Three NHL goaltenders enjoying career revivals in 2025-26
Goaltenders are voodoo.
Do you notice how few goalie superstars there are these days? One year, someone will go on an absolute heater and challenge for the Vezina Trophy. Next, they’re fighting for their career.
Remember how Sergei Bobrovsky led the Florida Panthers to two straight Stanley Cups? He’s been one of the worst starters in the NHL based on goals saved above expected this season. Other goalies near the bottom include veteran starter Frederik Andersen (73rd out of 81), Vezina winner Linus Ullmark (75th), former GSAx darling Samuel Montembeault (76th), and Stanley Cup champion Jordan Binnington (dead last).
Today, we’re looking at three starting goalies who have bounced back in a huge way. All three have been among the best in the game at one point, only to fall flat in recent years. Two of them even spent time in the AHL last season after going unclaimed on waivers.
Let’s take a look:
Tristan Jarry (Edmonton Oilers)
Jarry’s NHL career nearly looked over last year. He had an ugly -4.6 goals saved above expected, was sent down to the AHL and just couldn’t string together many consistent performances. Jarry and his $5.375-million cap hit until 2028 were a buyout topic all season long, and many Penguins fans criticized GM Kyle Dubas for not moving on from the 30-year-old during the offseason.
But Jarry returned with a vegenance this season. His 9.09 GSAx proved how good he could be when he’s on his game. Jarry posted a 9-3-1 record with a shutout in 14 games with the Penguins, giving them a legit chance to win every single night. That thrust the Penguins into playoff contention, where they remain to this very day. But Jarry was shipped off to Edmonton in December, only to get hurt early in his tenure with the club. Still, he’s racking up wins, and while he has had a few brainfarts over the past few starts, he has looked solid overall.
Is he the true answer to Edmonton’s long-standing issues in net? Jarry still has a long way to prove that, but he’s the best they have right now.
David Rittich (New York Islanders)
With Semyon Varlamov on the shelf, the Islanders needed a veteran to come in and perform whenever Ilya Sorokin needed an off night. Rittich has done exactly that, posting an 11-6-3 record with two shutouts and a .906 save percentage. His 18.50 GSAx at all strengths and 11.96 at 5-on-5 are both good to land him top 10 in the league, and he’s doing it on a $1-million salary, too.
Rittich was once viewed as a difference-maker for the Calgary Flames. He went 27-9-5 in 2018-19 before eventually bouncing around teams over the next half-decade. Rittich often struggled wherever he went, and he even spent 16 games back in the AHL in 2023-24. But that same season, he also went 13-6-3 with three shutouts and an impressive .921 SV% to help get the Kings to the postseason. So Rittich is fully capable of getting hot and stringing together strong performances, and his play could be one of the reasons why the Islanders make the playoffs in April.
Big Save Dave’s inconsistency might have been an issue throughout his career. But right now, he’s clearly making things work.
Philipp Grubauer (Seattle Kraken)
Grubauer was once a force with the Colorado Avalanche, posting a 30-9-1 record in 2020-21. But the Avs elected to cut ties and let him go to Seattle via free agency in 2021, giving the team its first starting goalie. But that six-year deal quickly soured as Grubauer became one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL. Like Jarry, Grubauer was even sent to the AHL last year in an attempt to find his game, and it almost looked like his big-league career was done.
We’ve seen time and time again that a strong showing at the IIHF World Championship can get a struggling player back on the right track. After coming off the worst season of his NHL career, where he boasted the second-worst 5-on-5 GSAx of -16.16, Grubauer was one of the tournament’s top goaltenders with an impressive .930 SV%. That seemed to spark his confidence, and now he’s one of the best goaltenders in the NHL as of late. His 17.21 GSAx at 5-on-5 is good for fourth among all goalies, allowing him to outperform Joey Daccord. Grubauer is heating up at the right time as he’s set to represent Germany at the Olympics as the team’s starter – something that definitely didn’t look like a guarantee heading into the season.
Who would have thought Grubauer would be one of the top reasons why the Kraken are in a playoff spot right now?
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