Goaltending is where fantasy hockey seasons get won in November, and the position has rarely moved this fast this early. Carolina has a goalie chasing NHL history, the best netminder of the last decade just changed conferences, Winnipeg’s crease has collapsed without him, and injuries in Calgary, Florida and Vegas have shuffled the starts. This is the goalie report for the week: who to lock in, who to grab and who to stop starting.
Lock Him In: Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes
Kochetkov’s 26-save shutout in Sunday’s 7-0 rout of the Jets made him 10-0 on the season, a Hurricanes franchise record. He is only the third goalie in NHL history to win each of his first 10 games of a season, joining Carey Price (10 straight in 2016-17) and Jack Campbell (11 straight in 2020-21). It was his second shutout of the season and the 13th of his career.
The fantasy case goes beyond the streak. Carolina is 12-2-2, first in the Metropolitan Division, and has won 12 of its past 14, so Kochetkov is getting the ideal mix of win equity and a team that rarely leaves him exposed. A 10-0 record will regress, since no goalie keeps winning every start, but the floor here is a top-five fantasy goalie on a team built to win most nights. If you’re in a league where someone is shopping him as a sell-high, the asking price should be a first-round skater. He is not someone you move for a lateral return.
The New No. 1 in Newark: Connor Hellebuyck, Devils
New Jersey acquired Hellebuyck from Winnipeg on Oct. 23 for goalie Nico Daws, forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, prospect Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. After holding out for a trade into the season, he has been exactly what the Devils needed: a 5-1 win in Dallas in his debut on Oct. 27, then 19 saves on 21 shots in a 5-2 win at Vegas on Oct. 30. Two starts, two wins, three goals allowed.
The key detail for fantasy managers is how the Devils are easing him in. Jake Allen started the second half of the back-to-back in Colorado and made 40 saves in a 5-2 loss, and Hellebuyck got a few days off before his expected home debut tonight against Edmonton. Expect the Devils to keep spotting Allen on back-to-backs for a few more weeks. After that, Hellebuyck should settle into a true starter’s workload behind a team scoring enough to win plenty of games. The three-time Vezina winner is coming off a down 2025-26 (23-23-11, 2.86 GAA, .895 save percentage) on a declining Jets team, so the change of scenery is a big part of the appeal.
Fantasy call: Start him every time he’s confirmed. Allen drops to handcuff-only status, worth holding in deep leagues because of the back-to-back starts and nothing more.
The Crease to Avoid: Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is the cautionary tale. The Jets are 4-8-3, last in the Central, and have gone nine straight games without a win (0-7-2). Stuart Skinner, signed to a two-year deal in July to bridge the Hellebuyck standoff, has been pulled in back-to-back starts. He gave up five goals on 21 shots through two periods in a 6-4 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday, then five on 17 shots before leaving at 9:09 of the second period in Carolina. Waiver claim Clay Stevenson finished Sunday’s game with 13 saves, and Daws, who arrived in the Hellebuyck trade, gives coach Scott Arniel a third option.
Arniel put the blame on the skaters, saying the team’s mistakes were leaving its goalies out to dry. That is probably fair, and it is also the problem for fantasy managers. A three-goalie rotation behind a team that can’t defend is the worst setup in the format: no clear starter, few wins and ratio damage every time you guess wrong.
Fantasy call: Skinner is droppable in 12-team leagues until Winnipeg’s play steadies. Stevenson and Daws are not pickups. If you need to target opposing skaters, the Jets’ schedule is a good place to look: Montreal gets them tonight.
Injury Shuffle: Who Gets the Starts
Calgary: Dustin Wolf Takes Back the Crease
Devin Cooley left the Flames’ 4-0 win over Edmonton on Oct. 28 with a lower-body injury, was placed on injured reserve and is listed week-to-week. Coach Ryan Huska didn’t give a firmer timeline. That hands the crease back to Dustin Wolf for at least the next couple of weeks. Wolf has been a quality fantasy starter before, and a run of uncontested starts makes him a must-roster player again. If he was dropped in your league during Cooley’s hot stretch, he is the top goalie add of the week.
Florida: Jacob Markstrom Returns
Markstrom, back with the Panthers after being dealt by New Jersey over the summer, came off injured reserve Monday and made 24 saves in a 5-3 loss to Detroit. That ended Florida’s three-game winning streak, but one of Detroit’s five goals went into an empty net, and the game turned on a third-period push by the Red Wings. Markstrom should reclaim the bulk of Florida’s starts right away. The Panthers win enough games for him to be a solid No. 2 fantasy goalie, though at 36 he carries a real risk of more missed time.
Vegas: Hold Your Adin Hill Pickup Loosely
Carter Hart was hurt during the Golden Knights’ morning skate on Oct. 27 and missed that night’s game against Ottawa. Adin Hill started and won 4-1, then started again in the loss to Hellebuyck and the Devils. The good news for Hart managers is that he was back at practice two days after the injury, and Vegas hasn’t announced a long-term absence. Hill is a fine short-term streamer, but don’t spend significant FAAB on him. This looks like a timeshare that tilts back toward Hart once he’s cleared.
Quick Goalie Rankings Movement
- Rising: Kochetkov (locked in as a top-five option), Hellebuyck (top-10 again once his workload ramps up), Wolf (must-roster while Cooley is out)
- Steady: Markstrom (No. 2 fantasy goalie with health risk), Hill (short-term streamer only)
- Falling: Skinner (droppable), Cooley (stash only in deep leagues until he returns), Allen (backup-only value now that Hellebuyck is in New Jersey)
The takeaway for the week: wins drive goalie value, and right now the wins are piling up in Carolina and New Jersey. Ride Kochetkov, start Hellebuyck whenever he’s confirmed, get Wolf onto your roster if he’s sitting on waivers, and stop chasing starts in Winnipeg until that team gives its goalies a reason to trust it.
See today's NHL lines on DFS Lines, each one set against the player's last ten games.