Now that I have given my lists for top 30 forwards and top 30 defense you will start to see some of my logic unfold. A lot of thought goes into these selections and I can backup my rankings so feel free to ask why I have someone ranked where they are and why someone didn’t make the list or is lower than you expected.
To be a top 30 in either of the forward or defense slots means you are likely playing top pairing minutes (1a or 1b) as well as being a part of the first power play. Being on the first power play is key; not only do you get first kick at the can but you are playing with the best players on the team with the man advantage.
Goaltenders are a bit different. Keep in mind not only what Conference the goalie is in, but more importantly what Division they are in. Teams play their division teams more than anyone else so if there is a weak or strong division that could impact (to some degree) where they rank overall.
You also have to look at how good the team is and how good their system is. Some teams prefer a run and gun with an offensively heavy team, others are more defensive based and will give up less shots and fewer high-grade chances.
Keep in mind the backup goalie as well. If there is more of a 1A/1B split then your goalie may not get as many starts as you’d like. Also think about injuries; you can’t predict who’s going down but you can predict a goalie like Matt Murray to miss a few games. He’s a gem and high ranked but good chance he misses a few games throughout the season.
Top 30 Goalies:
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy 2. Frederik Andersen 3. Ben Bishop 4. Sergei Bobrovsky 5. Tuukka Rask 6. Marc-Andre Fleury 7. Braden Holtby 8. Carey Price 9. Jordan Binnington 10. Connor Hellebuyck 11. Matt Murray 12. Devan Dubnyk 13. Pekka Rinne 14. Carter Hart 15. Jacob Markstrom 16. John Gibson 17. Martin Jones 18. Antii Raanta 19. Philip Grubauer 20. Semyon Varlamov 21. Petr Mrazek 22. David Rittich 23. Thomas Greiss 24. Carter Hutton 25. Robin Lehner 26. Henrik Lundqvist 27. Jonathan Quick 28. Mikko Koskinen 29. Elvis Merzlikins 30. Corey Schneider
I’ve never had Pekka Rinne ranked so low but I have a feeling we may see Juuse Saros get more starts this season as he has potential to take over for Rinne. Keep an eye on this as the season goes; I’d say Saros is the best backup you could have on your fantasy roster (keeper).
What do you think of the goalie rankings?
Thanks for reading, enjoy your day!