By Ray Flowers
May 29, 2008 1:27pm CDT

With the playoffs down to just two teams, I thought it might be a good time to look ahead to next season. So sit back with me, pull out your magic 8-ball, and let's see if my predictions match yours in a series of categories having to do with goalies for next season.

PART I - Forward

PART II - Defensemen


Goalie most likely to come out of nowhere to win 30 games

Eastern Conference - Kari Lehtonen
Considering he won 34 games in ’06-’07, this call really isn’t any stretch. The problem is that Kari was a massive disappointment, along with many of his teammates, last season. All told, Lehtonen went 17-22-5 for the Thrashers with the worst GAA of his career (2.90). On the flip side, he tied his career high with four shutouts and posted a .916 SV%, his highest mark during the three years in which he has played at least 10 games, so it’s not like you can totally lay this one at his feet, as it's obvious the defense will need to improve in front of him. There have long been concerns that he wears down when asked to shoulder the load for long stretches of time, but there is still every reason to believe the former first-round draft pick will bounce back in 2008 and produce numbers very similar to those he put up in 2006-07 (34-24-9 with a 2.79 GAA).

Western Conference - Patrick Lalime Lalime has had a winding path during his NHL career: from a fantastic start in Pittsburgh, to minor league purgatory, to fame in Ottawa, followed by despair in St. Louis and finally a role in Chicago serving as Nikolai Khabibulin’s backup. Now the truth is that Lalime is a longshot to win 30 games next season given that he started only 30 games in ’07-’08, but the team certainly isn’t happy with the play of Khabibulin, who was signed to a big contract that he has failed miserably to live up to, with a 65-72-17 record in three seasons in the Windy City. If the team could move him they probably would, given his ineffective play, coupled with some injury woes that had held him to 50 games started in two of the last three seasons. Regardless, it’s a longshot to count on Lalime at this point, but he could emerge if the Blackhawks make a big move and send the high-priced Bullin Wall packing.


Goalie most likely to come out of nowhere to win 40 games

Eastern Conference - Cristobal Huet This is an obvious name to throw out there, but the truth is that 40-win seasons just aren’t that easy to come by, so the goalies we are calling out have to be ones you already know fairly well. Of course, there is a major issue here, and that revolves around playing time. Long-time Caps goalie Olaf Kolzig says that his career in Washington is over, and that he will look to play elsewhere, which would seem to open the door for Huet. However, Huet is a free agent and has yet to agree to return to the Capitals next season. With an up-and-coming team, coupled with the fact he went 11-2 with a 1.63 GAA down the stretch for the Caps after he was acquired from the Habs, he would appear to be in a great place to push to join the 40-win club considering the club has no clear cut alternatives to play net at the moment. Huet started a career-high 51 games this past season, but with a 2.43 GAA and .918 SV% in 183 career appearances, he deserves the chance to run out there 70 times to see what he can do.


Western Conference - Dan Ellis Chris Mason was a star in 2006-07, going 24-11-4 with a .925 SV%, and he was the clear-cut starter for the Predators in ’07-’08. But a funny thing happened on the way to All-Star status for the clean-shaven one. He flopped. Mason was 18-22-6 last year, but worse yet was the precipitous dive his save percentage took, as it fell all the way down to .898. While Mason struggled with his game, rookie Dan Ellis picked up the mantle of best young goalie in Nashville and parlayed 44 games of playing time into a 23-10-3 record with a sparkling .924 SV% and six shutouts. Ellis, ultra consistent all year with a .924 SV% in his first 21 games and a .924 SV% over his final 23 games, will enter next season as the unquestioned leader in net for a team and organization that just won’t quit no matter what obstacles are thrown in their way.


Most likely backup goalie to emerge as a #1 netminder

Eastern Conference - Karri Ramo In 2007-08, the Bolts' goaltending situation was a total mess. Johan Holmqvist started the most games with the clubs, going 20-16-6 with substandard ratios (3.01 GAA, .890 SV%). This was his second straight poor season for the Lightning (he had a 2.85 GAA and .893 SV% in 2006-07), so the team moved him to Dallas at the trade deadline. In return they picked up Mike Smith, who will almost certainly enter next season as the club's starter.

After going 24-14-2 with a .909 save percentage in a year and a half with Dallas, Smith struggled mightily in Tampa, going 3-10 with a .893 SV%. At some point you have to blame a team’s defense when every goalie they throw in there posts virtually identical numbers, but the point is that Smith looked like a different goalie in Tampa than he had in Dallas. All of this means that Ramo will likely have a chance to steal some playing time early, and if he shows himself to be up to the challenge, he would appear to be in line to challenge Smith for the #1 role. Though his ratios were poor last season (3.03 GAA, .899 SV%), Ramo did improve substantially after the All-Star break, going 5-4-2 with a 2.72 GAA and .912 SV%. The point is if you grab Smith, you had better cover your rear and grab Ramo too, as this is certainly a situation that is far from a clear cut call one way or the other.

Western Conference - Jonathan Bernier
Much like the Lightning, the Kings are a black hole of goaltending that sucks in netminders, rendering them almost invisible. Seven goalies found themselves between the pipes last season for the Kings (or shall we call them paupers?). Jason LaBarbera saw the most action, starting 42 games, but after an amazing October (1.91 GAA, .934 SV%), he fell apart (3.00 GAA for the year), was injured, and didn’t played after February 18th. Dan Cloutier continued to flounder, J-S Aubin is clearly a backup netminder, and though Erik Ersberg did some excellent work late in the season (6-5-3, 2.48 GAA, .927 SV), he may not be the long-term answer to the team's woes.

Regardless, it is clear that the Kings' future rests with the pads of Jonathan Bernier, their first-round pick in the 2006 draft. Bernier was overmatched at the NHL level in ’07-’08, posting a .864 SV% in four starts before being sent back to juniors. Late in the year he was called up to make a few starts for the Kings AHL club in Manchester, and he faired very well, going 1-1-1 in three starts with a 1.63 GAA and .946 SV%. Keep an eye on him and how the team uses him in camp, as he could open the year as the team’s starter, its backup, or possibly even begin the year in the minors. Whatever the situation, it would be a mild surprise if he wasn’t starting for the Kings at some point in 2008.


Most overlooked goalie to target

Eastern Conference - Rick DiPietro Yes, he signed a huge contract that’s for something like 37 years (okay, it’s just 15 years), and he did miss games last season due to a knee injury, personal reasons and a hip issue that ultimately required surgery. The good news, however, is that his value will be severely depressed next year because of these facts, despite the knowledge that he has started at least 62 games in each of the last three seasons. Toss in a 15-year contract, and few goalies have a better hold on the starting spot with their organization.

Over the last three years, DiPietro has averaged 29 victories a season for a second division club, and once the Isles finally figure out how to field a competitive team, that number should go up. Despite often putrid defense in front of him, Rick owns a career save percentage of .905, and he has eight shutouts the past two seasons. He also faces a lot of shots, an average of 29.2 a game the past three years, so those of you in league that count saves should keep DiPietro right in the middle of that third tier of goalies for next season.

Western Conference - Manny Legace This guy could be the Rodney Dangerfield of hockey, as he certainly gets little respect. Small (5’9�, 160 lbs), on a merely average team, and old (35), Legace is often an afterthought on draft day each season despite some impressive ratios. Legace owns a career GAA of 2.31 with a save percentage of .914, tremendous numbers that most people just chalk up to the fact he backstopped the powerful Red Wings for years. This is of course true, but it’s not like he has been garbage since joining the Blues. Since moving to St. Louis, Legace is 50-40-13 with a .909 SV% and 2.48 GAA, certainly passable numbers for a guy who is often selected well after the majority of #1 goalies are taken.