We've now reached the critical moment, the best of the best. If the starting goalie for any of these teams were to go down with an injury, once the initial panic wore off, the fanbase would say "Could be worse. At least we have (Insert Name Of Guy Here)." Again, this isn't about the dropoff from the starter, just the ability of the backup to play. Once more into the breach, dear friends...
10. Thomas Greiss, Sharks. Hey, remember when it seemed like it would be a problem that Niemi was going to miss the beginning of the season? As it turned out, not such a bad thing for the Sharks. In the most extended action of his career (14 starts), Greiss turned out a 2.30 GAA and a .915 SV%, both career bests. As those numbers weren't much worse than Niemi's (SV% was actually the same), I expect Greiss to have an increased workload this season.
9. Jonas Gustavsson, Red Wings. I officially regret wasting the My Name Is Jonas reference on Enroth. I believe the Wings will NOT regret picking Gustavsson up to spell Jimmy Howard. His numbers last year were less than stellar, but a lot of that can be chalked up to the Leafs D. However, he did have 4 shutouts, which is tied for third best among guys on this list (all three of whom are ranked higher). I have to assume that the move across the border will lead to better numbers
8. Martin Biron, Rangers. This is probably just a shade biased, given that I get to watch a great deal more of Biron than of any other backup. Biron might not have the stellar numbers of some of the other guys on the list, but he'll always play well enough for you to win (two late season losses to Pittsburgh notwithstanding), and he can play a lot of games. Given that Lundqvist is capable of 70 starts, the fact that the Rangers are comfortable enough with Biron to get it down to 60 should speak volumes about their faith in their backup.
7. Josh Harding, Wild. Harding had his coming-out party last season, topping 30 starts for the first time in his career, and coming up with a very respectable 2.62 GAA and a .917 SV%. It's pretty clear at this point that the Wild are phasing out Backstrom (whose starts have gone down each year for the past three) and are grooming Harding to take his place. Look for Harding to anchor a maturing defense (plus new addition Ryan Suter) and become the starter by the end of the season.
6. Jonathan Bernier, Kings. By all rights, Bernier should have been the starter in LA. It's pretty common knowledge that the Kings brass liked him better than Quick, but unfortunately for Bernier, Quick had other ideas. Quick's amazing run last season limited Bernier to 13 starts, in which he was good but not incredible. However, Bernier's age (he's 24) and the previous season's output (22 starts, 2.36 GAA, .913 SV%, 3 SHO) shows that, if ABSOLUTELY nothing else, the Kings have themselves quite the intriguing trade chip.
5. Johan Hedberg, Devils. When you have a 40 year old starting goaltender, you need to make sure he's well protected by his backup. Enter the positively spry (comparatively) 39 year old Hedberg. His numbers in 23 starts (2,22 GAA, .918 SV%, 4 SHO) were, across the board, better than Brodeur's (2.41, .908, 3). While Brodeur isn't going anywhere anytime soon, the Devils can look forward to pretty much equivalent production if Marty ever falters.
4. Jean-Sebastian Giguere, Avalanche. The former Conn Smythe winner has had himself quite the career resurgence in the Mile High City. After some forgettable seasons in Toronto, the former Whalers draft pick posted a 2.28 GAA and a .919 SV% last season, raising some very legitimate questions about who should be the #1 guy in Colorado. It remains to be seen whether he can duplicate last year's performance, but the fact that the possibility is there must make Avs fans feel pretty good.
3. Tomas Vokoun, Penguins. And the rich get richer. The Pens upgrade from the mediocre Brent Johnson to a guy who has posted 7 shutouts in the last three seasons without exactly playing behind stellar defenses. Vokoun was a victim of the Caps' issues making the transition from Boudreau to Hunter, as his numbers don't reflect the fact that he played pretty well. The only worry here is about Marc-Andre Fleury, as every losing streak proves the old adage there's no more popular guy in town than the backup goalie, especially when that backup is of Vokoun's caliber.
2. Roberto Luongo, Canucks. His inclusion on the list is probably a product of when I'm writing this. I think there is NO WAY that he is still the backup in Vancouver after (at the latest) the trade deadline. Luongo didn't even have a bad year last season: a 2.4 GAA, a .919 SV%, and 5 shutouts aren't bad at all. But the mental lapses in important games and the money made Cory Schneider a better option, so Luongo went to the bench. He's still an elite goalie, but it remains to be seen if he can handle being a backup from a mental standpoint, which puts him one spot behind...
1. Brian Elliott, Blues. He probably can't do it again. The numbers were a product of the system, and he has shown no ability to produce at that level elsewhere in his career. However, if he's playing next year, its as a member of the Blues, and that needs to be taken into account. Elliott posted some un-REAL numbers last season: in 36 starts, he posted a 1.56 GAA, a .940 SV%, and shutouts in an otherworldly 25% of his starts. I said at the end of last season that Elliott was my 3rd Vezina finalist, regardless of the number of starts, and I think the Blues could absorb the loss of Halak with no problem.
Wow, we've reached the end of this venture. Let me know what you think of my list in the comments, or say it slightly more to my face on Twitter @FairStBlueshirt. Also, I'm not entirely sure what my next list is going to be, though I'm thinking about ranking the NHL's best 3rd lines. Let me know if there's anything you want me to try and tackle, intrepid readers.
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