Week 9: Fantasy top 25 goalie rankings for 2016-17

All season long, NHL.com's David Satriano will rank the top 25 goalies for standard Yahoo leagues (wins, goals-against average, save percentage, shutouts). Players with long-term injuries have been removed from this list.
These rankings are based on expectations for the rest of the season. Value is quantified by projected starts, peripheral category coverage, time-share situations, team defenses, past performance and overall upside in standard leagues. It is important to note that our rankings reflect sheer fantasy value, not necessarily the most talented goalies in order.

Sometimes in fantasy hockey, quality is better than quantity. Owning a backup goalie who makes fewer starts but puts up better numbers can be more valuable than a lower-tier starter.
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Antti Raanta of the New York Rangers (44 percent owned in Yahoo), the backup to Henrik Lundqvist, has eight wins, a 1.69 GAA, a .941 SV% and had back-to-back shutouts this past weekend. Seventh among goalies in Yahoo's performance-based rankings, Raanta is more likely to help your team in the short and long term than Semyon Varlamov, the No. 1 goalie for the Colorado Avalanche. Owned in 54 percent of leagues, Varlamov is 6-12-0 with a 3.21 GAA, .904 SV% and one SO, allowing at least four goals in eight of 19 appearances.
There are several other goalies who are often picked up because of their frequent usage. Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars (34 percent owned) is among them, but he's 6-10-3 with a 2.92 GAA, .894 SV% and one SO. Ryan Miller of the Vancouver Canucks (43 percent owned) hasn't fared much better (6-9-0, 2.89 GAA, .909 SV%).
Like Raanta, Philipp Grubauer of the Washington Capitals is worth owning over these struggling starters. Grubauer (8 percent owned) has made the most of his six starts; he's 4-1-1 with a 1.67 GAA and a .940 SV%. Last season, he was 8-9-1 with a 2.32 GAA and .918 SV% in 16 starts, still very good numbers outside of the wins category. You may get a maximum of one start from Grubauer on a weekly basis, but his value would soar if Braden Holtby dealt with injury at any point. The Capitals have 12 remaining back-to-back sets, and Grubauer is currently 15th among goalies in Yahoo's performance-based rankings.
Another such goalie is Mike Condon (21 percent owned), who has started four straight for the Ottawa Senators in the absence of Craig Anderson (personal). Condon has strong peripherals (2.34 GAA, .920 SV%, two SO) and has kept the Senators in Stanley Cup Playoff position despite inconsistent goal support.

TRENDING UP

Matt Murray proved he was capable of being an elite NHL starter last postseason; he went 15-6 with a 2.08 GAA and a .923 SV%, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup. He sustained an injury in the World Cup of Hockey 2016, opening the door for Marc-Andre Fleury to prove he was still the man in Pittsburgh after taking a back seat during the playoffs. Fleury is 8-5-3 but has shaky peripherals (3.42 GAA, .900 SV%) through 18 outings -- the highest GAA since his rookie season in 2003-04 (3.64) and lowest SV% since 2005-06 (.898). Fleury has allowed at least four goals in three of his past five starts and is now the clear backup. Murray, meanwhile, is 12-2-0 with a 1.93 GAA, .935 SV% and two SO, and is 21-4-1 in 26 career regular-season starts. He allowed three goals Wednesday, but made 41 saves in a 4-3 overtime win against the Boston Bruins. Murray is clearly the more reliable Penguins goalie, and the net should remain his, barring injury.

TRENDING DOWN

The Florida Panthers have taken a big step back this season, and it hasn't gotten any better since they fired Gerard Gallant as coach and replaced him with Tom Rowe (2-3-3 since). Not all of the blame can be placed on starting goalie Roberto Luongo, but he hasn't been good lately. Luongo has allowed at least four goals in three of his past four starts, including five allowed on 17 shots faced in a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Luongo has had a 2.35 GAA in each of his past two seasons and a .921 or better SV% in each of his past three. That said, Luongo is 37 and has a more-than-capable backup in James Reimer, who signed a five-year contract with the Panthers on July 1 and has made nine starts (3-4-2). It would be hardly surprising if Reimer, who has a .914 career SV%, steals more playing time the rest of the way.

WORTH NOTING

-- Jaroslav Halak (56 percent owned) of the New York Islanders has allowed 10 goals over his past two starts and at least four goals in three of his past four outings. For the second straight season, backup Thomas Greiss (46 percent owned) has better fantasy category coverage (6-4-0, 2.42 GAA, .919 SV%) than Halak (5-8-5, 3.13, .907). Greiss will start Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
-- Brian Elliott (51 percent owned) of the Calgary Flames played Thursday for the first time since Nov. 28. He made 12 saves on 13 shots faced against the Tampa Bay Lightning, relieving Chad Johnson (74 percent owned) in the third period. Johnson had won six straight entering the game, so Elliott still faces an uphill battle to close the starts gap, let alone become fantasy-relevant again.
-- Philadelphia Flyers goalie Steve Mason has won his past eight starts and has allowed two goals or fewer in six of them. Even with Michal Neuvirth nearing a return from injury and rookie Anthony Stolarz having won each of his two NHL starts, Mason has emerged as a top 10 fantasy goalie and the full-time starter in Philadelphia.

TOP 25 FANTASY GOALIES

These rankings were last updated Dec. 15
1. Carey Price, MTL, (SAME)
2. Devan Dubnyk, MIN (SAME)
3. Matt Murray, PIT (+1)
4. Tuukka Rask, BOS (-1)
5. Braden Holtby, WSH (SAME)
6. Martin Jones, SJS (SAME)
7. Sergei Bobrovsky, CBJ (+1)
8. Jake Allen, STL (-1)
9. Steve Mason, PHI (+5)
10. Pekka Rinne, NSH (-1)
11. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (-1)
12. Ben Bishop, TBL (+4)
13. Chad Johnson, CGY (SAME)
14. Roberto Luongo, FLA (-3)
15. Cory Schneider, NJD (-3)
16. Jimmy Howard, DET (-1)
17. Cam Talbot, EDM (SAME)
18. John Gibson, ANA (SAME)
19. Frederik Andersen, TOR (+3)
20. Scott Darling, CHI (NEW)
21. Antti Raanta, NYR (NEW)
22. Cam Ward, CAR (-3)
23. Mike Condon, OTT (+2)
24. Connor Hellebuyck, WPG (NEW)
25. Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT (-1)
Dropped out: Petr Mrazek (DET), Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL), Craig Anderson (OTT)
Just missed: Peter Budaj (LAK), Mrazek, Robin Lehner (BUF), Jaroslav Halak (NYI), Mike Smith (ARI)
Key injuries: Jonathan Quick (LAK), Corey Crawford (CHI), Michal Neuvirth (PHI), Semyon Varlamov (COL)
READ: Last week's Top 25 goalie rankings