Top goalie battles to watch during 2026-27 NHL preseason

Sep 14, 2026, 09:00 EDT

Top goalie battles to watch during 2026-27 NHL preseason

Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the past, NHL teams played around seven preseason games each. It was WAYYYY too long, and something fans heavily criticized every September.

This year will be the first featuring a reduced preseason schedule, with 65 games split up over eight days. That means training camps are going to be extra tight this year, with teams looking to make the most of their limited time before the season kicks off on Sept. 29. For goalies, that doesn’t give them many opportunities to prove themselves. That alone should make the next few weeks quite fascinating to follow.

With some teams bringing in new goaltenders to the fray, and some goalies looking to burst through and become full-time NHLers, here’s a look at seven of the most interesting crease battles to watch over the next few weeks. We tried to focus less on teams with clear tandem situations – that’s much more common now. Don’t assume any goaltender has a spot locked up – it’s the most unpredictable position in the sport, and very few are true No. 1s these days:

Buffalo Sabres: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen vs. Alex Lyon vs. Colten Ellis

At times last year, Buffalo’s goaltending depth proved that one guy could struggle and another could swoop in and steal a win. It’s a big reason why the team was as successful as they were last season in the club’s return to the playoffs. At one point, the club went 25 games without a goalie getting back-to-back starts. It happened to also be Buffalo’s most dangerous stretch of the season, going 18-4-3 to help them fly up the standings. That’s 30 percent of the season – in a row – where the team relied on its three-man rotation to get the club where they are today. The team’s goals saved above expected was top five in the NHL. There were times during the playoffs where Lyon looked like an absolute beast. And at others, not so much.

Buffalo fully embraced the three-goalie strategy last year and they look destined to try it again. But can any of the three – UPL, Lyon or Ellis – step up and take control? Is that even what the Sabres want? Will none of this matter, and the Sabres will just acquire Connor Hellebuyck anyway? None of the three goalies is waiver exempt, so a three-goalie system feels like the way they’re going to go again. All three had their shining moments, but it feels like one of either Luukkonen or Lyon will have the edge to start the season. If one goalie absolutely thrives in camp, maybe we’ll see a bit more clarity on the starter front. Most likely, though, the Sabres will look to utilize the system that worked so well throughout the season last year before hopefully getting one of them to be stable enough to earn the bulk of the postseason playing time.

Edmonton Oilers: Devon Levi vs. Tristan Jarry

Freddy Andersen is set to miss all of training camp, meaning there will be extra spotlight on Levi and Jarry. Levi is the new recruit after a couple of excellent seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Jarry, meanwhile, had some solid moments in Pittsburgh last year before struggling to find his groove with the Oilers. Clearly, the Oilers didn’t believe in Jarry enough and got him some extra help, resulting in a three-goalie system.

Goaltending has been a long-term issue for the franchise, and it’s hard to feel fully confident in the crop this year. Andersen is 36 and has struggled to stay healthy for quite a while – he hasn’t played 40 regular-season games in five years. Levi has primarily played in the AHL throughout his pro career, while Jarry’s inconsistency has plagued him for far too long. Levi might be the most interesting goalie in the system, though. He was once viewed as one of the top prospects in the sport, and after dominating in the AHL, he’ll have his first real opportunity to establish himself in the big leagues. Regardless, the pressure’s on for a team looking to finally win in the Connor McDavid era.

Montreal Canadiens: Jakub Dobeš vs. Jacob Fowler vs. Samuel Montembeault

By all accounts, it’s Dobeš’ net to lose. He stole the starter’s gig late in the regular season and kept the fight alive all the way to the Eastern Conference Final. He was excellent and looks like a legitimate contender for the Vezina Trophy this year. Fowler, meanwhile, had a 17-game stint with the big club last year and should be in the hunt for the Calder Trophy, although it’s always difficult for a goalie to take home the coveted hardware. It’s a largely unproven duo, from a longevity standpoint, but one with a ton of promise.

The real intrigue here, though, is Montembeault. He was one of the best goaltenders analytically for a few years and even served as a backup for Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team. But a terrible 2025-26 season relegated him to third-string duty, a role he’ll likely continue with if he stays in Montreal this year. But that’s the thing – will he? If Montembeault has an incredible camp, he could become a prime trade candidate prior to opening night. If not, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Montreal throw him on the waiver wire to give him a shot elsewhere. Montreal seemed to really like the three-goalie system, but it’s not fair for a pending UFA to sit and watch all season. Montembeault will be extra motivated to prove himself at camp and earn starts again before getting a new contract next summer.

New Jersey Devils: David Rittich vs. Nico Daws

Jacob Markstrom didn’t get the job done in Newark last year, leaving the Devils to make some changes to the crease. Jake Allen will assume starting duties after an above-average campaign last year. He’s also inexpensive at $1.8 million, making him one of the better value starters in the league. The backup battle will be a bit more intriguing, with 25-year-old Daws set to challenge for starts against 34-year-old Rittich. Daws has 55 NHL games to his credit, which included 25 appearances in 2021-22. For the most part, he’s been decent throughout his NHL career, which includes a 5-2 record over the past two years.

The 6-foot-4 goaltender is definitely capable of holding his own as a backup, but will it be enough to overcome the challenge from a veteran like Rittich? The Czech netminder had some solid performances with the New York Islanders a year ago and even boasted a surface-level .921 save percentage with the Los Angeles Kings in 2023-24. Inconsistency has been a problem throughout his career, though, which is why finding a long-term stable home has been a challenge. Rittich’s best days are behind him but, after playing 64 NHL games over the past two years, he’s not going to go down without a fight in training camp.

New York Islanders: Semyon Varlamov vs. Vitek Vanecek

Ilya Sorokin owns the crease and will continue to be one of the league’s top netminders. But the backup gig on Long Island should be an interesting one to follow. Varlamov is set to be a full participant in training camp after missing most of the past two years due to knee injuries. He last played in the NHL 21 months ago before undergoing multiple surgical procedures on his knees. He got into a pair of AHL games with Bridgeport last year, which was a good sign. But seeing him back at camp is truly remarkable, and it’ll be fun to see if he can get his game back on track after most considered his career to be on its last legs.

Varlamov will go up against Czech veteran Vítek Vaněček, who has been a serviceable, yet unremarkable backup throughout most of his career. His numbers have been nothing to get excited about as he has bounced around from team to team over the past few seasons. The 30-year-old comes in at an inexpensive $1-million cap hit, so the Islanders could elect to hold on to a three-goalie system throughout the year. But it seems unlikely he would have signed with the Islanders without some belief he could beat out a guy who has primarily watched from home for two years.

San Jose Sharks: Yaroslav Askarov vs. Alex Nedeljkovic vs. Eric Comrie vs. Ilya Samsonov

If the Sharks are going to truly contend this season, their goaltending needs to be better. Askarov had his moments last year but wasn’t good enough when they needed him to be to really push the needle forward. Nedeljkovic is a solid veteran presence and actually played some of his best hockey down the stretch last year. He was definitely the better of the two goalies, which, depending on your long-term view of Askarov as the starter, could be either a good or bad thing.

And now, they’ve added two others to the mix: Comrie and Samsonov. Between them, they have 584 regular-season games under their belts, with Samsonov leading the way at 200. But, ironically, he’s the least likely to play NHL games this year after signing a two-way deal with the Sharks last week. Of the four, Comrie boasted the best goals saved above expected at 5-on-5 of 7.15, while Nedeljkovic registered a 4.7. Askarov, meanwhile, was near the bottom of the league with a -5.9. Comrie has been a solid backup throughout his career, but hasn’t managed to break through as a starter (hard to do that when you’re backing up Hellebuyck). Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see how the Sharks manage the workload during the preseason, and whether or not they’ll employ a three-goalie strategy. The team’s goaltending needs to be much more effective this season if they’re going to make some real noise, so GM Mike Grier deserves credit for throwing a little bit of everything at the crease.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Dennis Hildeby vs. Jonas Johansson

Some day, eventually, Andrei Vasilevskiy won’t be the answer in net. But after winning his second Vezina Trophy, that’s not happening any time soon. Johansson has been the backup for three seasons already and has failed to crack the .900 save percentage barrier in that time. Record-wise, he’s capable of winning about 10 games a year. But it’s hard to consider him anything more than below average at this point, which is partly reflected in his $1.25-million cap hit.

But, finally, he’ll have someone to really push him for the backup gig: Hildeby. The ‘Hildebeast’ went 5-7-4 in the NHL last year, boasting a .914 save percentage and 7.16 5-on-5 GSAx. Those are solid numbers for a third-string goalie (who actually fell to the fourth spot after losing the Toronto Marlies starting gig to Artur Akhtyamov. Hildeby doesn’t have an expansive NHL portofolio, but has been solid enough throughout his career to earn a serious look as Tampa’s backup. Tampa could elect to go with the three-goalie rotation, but given Vasy’s typical workload, that doesn’t make a ton of sense.

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