What The Decline in Goaltending Means For The NHL

The 1990s, 2000s, and early 2010 was the golden age for goaltending. It seemed like every team had an elite goaltender who could singlehandedly take over games. Martin Broduer, Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo, and Dominik Hasek were just some of the many elite names to come to mind. 

These days, elite goaltending is hard to find. There are only a handful, if that, of goaltenders who can dominate games and there’s a lot of poor play in the net. It’s impacting teams from the top down with how they are built to how they play. 

Scoring is up and Skaters Know it

The league has more speed and skill than ever before. There are more scoring chances and highlight goals in a game and offense around the league has been up for a few seasons because of it. 

For a lot of skaters, they also know that a casual shot on the net has a better dchance of going in. A save on a glove-side shot is no given. With this in mind, skaters will just fling the puck on the net and hope for the best. With goaltending on the decline, there’s a good chance the puck goes in.

Coaches Must Have a Viable Duo

There are few goaltenders who can be a workforce and carry a team for a majority of an 82-game season and a playoff run. Connor Hellebuyck is one of the few and it’s why he’s a perennial Vezina Trophy finalist.

For the majority of NHL teams, they will either have two good not great goaltenders or a few average ones. From a head coaching standpoint, it become key to split starts for the season and not rely on one elite goaltender. Not overworking one goaltender goes a long way for a team’s success during the season.

Why Invest in the Position?

When the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, they had Darcy Keumper as their starting goaltender. Keumper is good but far from an elite goaltender. The Vegas Golden Knights won the Cup the next year with Adin Hill in the net. Hill started only 25 games that season.

In a league with a tight salary cap, teams can only invest so much into certain positions. The Avalanche and the Golden Knights proved that with a great roster surrounding the goaltender, teams can still win a Cup. Front offices can spend the minimum on a goaltending duo while paying big for great forward units and defense.