Goaltending instability has been an issue across the NHL

“Goalies are voodoo” is a term that has grown more popular over time, with instability in the crease being a hot topic for many of the league’s best teams.

Whether it be the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota Wild or even the New York Rangers, to an extent, reliable goaltending has put some quality teams in difficult positions as the fight to put themselves in playoff positions starts to heat up.

With instability around the league, goalie salaries changing and goalies being a big reason why former coaches Jay Woodcroft and Dean Evason found their heads on the chopping block, Seravalli explains why the netminders have made his naughty list.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Frank, what’s the second topic on your naughty list for this year?

Frank Seravalli: For me, it’s the goaltenders. Instability at this position. I say all the time that we should change this sport’s name from hockey to goalie. If you don’t have one, you can’t win. We talked about the Carolina Hurricanes and how their goaltending is sinking their season and looking around the league; the Edmonton Oilers’ rough start in net probably cost Jay Woodcroft his job, and goaltending in Minnesota definitely cost Dean Evason his job in Minnesota. How many times year after year do we see a two-week run of poor goaltending that ends up with someone’s head on the firing line?

Frank Seravalli: For me, that one is tough to swallow and by the way, goalies are getting squeezed. The market for goalies is changing, we see the Los Angeles Kings not spending a lot on goaltending. We talked about the Maple Leafs selling off Ilya Samsonov, they might not spend a lot on goaltending so that might be the new trend in the NHL.

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