Fantasy Hockey Zero Goalies Draft Strategy: Dustin Wolf, Mackenzie Blackwood and More

Hey folks, with about a month away from the NHL preseason, I thought it would be great to talk about one of the draft strategies that is being used more and more in most league formats.

That strategy is “Zero G” or zero goalies, which obviously employs you to either draft no goalies at all, focusing entirely on forwards and defenseman, or waiting until your late or final rounds of drafting to pick up your netminders.

We will go over some examples of how or why this has seen some really good success, and why it may benefit your squad long term this season.

Let's dive right in, shall we?

Make sure to check out our Fantasy Hockey Average Draft Position (ADP) tool. You can select the amount of teams in your league, number of rounds, your pick position, and even select keepers. Do a mock draft, and be ready for your draft!

Exceptions to the Rule

Zero G has seen a success and is getting more and more common in fantasy leagues, however there are always exceptions to the rule. Obviously there are tried, true, and tested starting goaltenders that should be considered if available, especially if you are in a dynasty league. Zero G doesn't have the same effect in dynasty leagues, and are more tailored towards full redraft leagues, or keeper leagues with minimal keeper spots.

Goalies such as Connor Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy, or Jake Oettinger would be hedged as safe bets if wanting to follow a hybrid or modified Zero G strat. All of these are top 3, consistent starters who will stack starts, wins, and pretty well every other category that will pull you ahead in your matchups.

Another quick note, is all of these are likely going to be selected as keepers in leagues that you are able to select them, so keep this in mind.

Hellebuyck had 47 wins in 67 starts as a goaltender. He also had a .925 save percentage, 2.00 goals against average, and six shutouts.

Vassy had 38 wins in 63 starts as a goaltender. He also had a .921 save percentage, 2.18 goals against average, and six shutouts.

Ottinger had 36 wins in 58 starts as a goaltender. He also had a .909 save percentage, 2.59 goals against average, and two shutouts.

Undrafted Steals

Goaltenders are both a make or break position for your weekly matchups, but are also the most up and down/hot and cold. Goaltenders are, for the most part, unpredictable. You never know who is going to have a hot glove, or steal a crease. 

Also, you must pay close attention to starters as it can be unpredictable who will be getting the start in net, especially with the trending duo goaltender setup on many teams. A lot of teams are having two goaltenders switch out and share the load of starts, meaning the days of “starter” goaltenders who take majority of the starts and only rest on back-to-back nights are becoming less and less common. This changes in playoffs, but that doesn't matter for fantasy to it must be considered when choosing your goaltenders in your draft.

Lots of undrafted or late draft pick goaltenders emerged last year, again proving that the Zero G strat has validity and proven success.

Dustin Wolf - Calgary Flames

In my Underrated Average Draft Positions article, I spoke about Wolf.

Wolf came out and burst onto the scene and stole the crease, and the hearts of Flames fans and proved he was ready to be not only a starter, but a cornerstone in their rebuild.

Impressive numbers and mental fortitude for a young goalie gave the Flames the spark they needed to get back on track after half a decade of struggling with no hope in sight.

Easily one of the best up-and-coming goalies in the league who will stack starts, and especially in a dynasty league, will be worth his weight in gold, not only this year, but in years to come.

Wolf had an impressive 29 wins in 56 starts as a starting goaltender. He also had a .910 save percentage, 2.64 goals against average, and three shutouts.

Mackenzie Blackwood - Colorado Avalanche

Blackwood started the year with the San Jose Sharks, who were among the worst teams in the league. He already had good numbers there, and with the star-studded Avs in front of him after being moved before the trade deadline, his numbers only got better. 

In most leagues, Blackwood was on the waiver wire at the time of the trade, and everyone raced to pick him up, and those who were able to rode him like a horse and cashed in their winning lottery ticket. An elite starter who was basically a free pickup mid-season.

Blackwood had 28 wins in 53 starts as a goaltender. He also had a .912 save percentage, 2.55 goals against average, and four shutouts.

Kevin Lankinen - Vancouver Canucks

Another great example of an undrafted goaltender who was able to pick up the reigns and stack starts for the Canucks. The Canucks started the season without starter Thatcher Demko, and even upon his return it was a fight for the crease.

Savvy fantasy league managers were able to pick up Lankinen off of the waiver wire and hold him for the remainder of the season as he saw success. It's a toss up what the Canucks will do in the crease this year, and the better Demko plays, the less starts that Lankinen will see, however Demko was in high demand last year, and Lankinen was free and able to produce more points throughout the entire season. A Zero G success story to say the least.

Lankinen had 25 wins in 49 starts as a goaltender. He also had a .902 save percentage, 2.62 goals against average, and four shutouts.

Supporting Evidence

There are two goalies that scream why Zero G might work for you, and they stick out like a sore thumb. Of course, I am talking about Tristan Jarry and Alexandar Georgiev. Both goalies who have seen success, and been on winning teams, however have both seen peaks and valleys in their performance. And when I say valleys, I mean to the depths of the Mariana Trench.

Jarry completely lost his game, and saw himself playing in the AHL twice, and neither stint was he successful or able to find his game again. We are talking about a 2022 All-Star selection goalie, who couldn't make a save in the minors just two years later. He went from a sure thing, to an instant drop and waste of a draft selection.

Jarry had 16 wins in 35 starts. He also had an .899 save percentage, 3.15 goals against average, and four shutouts (somehow). Also of note, he only won six of his 12 starts in the AHL last season.

Georgiev saw himself go from the powerhouse Avalanche with Cale Makar in front of him, to the bottom dwelling up-and-coming Sharks. This is where the gaps in his game really started to show. No longer could his team outscore his swiss cheese-like ability to stop a puck. 

Gone were the days of him stacking wins on poor performances. With the Avs, Georgiev would stack starts and wins, and get away with bad nights, but on the Sharks, these were amplified and he became un-rosterable, even as a starter.

Those who drafted Georgiev thinking at least he is the starter on the Avs, so I will get starts and wins, cursed themselves as the trade broke. Even Blackwood was outplaying him on the Sharks, so Georgiev's time in the spotlight quickly came to an end. He ended the season in most leagues on the waiver wire.

Georgiev had just 15 wins in 47 starts as a goaltender. He also had an .875 save percentage, and a 3.71 goals against average with zero shutouts. Yikes!

Conclusion

I think some of the stats, and examples above speak for themselves. Obviously a lot of strategy is about projections, planning, and a little bit of luck.

An injury here, a trade there, coupled with some good performances and consistent starts. All that said, there is some good arguments to be made for Zero G. If you are in multiple leagues, I would suggest giving it a go in one of them and see how it impacts your drafts and roster.

Obviously you'll end up getting more firepower up front, and better defenders on the blue line with the open picks that others end up taking goaltenders. Keep in mind, that Zero G is a long game strategy and you'll lack good starters in the beginning until goalies start to emerge and you get a feel for who is going to be a solid pickup for the season.

It's worth a try though, and with the ups and downs of goaltenders, it's not out of the realm of possibility that people will give up on goalies early on with a bad streak that you can capitalize on too, which means someone else drafted a goalie for you, that you can snag for free!