Tandem Tussle - A Western Conference Throw Down
For this list, I will be ranking all 16 goalie tandems that I believe are the best in the West. My criteria/rationale will include their numbers last year, the teams they are now playing for, and the defensive presence that their team has. Since I am rating the tandems themselves, the criterion of the defense in front of them are only a factor as it will have an impact on the numbers these goalies display by the end of the season, which is the bottom line of this - which tandem will post the best numbers.
So, expect a few hot takes, along with a lot of rankings that will have you thinking I have never watched a game of hockey in my life. I will write my rationale for my top 5 picks, and then just list my picks for the remaining 11 teams - I just cannot write a paragraph about why Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek are not a star-studded tandem (sorry Sharks fans). This is admittedly one of the most difficult lists I have made, with so many factors impacting the decision, so take it (semi) easy on me.
#1 Nashville Predators
a. Juuse Saros (35-24-5 SV% 0.906)
b. Scott Wedgewood (16-7-5 SV% 0.899)
It may be a bit of a hot take not having a tandem including Thatcher Demko or Connor Hellebuyck in the top spot in the West, but a combination of improved defense, Saros being a beast, and a proven backup in Wedgewood is just too hard to turn down at #1. Saros has proven himself again and again, so with the addition of Brady Skjei and more offensive zone time to be expected, I think Saros could go for a career year. With Wedgewood playing behind a solid d-core once again, I think that this tandem will post the best numbers as a duo, getting Saros into the Vezina conversation and solidifying them in the one-spot for this list.
#2 Winnipeg Jets
a. Connor Hellebuyck (37-19-4 SV% 0.921)
b. Kaapo Kähkönen (7-24-3 SV% 0.898)
I do expect Hellbuyck to follow up his Vezina winning year with another stellar performance, but the 31 year old can only play so many games for the Jets. Luckily, the signing of Kaapo Kahkonen will be perfect; but only if he can find his game once again. The Finnish goaltender has had several good seasons, specifically in Minnesota, where from 2020-2022 the 27 year old was able to play 24 & 25 games, while posting impressive numbers as a backup. Luckily for Jets fans, Hellebuyck has shown year after year his ability to play 60+ games, with his career high being 64 games started in both the 2017-18 and 2022-23 seasons. With a slightly worse d-core in Winnipeg versus an improved one in Nashville, coupled with the question marks surrounding Kähkönen, slots them in the 2 spot.
#3 Dallas Stars
a. Jake Oettinger (35-14-4 SV%: 0.905)
b. Casey DeSmith (12-9-6 SV%: 0.895)
Oettinger didn’t have his best season, and with a worsened d-core, I can’t imagine his numbers will improve a whole lot. I do think Oettinger will have a better individual season than his last, but the change in the 6 players in front of him will make it more difficult to execute a proper bounce-back season. I like DeSmith as the backup, but do believe it is a downgrade from Scott Wedgewood who had a good season between the pipes for Dallas, but is now strapping on the pads behind Juuse Saros and the Pred’s. It will be interesting to see the numbers that Oettinger can put up in his 5th year for the Stars, but I do think he will perform well enough to solidify this tandem at #3. Even though I think Demko will put up better numbers than Oettinger, the tandem pairing of DeSmith (instead of Silovs), puts Dallas in #3.
#4 Vancouver Canucks
a. Thatcher Demko ( 35-14-2 SV%: 0.917)
b. Arturs Silovs (3-0-1 SV% 0.881)
After a killer season from Demko this past year, the 6’4” netminder put up his career high for wins in a season (35), despite playing ten less games than his previous best. With a similar defense core in front of Demko and the same structure with Head Coach Rick Tocchet still at the helm, I expect him to have another great year. As for the 23 year old Latvian backup Arturs Silovs, there are a lot of questions I am sure we all have around his experience and ability to play at this level. He had a decent showing in the playoffs for the Canucks playing 10 games once Demko went down with an injury, but it will be interesting to see how he plays with about 20-25 games being left in his hands. Silovs being the backup is a strong reason that this team won’t crack the top 3, with better backup goalies ahead of this #4 spot.
#5 Vegas Golden Knights
a. Adin Hill (19-12-2 SV% 0.909)
b. Ilya Samsonov (23-7-8 SV% 0.890)
This one was a real toss up for me, debating between either VGK or EDM (and admittedly a decent look at the St. Louis Blues tandem). After much thought, Hill is more consistent than Skinner, Samsonov has more experience than Pickard, and I prefer the defensive abilities of the Golden Knights over that of the Oilers. Ultimately this criteria gave the nod to the team that has become a little too comfortable with the salary cap, the Vegas Golden Knights. Their top 4 of Hannifin - Pitrangelo, McNabb - Theodore should provide plenty of defense for Adin Hill, who had a solid season for the Golden Knights. That, coupled with Samsonov playing under much less pressure (despite the 1 year deal), I think will provide him the opportunity to figure things out between the ears, as well as stay healthy now that he is paired with a solidified starter.
#6 Edmonton Oilers: Stuart Skinner / Calvin Pickard
#7 St. Louis Blues: Jordan Binnington / Joel Hofer (trust me their numbers are actually impressive)
#8 Chicago Blackhawks: Petr Mrazek / Laurent Brossoit (ironically also good numbers)
#9 L.A. Kings: Darcy Kuemper / Dave Rittich
#10 Minnesota Wild: Filip Gustavsson / Marc-Andre Fleury
#11 Colorado Avalanche: Alexandar Georgiev / Justus Annunen
#12 Seattle Kraken: Phillip Grubauer / Joey Daccord
#13 Utah H.C.: Connor Ingram / Karel Vejmelka
#14 Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson / Lukas Dostal
#15 Calgary Flames: Dustin Wolf / Dan Vladar
#16 San Jose Sharks: Mackenzie Blackwood / Vitek Vanecek
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