over half the leagues and deserve a roster spot.
The 2023-24 season is just right around the corner, which means another highly-anticipated fantasy hockey season is underway.
The funny thing about fantasy hockey drafts is that you never walk away completely satisfied. There's always that one player that you missed out on, or a player you had misjudged and taken too early.
The draft is also a good barometer of what the public thinks of a specific player or team. The truth is, nobody really knows what's going to happen – okay, Connor McDavid is probably going to dominate – but there's always a bunch of players who are under-rostered following the draft only to find their way onto a roster by the end of the season.
Here are five goalies who are under-rostered (< 50% on Yahoo leagues):
1. Philipp Grubauer, Kraken (43% rostered)
Look, you could do a lot worse.
On a 46-win, 100-point team, Grubauer started just 36 games and won 17 of them, missing the first month of the season due to a lower-body injury. Martin Jones, who won 27 of his 42 starts, did most of the heavy lifting, but their save percentages (.895 vs. .886, respectively) and GAA (2.85 vs. 2.99) weren't far off. According to hockey-reference.com's quality starts metric, Grubauer was the far more reliable and consistent goalie, and it showed in the playoffs when he got the nod for all 14 games.
Jones is now the Leafs' third-string goalie, which leaves Grubauer as the starter. He'll get the majority of the starts with Joey Daccord and Chris Driedger vying for the backup job, and likely finish between 50 to 60 starts. The Kraken are headed back to the playoffs this season and Grubauer will be a good source of wins.
2. Antti Raanta, Hurricanes (35% rostered)
Everyone's jumping the gun on Pyotr Kochetkov, who is rostered in 58 percent of leagues. Seniority and experience matters for a Canes team that's going for the Cup, and they will enter the 2023-24 season with last season's depth chart in net: Frederik Andersen at the top, Raanta as the 1B and Kochetkov serving as the No. 3 when Andersen and Raanta invariably get injured.
There's no sell job required on the Canes; they're a contender and a very good defensive team. Raanta needs to be rostered as insurance for Andersen, and my bet is Kochetkov gets dumped onto the waiver wire after the first few months when it becomes clear he's third on the list and rostering him becomes a huge opportunity cost. Until Kochetkov gets a firm foothold on the rotation, he's a streamer.
3. Jack Campbell, Oilers (33% rostered)
Stuart Skinner was the better goalie last season but that's not guaranteed this season. The development of a young goalie, after all, is never a straight line. At some point, Campbell's going to get hot and take over the starting job. It's the way he's played his entire NHL career.
It's hard to believe the Oilers will be comfortable having a $5-million backup, which means Campbell will get his opportunities. Even in a bad season, Campbell started 34 games and won 21 (!) of them, which was tied-24th in the league. Jump on Campbell now and avoid the mad rush when Skinner falters.
4. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Sabres (9% rostered)
The Sabres have made it pretty clear without saying it outright that Devon Levi will be their No. 1 to start the season. As impressive as Levi has been, consider he has never played more than 37 games with any single team at any level since his draft year, has only seven games of NHL experience and will turn just 22 years old in December.
Even when some of the most impressive young goalies came into the league, such as Carey Price, they had played an extensive number of games every season and at certain points honed their game in the AHL.
With Eric Comrie still lurking as the No. 3, and Levi not requiring waivers to be assigned to AHL Rochester, Luukkonen is going to get his fair share of the starts. It's not a stretch to think Luukkonen will get close to half the starts, and considering how woeful the Sabres defense was last season, Levi will get lit up at some point or another, paving the way for Luukkonen.
5. Spencer Knight, Panthers (8% rostered)
Knight is back in the crease as Sergei Bobrovsky's eventual successor after taking time off last season to get help for OCD. After a stellar two-year run with Boston College, we've been waiting for Knight to take over the starting job. Part of the reason is Knight's unquestionable talent, but the other is Bobrovsky's inconsistent play.
Since signing the monster $10-million-per-season deal, Bobrovsky has started more than 50 games just once in his four seasons with the Panthers, two of which were incredibly subpar with a 3.00-plus GAA and .900 save percentage.
In leagues where goaltending is scarce, Knight is a great stash just in case he outshines Bobrovsky and gets a big chunk of the starts. At worst, Knight will be one of the best streaming options this season.
