2025 NHL Goalie Musical Chairs: Western Conference
Earlier this week, we broke down the Goalie Musical Chairs game in the Eastern Conference, exploring which netminders have changed teams and which teams have changed their crease duos and trios for better or worse so far this offseason.
Today, we break down the Western Conference movement. Welcome to 2025 NHL Goalie Musical Chairs, part 2.
(For the full rules of the game, review part 1 here.)
STATUS QUO
Chicago Blackhawks (Spencer Knight, Laurent Brossoit, Arvid Soderblom)
Colorado Avalanche (Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood)
Dallas Stars (Jake Oettinger, Casey DeSmith)
Edmonton Oilers (Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard)
Nashville Predators (Juuse Saros, Justus Annunen)
Seattle Kraken (Joey Daccord, Philipp Grubauer)
St. Louis Blues (Jordan Binnington, Joel Hofer)
Vancouver Canucks (Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen)
Winnipeg Jets (Connor Hellebuyck, Eric Comrie)
Anaheim Ducks (Stock down)
Lukas Dostal
Petr Mrazek (acquired from Det)
Ville Husso
(Out: John Gibson)
Dostal, yet to re-sign as a restricted free agent, is Anaheim’s present and future in goal. His surface numbers (3.10 goals against-average, .903 save percentage) appeared pedestrian this past season but masked the fact he took a big step forward. The Ducks were the NHL’s worst defensive team at 5-on-5, don’t forget. Their goalies had the league’s most difficult workload, and Dostal saved 14.3 goals above expected in 2024-25. He had a strong year. But Gibson was even better on a per-game basis, ranking near the top of the league in goals saved above expected per 60. Mrazek was one of the worst goalies in the league and looks like a big downgrade as the No. 2. Same story if Husso leapfrogs him and gets a look as the primary backup; he’s certainly being paid No. 2 money at $2.2 million annually through 2026-27. Dostal is an above-average starter, but the support behind him is a concern.
Calgary Flames (Stock unchanged)
Dustin Wolf
Ivan Prosvetov (1 x $900K)
(Out: Dan Vladar)
Vladar is off to chase a potential starting opportunity in Philadelphia. Good on him, and he scored a nice contract at a $3.35 million AAV, but the Flames won’t miss him much on the ice, as he was more or less a league-average backup. Wolf, fresh off a sensational rookie year, is entrenched as their starter, while Prosvetov was an intriguing add as Calgary’s new No. 2. He’s fresh off a strong year as a starter with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. He brings quite the wingspan at 6-foot-5 and 203 pounds and does have 24 games of NHL experience, split between the franchise formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes and the Colorado Avalanche.
Los Angeles Kings (Stock up)
Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg (1 x $2.25M)
(Out: David Rittich)
Forsberg was better than Vladar in pretty much every stat last season, yet Forsberg’s new deal carries an AAV 33 percent lower than what Vladar got. Make it make sense. Okay, Forsberg is 32, five years Vladar’s senior, and has quite the checkered injury history. But the Kings got a bargain nevertheless. Among 61 goalies who played at least 20 games this past season, Forsberg sat 32nd in goals saved above expected per 60. In other words, he was right on the cut line between starter and backup, making him an excellent add as Kuemper’s new No. 2. Can Kuemper repeat his brilliance after phenomenal 2024-25 in which he was named a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his career?
Minnesota Wild (Stock down…for now)
Filip Gustavsson
Jesper Wallstedt
Cal Petersen
(Out: Marc-Andre Fleury)
Fleury says goodbye to a Hall of Fame career (we think), and the mega-prospect Wallstedt finally ascends to a full-time job in the NHL…maybe. Complicating matters is that he had a bad year – in the AHL. That’s why the Wild signed Petersen. He’s their No. 3 but can step in at the NHL level should Wallstedt struggle. Petersen is an ideal addition because he’s just good enough to step in if needed but not so good that he’ll threaten or block Wallstedt. And it’s possible Wallstedt blossoms at the NHL level with a competitive team in front of him instead of bailing out a subpar Iowa Wild team in the AHL.
San Jose Sharks (Stock unchanged)
Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic (acquired from Pit)
(Out: Alexandar Georgiev)
Nedeljkovic is a well-liked dressing room presence who should partner nicely with the Askarov, providing some mentorship without being too much of a long-term playing-time threat. For all the attention Tristan Jarry’s struggles got in Pittsburgh this past season, Nedeljkovic battled confidence issues of his own and had one of the worst seasons of his career. He can’t be much worse than Georgiev was, but we can’t guarantee ‘Ned’ will be any better.
Utah Mammoth (Stock unchanged)
Karel Vejmelka
Connor Ingram
Vitek Vanecek (1 x $1.5M)
Commencing a five-year extension at a $4.75 million AAV, Vejmelka has distanced himself as the starter. He’s coming off a similar breakout to Dostal in that Vejmelka also had underlying numbers far superior to his exterior ones on a non-playoff team. Ingram re-entered the NHL/NHLPA players’ assistance program in March after struggling to cope with the December 2024 death of his mother. It’s not yet clear when Ingram will exit the program, so Vanecek is the insurance policy.
Vegas Golden Knights (Stock down)
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
(Out: Ilya Samsonov)
Samsonov was so-so in his first season as a Golden Knight, and he has yet to re-sign as a UFA. Will Vegas roll with Schmid as its backup behind Hill now? Still just 25, Schmid has flashed excellence in spurts at the NHL level but has mixed in meltdowns. He’d be a risky No. 2 for a team intent on winning the Stanley Cup after acquiring Mitch Marner. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Vegas added another cheap veteran as a fallback.
POST SPONSORED BY bet365
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