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Predicting 2025-26 NHL Goalie Tandems

ljfranker

Registered User
Apr 21, 2025
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Some teams have their's written in stone (ie. St. Louis) and other need a complete remake of theirs (ie. Columbus). I want to start by saying that there are several bona fide starters and several bona fide tandems, so I want to see what you guys think about the predictions I've made for each team:
  • ANA: Dostal (starter) and Georgiev (backup)
    • This could be a tandem, but a written in stone starter of the future and a player who's played playoff hockey before can't be half bad. It's my pick and Georgiev can definitely help if Dostal is injured and vise versa.
  • BOS: Swayman (starter) and DiPietro (backup) with Korpisalo being traded to FLA
    • Korpi getting traded makes room for DiPietro.
  • BUF: Luukkonen and Lyon (tandem) with Levi as a 3rd option
    • This team only has one bona fide player that will be on contract next season for the team. I want him in the minors, but with Reimer being 38 and likely not re-signing, and Luukkonen playing like crap, Levi doesn't have a whole lot of options. Therefore, I selected Lyon to play alongside Luukkonen (give him the benefit of the doubt) and let Levi either play 3rd option or in the minors.
  • CGY: Wolf and Andersen (tandem)
    • I'd like to see Wolf play starter in this one but Andersen is just too good to play backup. The best part of the tandem is that Wold can learn from Andersen and if Andersen gets injured, Wolf can easily play starter.
  • CAR: Kochetkov and Allen (tandem)
  • CHI: Knight and Brossoit (tandems) with Soderblom as a 3rd option
    • Soderblom was projected to be the backup to Knight but Brossoit just has great numbers and using a 3 goalie rotation would benefit the whole team until someone leaves and makes room for Commesso in the 3 goalie rotation.
  • COL: Blackwood (starter) and Wedgewood (backup)
  • CBJ: Reimer (starter) and Greaves (backup)
    • I'm going to redo this netminding with a capable starter, and high-end backup, and a 3rd string option that does the job, the third stringer being Vanecek. He knows how to play, what to do, and the shoe fits.
  • DAL: Oettinger (starter) and DeSmith (backup)
  • DET: Talbot (starter) and Mrazek (backup)
  • EDM: Gibson and Skinner (tandem) with Pickard as a 3rd opttion
    • I'm going to go ahead and send Gibson to EDM. He'd get them far as the playoff starter and if he get's injured, we've seen Skinner play starter before. The key is finding the price.
  • FLA: Bobrovsky (starter) and Korpisalo (backup)
    • They played well together in Columbus and bringing them back together could be a huge advantage for the team in the crease.
  • LAK: Kuemper (starter) and Portillo (backup)
  • MIN: Gustavsson (starter) and Rittich (backup)
    • Don't get me wrong, Wallstedt isn't bad, but he isn't ready. We can keep a 3 goalie rotation or send Rittich OR Wallstedt down to Iowa, but you definitely need a veteran backup for this team if things go south.
  • MTL: Montembault (starter) and Dobes (backup)
  • NSH: Saros and Annunen (tandem)
  • NJD: Markstrom (starter) and Daws (backup)
  • NYI: Sorokin and Varlamov (tandems) with Hogberg as a 3rd option
  • NYR: Shesterkin (starter) and Quick (backup)
  • OTT: Ullmark (starter) and Merilainen (backup)
  • PHL: Ersson and Merzlikins (tandem) with Fedotov as a 3rd option
    • Merzlikins will likely get bought out so a trade isn't the first option, but he has experience and skill and that's what Philly needs in a netminder.
  • PIT: Jarry (starter) and Nedeljkovic (backup)
    • I think they need to just play it out and be patient with their goaltending. Let the prospects develop more and let time go by until there's an open spot for Blomqvist to fill. I'm not saying they shouldn't take calls about Jarry or Ned, but I wouldn't completely retool their crease.
  • SJS: Demko (starter) and Askarov (backup)
    • Demko is a California native and he would be a great person for Askarov to develop under and learn from. They need a bona fide starter and with Demko's injuries, Askarov will get plenty of starts.
  • SEA: Daccord (starter) and Johansson (backup)
    • He's low cost, efficient, and not half bad. Johansson is a free agent and the crease share would help him get more ice time and more opportunity down the road. Remember, this is a team in a rebuild.
  • STL: Binnington (starter) and Hofer (backup)
  • TBL: Vasilevskiy (starter) and Samsonov (backup)
  • TOR: Stolarz (starter) and Woll (backup)
  • UHC: Vejmelka (starter) and Ingram (backup) with Forsberg as a 3rd option.
    • I'd sign a veteran goalie to play call up if Ingram or Vejmelka need a break or can't play, but then I thought, "Anton Forsberg". He'd be beneficial behind Vejmelka is Ingram gets the boot and all around another 3-headed goalie tandem has never been a problem beyond the cap implementations.
  • VAN: Lankinen (starter) and Silovs (backup) with Demko traded to SJS
    • I'd sign a veteran goalie to play as Silovs if he plays bad again or get the call up in the event of an emergency.
  • VGK: Hill (starter) and Vladar (backup)
    • Vladar needs a home and Vegas has an empty spot just for him. The crease-share would be reasonable and this is overall just a regular fill the hole signing.
  • WSH: Thompson (starter) and Lindgren (backup)
  • WPG: Hellebuyck (starter) and Comrie (backup)
 
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Reimer's what passes for a "starter" nowadays?

And that's a lot of cap for Edmonton to deal with that, even with the current raise, I don't think they can easily spare.
 
Yeah LA is likely done with Rittich...but I'm sure they sign one more NHL/AHL guy with experience. Maybe they re-sign Copley. In case Kuemper gets hurt because the last thing we'd want is to throw Portillo to the wolves, he keeps getting banged up as well. I imagine something like a Kuemper 50%/Portillo 25%/3rd goalie 25% split with Carter George getting a cup of coffee and as many AHL starts as he can handle.
 
Viqsi said:
Reimer's what passes for a "starter" nowadays?

And that's a lot of cap for Edmonton to deal with that, even with the current raise, I don't think they can easily spare.
Click to expand...
Reimer's playing starter for Buffalo and he played well in a 1a/1b tandem with Lyon in Detroit. He's kind of a backstop until we can define whether we want to be competitive or rebuild.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
Yeah LA is likely done with Rittich...but I'm sure they sign one more NHL/AHL guy with experience. Maybe they re-sign Copley. In case Kuemper gets hurt because the last thing we'd want is to throw Portillo to the wolves, he keeps getting banged up as well. I imagine something like a Kuemper 50%/Portillo 25%/3rd goalie 25% split with Carter George getting a cup of coffee and as many AHL starts as he can handle.
Click to expand...
I could see them re-signing Copley.
 
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frankfurrr said:
Some teams have their's written in stone (ie. St. Louis) and other need a complete remake of theirs (ie. Columbus). I want to start by saying that there are several bona fide starters and several bona fide tandems, so I want to see what you guys think about the predictions I've made for each team:
  • ANA: Dostal (starter) and Georgiev (backup)
    • This could be a tandem, but a written in stone starter of the future and a player who's played playoff hockey before can't be half bad. It's my pick and Georgiev can definitely help if Dostal is injured and vise versa.
  • BOS: Swayman (starter) and DiPietro (backup) with Korpisalo being traded to FLA
    • Korpi getting traded makes room for DiPietro.
  • BUF: Luukkonen and Lyon (tandem) with Levi as a 3rd option
    • This team only has one bona fide player that will be on contract next season for the team. I want him in the minors, but with Reimer being 38 and likely not re-signing, and Luukkonen playing like crap, Levi doesn't have a whole lot of options. Therefore, I selected Lyon to play alongside Luukkonen (give him the benefit of the doubt) and let Levi either play 3rd option or in the minors.
  • CGY: Wolf and Andersen (tandem)
    • I'd like to see Wolf play starter in this one but Andersen is just too good to play backup. The best part of the tandem is that Wold can learn from Andersen and if Andersen gets injured, Wolf can easily play starter.
  • CAR: Kochetkov and Allen (tandem)
  • CHI: Knight and Brossoit (tandems) with Soderblom as a 3rd option
    • Soderblom was projected to be the backup to Knight but Brossoit just has great numbers and using a 3 goalie rotation would benefit the whole team until someone leaves and makes room for Commesso in the 3 goalie rotation.
  • COL: Blackwood (starter) and Wedgewood (backup)
  • CBJ: Reimer (starter) and Greaves (backup)
    • I'm going to redo this netminding with a capable starter, and high-end backup, and a 3rd string option that does the job, the third stringer being Vanecek. He knows how to play, what to do, and the shoe fits.
  • DAL: Oettinger (starter) and DeSmith (backup)
  • DET: Talbot (starter) and Mrazek (backup)
  • EDM: Gibson and Skinner (tandem) with Pickard as a 3rd opttion
    • I'm going to go ahead and send Gibson to EDM. He'd get them far as the playoff starter and if he get's injured, we've seen Skinner play starter before. The key is finding the price.
  • FLA: Bobrovsky (starter) and Korpisalo (backup)
    • They played well together in Columbus and bringing them back together could be a huge advantage for the team in the crease.
  • LAK: Kuemper (starter) and Portillo (backup)
  • MIN: Gustavsson (starter) and Rittich (backup)
    • Don't get me wrong, Wallstedt isn't bad, but he isn't ready. We can keep a 3 goalie rotation or send Rittich OR Wallstedt down to Iowa, but you definitely need a veteran backup for this team if things go south.
  • MTL: Montembault (starter) and Dobes (backup)
  • NSH: Saros and Annunen (tandem)
  • NJD: Markstrom (starter) and Daws (backup)
  • NYI: Sorokin and Varlamov (tandems) with Hogberg as a 3rd option
  • NYR: Shesterkin (starter) and Quick (backup)
  • OTT: Ullmark (starter) and Merilainen (backup)
  • PHL: Ersson and Merzlikins (tandem) with Fedotov as a 3rd option
    • Merzlikins will likely get bought out so a trade isn't the first option, but he has experience and skill and that's what Philly needs in a netminder.
  • PIT: Jarry (starter) and Nedeljkovic (backup)
    • I think they need to just play it out and be patient with their goaltending. Let the prospects develop more and let time go by until there's an open spot for Blomqvist to fill. I'm not saying they shouldn't take calls about Jarry or Ned, but I wouldn't completely retool their crease.
  • SJS: Demko (starter) and Askarov (backup)
    • Demko is a California native and he would be a great person for Askarov to develop under and learn from. They need a bona fide starter and with Demko's injuries, Askarov will get plenty of starts.
  • SEA: Daccord (starter) and Johansson (backup)
    • He's low cost, efficient, and not half bad. Johansson is a free agent and the crease share would help him get more ice time and more opportunity down the road. Remember, this is a team in a rebuild.
  • STL: Binnington (starter) and Hofer (backup)
  • TBL: Vasilevskiy (starter) and Samsonov (backup)
  • TOR: Stolarz (starter) and Woll (backup)
  • UHC: Vejmelka (starter) and Ingram (backup) with Forsberg as a 3rd option.
    • I'd sign a veteran goalie to play call up if Ingram or Vejmelka need a break or can't play, but then I thought, "Anton Forsberg". He'd be beneficial behind Vejmelka is Ingram gets the boot and all around another 3-headed goalie tandem has never been a problem beyond the cap implementations.
  • VAN: Lankinen (starter) and Silovs (backup) with Demko traded to SJS
    • I'd sign a veteran goalie to play as Silovs if he plays bad again or get the call up in the event of an emergency.
  • VGK: Hill (starter) and Vladar (backup)
    • Vladar needs a home and Vegas has an empty spot just for him. The crease-share would be reasonable and this is overall just a regular fill the hole signing.
  • WSH: Thompson (starter) and Lindgren (backup)
  • WPG: Hellebuyck (starter) and Comrie (backup)
Click to expand...
Wallstedt isn't going back down for a 4th year in a row and after signing millions in extension and buying a house in MN. Just don't see it happening. if they sign a good G, it will be a two way G
 
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Hockeyfan200 said:
Wallstedt isn't going back down for a 4th year in a row and after signing millions in extension and buying a house in MN. Just don't see it happening. if they sign a good G, it will be a two way G
Click to expand...
I've heard that so many times but Wallstedt had way too much to prove to be a reliable backup.
 
frankfurrr said:
I've heard that so many times but Wallstedt had way too much to prove to be a reliable backup.
Click to expand...
true but again I don't think wild are going to hurt this development again by sending him to Iowa. They also essentially promised him a roster spot before cap issues, injuries, sucky, the worst coach in AHL history and worst roster, loss of confidence derailed his season. I don't see him spending another day in AHL because of so many issues including the money he's earning.
 
frankfurrr said:
Reimer's playing starter for Buffalo and he played well in a 1a/1b tandem with Lyon in Detroit. He's kind of a backstop until we can define whether we want to be competitive or rebuild.
Click to expand...
Buffalo's starter was UPL. Reimer played all of 22 games for Buffalo, plus another 2 for Anaheim after being briefly claimed off waivers (and re-waived a month later). Combined he couldn't manage over .900 this year. The last time he played anything even close to a starter's workload was in 2022-23 with San Jose, and even that was more tandem than starter (43 games, with the bulk of the rest handled by Kaapo Kahkonen) and he put up an .890 SV% that year. And he's 37 years old.

We'd be better off keeping Elvis.
 
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Viqsi said:
Buffalo's starter was UPL. Reimer played all of 22 games for Buffalo, plus another 2 for Anaheim after being briefly claimed off waivers (and re-waived a month later). Combined he couldn't manage over .900 this year. The last time he played anything even close to a starter's workload was in 2022-23 with San Jose, and even that was more tandem than starter (43 games, with the bulk of the rest handled by Kaapo Kahkonen) and he put up an .890 SV% that year. And he's 37 years old.

We'd be better off keeping Elvis.
Click to expand...
Elvis sucks.
 
Appreciate the effort.

Why Saros and Annunen as a tandem for though? Saros is among the best in the league and he usually plays over 60 games per season.

Annunen's pretty much a backup?
 
frankfurrr said:
Some teams have their's written in stone (ie. St. Louis) and other need a complete remake of theirs (ie. Columbus). I want to start by saying that there are several bona fide starters and several bona fide tandems, so I want to see what you guys think about the predictions I've made for each team:
  • ANA: Dostal (starter) and Georgiev (backup)
    • This could be a tandem, but a written in stone starter of the future and a player who's played playoff hockey before can't be half bad. It's my pick and Georgiev can definitely help if Dostal is injured and vise versa.
  • BOS: Swayman (starter) and DiPietro (backup) with Korpisalo being traded to FLA
    • Korpi getting traded makes room for DiPietro.
  • BUF: Luukkonen and Lyon (tandem) with Levi as a 3rd option
    • This team only has one bona fide player that will be on contract next season for the team. I want him in the minors, but with Reimer being 38 and likely not re-signing, and Luukkonen playing like crap, Levi doesn't have a whole lot of options. Therefore, I selected Lyon to play alongside Luukkonen (give him the benefit of the doubt) and let Levi either play 3rd option or in the minors.
  • CGY: Wolf and Andersen (tandem)
    • I'd like to see Wolf play starter in this one but Andersen is just too good to play backup. The best part of the tandem is that Wold can learn from Andersen and if Andersen gets injured, Wolf can easily play starter.
  • CAR: Kochetkov and Allen (tandem)
  • CHI: Knight and Brossoit (tandems) with Soderblom as a 3rd option
    • Soderblom was projected to be the backup to Knight but Brossoit just has great numbers and using a 3 goalie rotation would benefit the whole team until someone leaves and makes room for Commesso in the 3 goalie rotation.
  • COL: Blackwood (starter) and Wedgewood (backup)
  • CBJ: Reimer (starter) and Greaves (backup)
    • I'm going to redo this netminding with a capable starter, and high-end backup, and a 3rd string option that does the job, the third stringer being Vanecek. He knows how to play, what to do, and the shoe fits.
  • DAL: Oettinger (starter) and DeSmith (backup)
  • DET: Talbot (starter) and Mrazek (backup)
  • EDM: Gibson and Skinner (tandem) with Pickard as a 3rd opttion
    • I'm going to go ahead and send Gibson to EDM. He'd get them far as the playoff starter and if he get's injured, we've seen Skinner play starter before. The key is finding the price.
  • FLA: Bobrovsky (starter) and Korpisalo (backup)
    • They played well together in Columbus and bringing them back together could be a huge advantage for the team in the crease.
  • LAK: Kuemper (starter) and Portillo (backup)
  • MIN: Gustavsson (starter) and Rittich (backup)
    • Don't get me wrong, Wallstedt isn't bad, but he isn't ready. We can keep a 3 goalie rotation or send Rittich OR Wallstedt down to Iowa, but you definitely need a veteran backup for this team if things go south.
  • MTL: Montembault (starter) and Dobes (backup)
  • NSH: Saros and Annunen (tandem)
  • NJD: Markstrom (starter) and Daws (backup)
  • NYI: Sorokin and Varlamov (tandems) with Hogberg as a 3rd option
  • NYR: Shesterkin (starter) and Quick (backup)
  • OTT: Ullmark (starter) and Merilainen (backup)
  • PHL: Ersson and Merzlikins (tandem) with Fedotov as a 3rd option
    • Merzlikins will likely get bought out so a trade isn't the first option, but he has experience and skill and that's what Philly needs in a netminder.
  • PIT: Jarry (starter) and Nedeljkovic (backup)
    • I think they need to just play it out and be patient with their goaltending. Let the prospects develop more and let time go by until there's an open spot for Blomqvist to fill. I'm not saying they shouldn't take calls about Jarry or Ned, but I wouldn't completely retool their crease.
  • SJS: Demko (starter) and Askarov (backup)
    • Demko is a California native and he would be a great person for Askarov to develop under and learn from. They need a bona fide starter and with Demko's injuries, Askarov will get plenty of starts.
  • SEA: Daccord (starter) and Johansson (backup)
    • He's low cost, efficient, and not half bad. Johansson is a free agent and the crease share would help him get more ice time and more opportunity down the road. Remember, this is a team in a rebuild.
  • STL: Binnington (starter) and Hofer (backup)
  • TBL: Vasilevskiy (starter) and Samsonov (backup)
  • TOR: Stolarz (starter) and Woll (backup)
  • UHC: Vejmelka (starter) and Ingram (backup) with Forsberg as a 3rd option.
    • I'd sign a veteran goalie to play call up if Ingram or Vejmelka need a break or can't play, but then I thought, "Anton Forsberg". He'd be beneficial behind Vejmelka is Ingram gets the boot and all around another 3-headed goalie tandem has never been a problem beyond the cap implementations.
  • VAN: Lankinen (starter) and Silovs (backup) with Demko traded to SJS
    • I'd sign a veteran goalie to play as Silovs if he plays bad again or get the call up in the event of an emergency.
  • VGK: Hill (starter) and Vladar (backup)
    • Vladar needs a home and Vegas has an empty spot just for him. The crease-share would be reasonable and this is overall just a regular fill the hole signing.
  • WSH: Thompson (starter) and Lindgren (backup)
  • WPG: Hellebuyck (starter) and Comrie (backup)
Click to expand...
Nucks aren't trading Demko and having a repeat of last season.
Lankinen had a 900sv% and Silovs was far lower.
If anything they will extend Demko because the team is 100% focused on winning and keeping Quinn in Vancouver and a healthy Demko (he is) is a top five goalie, Lankinen is a top five backup that can spot start if necessary.

Every single goalie expert said even if Demko returned in November fully healed which he didn't wouldn't be his normal self until the end of the year if he could avoid a secondary injury stemming from the change in his routine which he did not.

The positive for nuck fans was aside from a stinker against the kraken, he was excellent once given a full bill of health.
He's now fully healthy and you don't trade a fully healthy Demko if you plan on competing, he also made it clear he wants to sign an extension on the first of July and is aware that he has to make concessions due to the injury worries.
 
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teravaineSAROS said:
Appreciate the effort.

Why Saros and Annunen as a tandem for though? Saros is among the best in the league and he usually plays over 60 games per season.

Annunen's pretty much a backup?
Click to expand...
I'd have them split the starts and/or give Murray some ice time.
 
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