The opening week of the 2026-27 season is upon us!
Finding dependable goaltending can be a challenging task. Due to the volatility of the position, netminders are being faded in some drafts or scooped up quickly in others. No matter how important goalie stats are in your league, fantasy managers are always seeking an edge.
They will benefit tremendously from riding the hot hand, avoiding the cold ones, managing the schedule and making roster changes to fill short- and long-term needs.
Hot and Cold Netminders
With only preseason statistics, there isn’t much to talk about here yet, but Alex Nedeljkovic stopped all 20 shots he faced in his lone exhibition appearance for the San Jose Sharks. He could share playing time with Yaroslav Askarov again in 2026-27. Sam Montembeault turned aside 34 of 35 shots in three appearances. He appears to be the backup for the Montreal Canadiens after the team sent Jacob Fowler to the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Sunday. The move could be temporary, but if the Canadiens don’t want to carry three goalies, it makes sense to give Fowler significantly more playing time in the minors.
During the preseason, Lukas Dostal of the Anaheim Ducks surrendered eight goals on 39 shots and lost both of his appearances. Still, Dostal likely won’t face competition for playing time from backup Ville Husso, who allowed six goals on 21 shots in one exhibition outing.
Adjustments for Busy or
The opening week of the 2026-27 season is upon us!
Finding dependable goaltending can be a challenging task. Due to the volatility of the position, netminders are being faded in some drafts or scooped up quickly in others. No matter how important goalie stats are in your league, fantasy managers are always seeking an edge.
They will benefit tremendously from riding the hot hand, avoiding the cold ones, managing the schedule and making roster changes to fill short- and long-term needs.
Hot and Cold Netminders
With only preseason statistics, there isn’t much to talk about here yet, but Alex Nedeljkovic stopped all 20 shots he faced in his lone exhibition appearance for the San Jose Sharks. He could share playing time with Yaroslav Askarov again in 2026-27. Sam Montembeault turned aside 34 of 35 shots in three appearances. He appears to be the backup for the Montreal Canadiens after the team sent Jacob Fowler to the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Sunday. The move could be temporary, but if the Canadiens don’t want to carry three goalies, it makes sense to give Fowler significantly more playing time in the minors.
During the preseason, Lukas Dostal of the Anaheim Ducks surrendered eight goals on 39 shots and lost both of his appearances. Still, Dostal likely won’t face competition for playing time from backup Ville Husso, who allowed six goals on 21 shots in one exhibition outing.
Adjustments for Busy or Quiet Goaltending Schedules
With four games apiece, the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks are the busiest teams in the opening week of the 2026-27 regular season. Each club has one back-to-back situation during that stretch. Still, Rangers’ workhorse Igor Shesterkin could make three starts, with Joonas Korpisalo possibly getting the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. In that scenario, Shesterkin would face difficult matchups against the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Utah Mammoth. For the Canucks, Lankinen’s workload might be split with Leevi Merilainen. The goaltending situation for the Canucks will likely be avoided by the majority of fantasy managers until Thatcher Demko returns from hip surgery. Still, not even Demko will be a particularly safe option this campaign, especially if he can’t stay healthy.
The Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals and Mammoth also have back-to-back situations in the first week. Of note, the Flames’ Devin Cooley could be an intriguing option against the Kraken or Canucks, while the Stars’ Casey DeSmith could be between the pipes against the Predators. DeSmith, a superb spot-starter for the past two years, could get both contests if Jake Oettinger isn’t ready to return after experiencing lower-body tightness during training camp.
Injuries to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) and Alex Lyon (upper body) could put Colten Ellis in the spotlight for the Buffalo Sabres. The Flyers play three times in four nights, which should give Dan Vladar two starts, assuming he has recovered sufficiently from an upper-body injury. Joseph Woll would get the other matchup.
The Ottawa Senators have only one matchup this week, a road contest versus the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Linus Ullmark will likely get the call for that contest.
Goaltender Pickups to Target
Pyotr Kochetkov is a superb season-long option and should be rostered in more than 22% of Yahoo leagues. The Hurricanes are a goalie-friendly environment for fantasy purposes, as long as shot volume isn’t an issue. Carolina typically doesn’t give up many shots per game, but wins and solid GAAs often become the hallmarks of the club’s puck-stoppers. Kochetkov is an excellent bounce-back candidate after missing most of the 2025-26 campaign because of hip surgery. He should split starts with Bussi, and Kochetkov stands a great chance of becoming the 1A option for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
The Sabres have only two games, and Lyon’s availability is unclear, but he possesses plenty of upside for the 2026-27 campaign. He posted a 20-10-4 record with three shutouts, a 2.77 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage in 36 appearances last season. Buffalo plans to rotate playing time in 2026-27, which could be frustrating if they commit to using three netminders. However, Lyon is too good a depth option to be only 24% rostered. He was a popular waiver-wire addition last year, and he will probably be that again this season.
Joseph Woll will likely make at least one start this week. He will probably make his debut for the Flyers on the road against the New Jersey Devils. Dan Vladar (upper body) is trending toward being fine for Opening Night against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Woll should be able to wrestle away far more starts from Vladar this campaign than Samuel Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov did last season. Woll is rostered in just 13% of Yahoo leagues.
Anthony Stolarz is a short-term pickup who could become a long-term mainstay. He is worth adding for the Maple Leafs’ home back-to-back to open the season. He will likely face the New York Islanders on Wednesday after Sergei Bobrovsky gets the nod against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Stolarz was excellent in 2024-25, but he struggled with inconsistency and injury in 2025-26. He has bounce-back appeal behind a revamped team and should see his fair share of starts this campaign.