Who doesn't want Jake Oettinger, Igor Shesterkin, or Andrei Vasilevskiy on their fantasy squad? Or, more recently, Logan Thompson? Unfortunately, there are only so many who share a category with Connor Hellebuyck (when healthy) et al. to go around.
So, those of us in deeper leagues need to think outside the prototypical top-fantasy-netminder box and instead bolster our ranks with quality tandem-members on good teams or so-called loveable losers. Those skilled and busy figures who still win in fantasy play even when their own club loses more often than desired. Not the easiest feat in fantasy competition where goals-allowed earn debilitating, spirit-crushing negative integers. Fortunately, with these guys, it usually works out well enough in the long-term wash.
For this exercise, I'm focusing on goaltenders who are more active than most, play for teams that aren't eventually favored to contend for a playoff spot and remain available in a large-enough percentage -- at least 40% -- of ESPN leagues. If not for being too popular, Calgary's Dustin Wolf and Chicago's Spencer Knight would have qualified.
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Jet Greaves, G, Columbus Blue Jackets(1.7 FPPG, 87.3% available): The Blue Jackets' more engaged netminder has 29.8 total fantasy points to date, 26.8 more than his creasemate, Elvis Merzlikins. The gap is even wider over the past 30 days, with the younger netminder well outhauling the seven-year veteran 24.0 to minus-12.6 when the team has strung together a very middling 5-4-5 record altogether. Yet Merzlikins is rostered in nearly twice as many ESPN leagues. Who would you rather have on your own fantasy squad?
Beyond his wholly respectable personal stats -- .906 SV% and 2.73 GAA -- Greaves' underlying numbers are even more notable. According to Evolving Hockey, the 24-year-old's goals saved above expected (GSAx) figure sits at 14.14, eighth-best in the league, tucked between Hellebuyck and Darcy Kuemper. Meaning the Jackets' current go-to is more than carrying his weight. An improved run from Columbus, who now have star forward Kirill Marchenko back in the mix after missing four contests, would result in even greater fantasy dividends from their better netminder. He merits consideration as a depth fantasy goalie with a moderate-to-high ceiling, as we stretch into the heart of this season.
Karel Vejmelka, G, Utah Mammoth(1.4 FPPG, 60.2% available): No question, Vejmelka is going to punish his fantasy managers on certain nights, almost as often as reward them. The almost as often bit here is key. The second-busiest goaltender in the NHL, only behind Shesterkin, will reap enough positive numbers to more than make up for when he finishes in the red. So far, he has done just that, accruing 32.6 total fantasy points in standard leagues. Hardly a jaw-dropping figure, but greater than sums held by Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky and Seattle's Joey Daccord, who are far more popular in the fantasy sphere.
Then there's the Utah collective to consider. A team on the rise, the Mammoth were in a playoff spot only a month ago, following an excellent start to the season. While the last 30 days have been rougher -- over which stretch Vejmelka himself wasn't personally bad at all -- there's still a solid throng of believers backing Utah as a legit threat to the powerhouses in the Central Division. For every team in the NHL's so-called mushy middle, positive and negative stretches are considered matter-of-fact. So one of the league's streakiest sides is due for another successful run in short order, backstopped much more often than not, by their No. 1 netminder. If nothing else, fantasy managers should stream Vejmelka, who boasts a 11.04 GSAx according to Evolving Hockey, during prosperous times.
Linus Ullmark, G, Ottawa Senators (0.2 FPPG, 57.0% available): The Senators are also a more competitive team than their current string of three home losses would suggest. And, yes, despite recent statistical evidence to the contrary, they are better with captain Brady Tkachuk in the lineup. As a victorious late-November tour through California showed us, the Sens are capable of offering a rough time, and coming out on top, against all comers. A positive turnaround is no doubt in the making. More than a few insightful pundits still have Travis Green's squad in the mix for a potential playoff spot in the East.
That's Ullmark's biggest selling point: He's a reliable netminder who's going to play the majority of matches for a competitive team. Whenever Ottawa hits its stride, for whatever length of time, the 32-year-old will positively and regularly reward his fantasy managers. Shouldering a .910 SV% and 2.70 GAA last season with the Sens, Ullmark finished 13th overall in goalie fantasy points despite starting only 43 games. It's not as if this iteration of the club is worse. Getting defenseman Thomas Chabot back healthy will also help.
Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks (1.6 FPPG, 41.3% available): This situation is trickier. Vancouver's No. 1 is a reliable goalie who has performed exceptionally well in seasons past, including only two years ago. But his health has become a pressing concern and, frankly, the Canucks stink right now. Dead-last in the West, they sport a league-worst .417% points percentage. It's ugly.
So why even give Demko the time of day in fantasy play? Because after missing almost a month with a lower-body injury, he's loosely expected to start against the Sabres on Thursday. We'll see how that goes. Plus, before November's troubles, the veteran netminder enjoyed a rather buoyant October, threading together a 4-3-0 record, along with a sparkling .926 SV% and 2.18 GAA, all the while earning more than 20 fantasy points in ESPN standard leagues. Perhaps all is not lost. Desperate managers with questionable goaltending might do worse than take a flier on a potential turnaround from the Canucks, starting with their go-to in the crease.