Goalie Musical Chairs: Breaking Down the 2023-24 Pacific Division Tandems

Credit: Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner (© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

With almost two weeks of free agency in the books, the NHL’s goaltending landscape is beginning to come into focus for the 2023-24 season. After all the turnover we’ve seen in net, let’s break down every team’s goaltending situation. In Part 2 of this series: the Pacific Division.

PACIFIC DIVISION

Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson & Lukas Dostal

Reason to be happy: After three seasons of quality play in the AHL, Dostal is ready to make his full-time NHL leap. The 2018 third round pick will be 23 at the start of the season, and with 23 NHL games already played, the transition should be seamless.

Reason to be hopeful: Gibson wants out of Anaheim, and that’s probably a good thing for the franchise. The Ducks haven’t been strong in front of Gibson, but he shouldn’t get a free pass. His body language has been poor and his game has become outdated. Dostal looks and plays like a modern goalie, which is why I’m bullish on the Czech netminder.

Reason to be nervous: If Anaheim fails to ice a competitive team again, it would put Dostal in a really tough spot. And I think Anaheim still needs a capable No. 3 goaltender. With only four goalies on NHL contracts as of this writing – two of whom are just 21 years old – depth is a real concern.

Calgary Flames: Jacob Markstrom, Daniel Vladar, & Dustin Wolf

Reason to be happy: The Flames have options in goal. Markstrom has been there before. Vladar wins games. And Wolf has been the best goaltender not in the NHL for two consecutive seasons.

Reason to be hopeful: There’s no way the Flames can send Wolf to the AHL for a third year. He has nothing left to prove in the minors and his ceiling is incredibly high. Yes, Markstrom is coming off a down 2022-23 campaign. But he’s rebounded previously in his career. And Vladar was steady last season.

Reason to be nervous: There’s a good chance one of the three goaltenders isn’t a Flame to start the season, and Vladar appears to be the odd man out. Markstrom has a no-movement clause in his contract and Calgary can’t afford to lose a prospect like Wolf. Trading Vladar would be a tough pill to swallow when he was the team’s best goaltender last year.

Edmonton Oilers: Jack Campbell & Stuart Skinner

Reason to be happy: Skinner established himself as a quality NHL netminder during the 2022-23 season, and he’s on a team-friendly contract for the next three years.

Reason to be hopeful: Skinner’s performance during the Stanley Cup Playoffs left something to be desired, but the experience was valuable. He should be better for it. With the Oilers’ firepower, Edmonton simply needs adequate goaltending to win a Stanley Cup. By the end of the 2023-24 season, Skinner should be able to provide that.

Reason to be nervous: Campbell did nothing to improve upon his reputation as an incredibly streaky goaltender during the 2022-23 season: there were some seriously bad moments. And what if Skinner plateaus in his development? Goaltending is still a big question mark.

Los Angeles Kings: Cam Talbot, Pheonix Copley, & David Rittich

Reason to be happy: The Kings, aside from carryover Copley, have an entirely new look in the crease.

Reason to be hopeful: Goaltending had become a big problem for L.A. until Copley came to the rescue midway through the 2022-23 season. The veteran netminder was called up from the AHL and put the Kings square in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. This season Copley is paired with Talbot, who’s been a winner almost everywhere during his decade-long NHL career. David Rittich is also in the mix as insurance.

Reason to be nervous: Talbot’s underlying numbers aren’t great and he’s been injured a fair amount: a scary combo for a 36-year-old. Copley only has one full NHL season under his belt: 2018-19 with the Washington Capitals. And Rittich is on his fifth NHL team in three years. The bottom line is the Kings rolled the dice and went cheap between the pipes. Bold move.

San Jose Sharks: Kaapo Kahkonen & Mackenzie Blackwood

Reason to be happy: Turns out the Sharks didn’t need Jacob Middleton anyway.

Reason to be hopeful: Midway through the 2022-23 season, Kahkonen began to implement stylistic changes designed to streamline his game. He narrowed up his stance and began to limit the amount of time spent in the white ice. And Blackwood has something to prove after the New Jersey Devils gave up on him.

Reason to be nervous: While the changes should eventually help Kahkonen, they didn’t make much of a difference last year. And Blackwood has a long injury history coupled with erratic performance. It’s hard to believe the Sharks have more than $5 million of cap space committed to the two netminders.

Seattle Kraken: Philipp Grubauer, Joey Daccord, & Chris Driedger

Reason to be happy: Grubauer looked like a younger, better version of himself in the latter stretch of the 2022-23 season, including a nice run during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And Daccord led the Kraken’s AHL-affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds all the way to Game 7 of the Calder Cup Final.

Reason to be hopeful: See above. The Kraken have all kinds of good mojo right now after they punched above their weight during the 2022-23 season. And Grubauer has always fared well with a quality team in front of him. I really like Daccord’s trajectory. His two-year contract could end up being a steal at just $1.2 million against the cap per season.

Reason to be nervous: Will the real Philipp Grubauer please stand up? The Kraken will need the best version of the German netminder if they want to get past the second round in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko, Artur Silovs, & Spencer Martin

Reason to be happy: Demko had a really strong finish to the 2022-23 season, winning 10 of his last 16 starts. And Latvian prospect Arturs Silovs is ready to push for the No. 2 role in Vancouver.

Reason to be hopeful: Head coach Rick Tocchet has a history of coaching teams capable of playing tight defensively, which should help Demko more than anything. And despite a terrible start to the 2022-23 Canucks season, Demko still managed to get his save percentage above .900 by the end of the year. Pretty impressive.

Reason to be nervous: Behind Demko is a big question mark. Does Silovs take the next step after being named the 2023 IIHF World Championship MVP? He was phenomenal for Latvia, earning his home country its first IIHF medal (a bronze). But he’s only 22 and has just one full season of AHL hockey under his belt. Martin is still in the mix but last season didn’t go well for him in Vancouver. The Canucks have plenty of uncertainty, goaltending included.

Vegas Golden Knights: Adin Hill & Logan Thompson

Reason to be happy: Vegas just won the Stanley Cup with Hill. And Thompson was an All-Star for the Golden Knights before injuries derailed his rookie season.

Reason to be hopeful: The more often Hill played, the better he was. And once he took over the crease during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he took another step forward in his young NHL career. Thompson, who at one point looked like the surefire goalie of the future for Vegas, makes for a really strong duo with Hill. Especially under head coach Bruce Cassidy’s lockdown defensive system.

Reason to be nervous: Hill has never played more than 27 games in an NHL season. Can he carry the mail? How will Thompson respond coming off injury and potentially facing less playing time than last year? Both goalies are talented. But both were injured for a sizable portion of the 2022-23 season. I think depth is a concern for the Golden Knights.

Previous Goalie Musical Chairs entries

Central Division

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