Washington Capitals: Divisional Goalie Power Rankings

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Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals have a pretty good starting goaltender in Braden Holtby. Not only that, the Washington Capitals have a solid backup in Philipp Grubauer. Should the need arise, they will have Dan Ellis, a serviceable NHL goaltender, in Hershey. How do the Washington Capitals goaltenders rank in comparison to the rest of the Metropolitan Division?

#8: Carolina Hurricanes

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

While Lack does have potential because he has had success in a non-starter’s role, he is largely unproven. Meanwhile, Cam Ward hasn’t been good in several years. The Washington Capitals can attest to that. I assume that Lack will likely get the starting role because the Hurricanes need to figure out if he’s worth keeping. At worst, he’s certainly an upgrade over Ward.

Here’s how the Canes two goalies rank in comparison to the rest of the goalies in the Metropolitan Division.

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Ward is clearly beginning to decline. He should most likely serve as the backup. The best case scenario for Carolina would be if Ward did well enough to garner interest at the trade deadline. Lack has never had a starting role for an extended period of time because for whatever reason, the Vancouver Canucks never gave him one. They traded Roberto Luongo in effect to give Lack a chance. They proceeded to sign the aging Ryan Miller. Lack is finally somewhere where he will hopefully get a chance to start.

Lack is unproven while Ward is just simply not good. That’s why the Hurricanes are eighth.

Next: Flyers

#7: Philadelphia Flyers

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Flyers and the Penguins were neck and neck to me. However, I have less faith in Steve Mason than I do in Marc-Andre Fleury as of right now. That said, it wouldn’t shock me at all if Mason has a Vezina finalist caliber season. The numbers are there. What’s not there is the durability and health needed to be one. Michal Neuvirth is the one of the more experienced backups in the division, but he is most likely not a very capable starter.

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Mason could have a Vezina caliber season or he could once again be plagued by injuries. I think that it’s wise for the Flyers to keep giving Mason chances. He’s an extremely capable goaltender at worst. At best, he can be borderline Vezina good. The only thing holding him back is his health.

Next: Penguins

#6: Pittsburgh Penguins

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Penguins have a decent goaltending tandem. Marc-Andre Fleury’s struggles in the postseason are pretty well documented, but he is at worst a pretty solid goaltender in the regular season. He’s one of the most experienced goalies in the division, which does count for something (though I’m not sure what). Zatkoff has a very small sample size, but has the potential to be a solid NHL backup.

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So why exactly do I have two worse goaltenders ranked above the Flyers’ two better goaltenders? Because I think both will improve upon their numbers this season. Also, I trust Fleury more than I trust Mason at this point.

Next: Islanders

#5: New York Islanders Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports The Islanders goaltending tandem will consist of the surprisingly competent Jaroslav Halak, who is coming off an impressive 2014-2015 campaign, and a very good backup in Thomas Greiss. Greiss is Garth Snow’s security blanket in case Halak struggles. He did not have that in Chad Johnson or Michal Neuvirth in 2014-2015. [table id=102 /] Halak, as Washington Capitals fans are well aware of, is capable of getting hot. As Washington Capitals fans can testify, when he’s hot, he’s darn near impossible to score on. However, as Washington Capitals will also tell you, if he’s off his game, he can be very easy to score on. That’s why getting a backup like Greiss is so important to the Islanders. Greiss is a steady backup who consistently gives his team a chance to win games. That’s pretty much all you can ask for out of your backup goalie. Next: Columbus Blue Jackets#4: Columbus Blue Jackets Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports The Columbus Blue Jackets have a borderline elite goaltender in Sergei Bobrovsky. Unfortunately, they don’t have a very capable backup. This is a huge concern because Bobrovsky battled injuries all last season and has done so for a good portion of his career. However, when Bobrovsky is healthy, as Washington Capitals fans will tell you, he can be quite good. [table id=103 /] If Bobrovsky is healthy, he’s a Vezina caliber goaltender. He’s proven that. However, he has also proven that he is injury prone. You’d think the Blue Jackets would seek to improve in the backup goalie department because of that, but for some reason, they have decided not to. That could cost them. Next: Washington Capitals#3: Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports The Washington Capitals have a goaltending tandem that would envy most teams. The fact that the Washington Capitals have the third best goaltending tandem in the Metropolitan Division is a testament to just how rich in goaltending talent the Metropolitan Division is. The Washington Capitals will have a goaltending duo of Braden Holtby (who will take a majority of the starts barring injury) and rookie Philipp Grubauer. [table id=104 /] The Washington Capitals are pretty well set between the pipes with Holtby and Grubauer. Should the need arise, they also have Dan Ellis in Hershey. Next: New Jersey Devils#2: New Jersey Devils Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports The Devils have two extremely good goaltenders. Sadly, the rest of their team does not begin to reflect their talent in net. If they did, they might be contenders. If Cory Schneider played on a respectable team, he would have ensured himself of a top three Vezina finish with his numbers from last season. Keith Kinkaid is largely untested, but in a very limited sample size, he’s been very good. [table id=105 /] As you can see, the Devils have a lot of talent. Too bad the rest of their team doesn’t match that talent. Next: New York Rangers#1: New York Rangers Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports The New York Rangers have the proven best goaltender in the Metropolitan Division (and public enemy number one for the Washington Capitals) in Henrik Lundqvist. King Henrik has proven time and time again that he is among the NHL’s elite goaltenders. Is he getting old? Sure. But so far, he has shown no signs of slowing down. Backing him up will be Antti Raanta. Raanta played for the Chicago Blackhawks last year before the Rangers traded for him right after the 2015 NHL Draft. [table id=106 /] More from Stars and Sticks Alex Ovechkin will score 50 goals in 2023-24 It’s time for Capitals fans to chill out with the Anthony Mantha hate The Capitals Have Several Potentially Bad Contracts Top 3 Capitals prospects to watch at Rookie Camp Top 3 undrafted invites to watch at Capitals Rookie Camp

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