Goalie Gab: Five Fantasy Hockey Goaltending Tandems to Watch

Hey folks. We're bringing Goalie Gab back, and this time we're talking about one of the most volatile parts of fantasy hockey: goalie tandems. Goaltending can be incredibly difficult to predict from one season to the next, and when two goalies are competing for playing time, figuring out who will actually provide fantasy value becomes even tougher.

I still prefer my Zero G strategy when building fantasy teams, but I know plenty of fantasy managers want to draft goalies. If you're going to do that, you need to understand the situations you're buying into. These five tandems all have something interesting going on, whether it's a young goalie taking over, a veteran trying to hold onto his job, or two goalies who could both have fantasy value. Let's dive in and take a look at these duos guarding the crease together.

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Mackenzie Blackwood & Scott Wedgewood - Colorado Avalanche

If you're looking for a goalie tandem where you really can't go wrong, Colorado might be the best example. Wedgewood had an incredible season, finishing with 31 wins, a .921 save percentage and a 2.02 GAA, while Blackwood went 23-10-2 with a 2.51 GAA. The two combined for a 54-16-8 record and won the William M. Jennings Trophy, so there is plenty of fantasy value to go around behind one of the best teams in the NHL.

I know the projections are heavily favoring Wedgewood after what he did last season, but I'm not buying that he'll suddenly become the clear starter. Blackwood missed the beginning of last season with an injury and had to play catch-up, but once he returned, he re-established himself as a legitimate part of this tandem. I expect this to remain much more of a 1A/1B situation, with Blackwood eventually carving out a slight majority of the workload. There really isn't a bad choice here because both goalies should have plenty of opportunities to rack up wins behind Colorado's elite roster.

From a fantasy perspective, don't let the projections or ADP make the decision for you. Wedgewood deserves plenty of respect after his career year, but I'm betting on Blackwood to take back a little more of this crease now that he's entering the season healthy. If you're willing to draft both, this is one of the tandems where I wouldn't mind doing it, but if I'm choosing one, Blackwood is the goalie I'm taking.

Jakub Dobes & Jacob Fowler - Montreal Canadiens

I think Dobes has taken control of this crease, and I'm much more confident in him than I am in Fowler heading into this season. Dobes started last season as Montreal's backup but eventually took over the job and was the goalie the Canadiens trusted when the playoffs arrived. He went 29-10-4 during the regular season, and his performance in the postseason earned him a three-year contract extension.

Fowler is a fantastic young goaltender and could absolutely become Montreal's starter down the road, but I don't think this is a particularly close competition right now. Dobes has earned the opportunity to start, and I believe this is his net to lose as long as he continues to perform. There is also still the Sam Montembeault situation to watch, as Montreal currently has three NHL-capable goalies and appears unlikely to carry all three.

From a fantasy perspective, this is a little bit of a riskier bet on Dobes, but I'm willing to make it. Montreal has a young, talented core that is looking to take another step, and if Dobes can carry over what he showed last season, he could be the guy behind them when they're making a serious push toward the Stanley Cup Final. I've already hedged my bets on Dobes, and I think he's the goalie to target here.

Logan Thompson & Charlie Lindgren - Washington Capitals

I think people are giving this Washington tandem a little too much credit heading into the season. To me, this isn't really a 1A/1B situation. This is Thompson's crease, and I expect Washington to lean heavily on him. Thompson started 58 games last season while Lindgren appeared in just 21, and Lindgren has struggled to replicate the form he showed during his breakout 2023-24 season.

I'm expecting Thompson to start at least that many games this season again, and I think that workload is going to be important for a Washington team that has added more talent up front and is trying to get back into serious contention. The Capitals have built themselves a much stronger offensive group, and if they are going to make another push while giving Alex Ovechkin another opportunity to chase a Stanley Cup, I expect Thompson to be the guy carrying the bulk of the workload.

From a fantasy perspective, I wouldn't treat Lindgren like a traditional tandem partner. He's a backup, and that's how I would value him unless something changes. Thompson is the goalie I'm interested in here because the combination of workload and a better Washington team gives him a very good opportunity to pile up wins. Lindgren has some value as a handcuff, but I'm not drafting him expecting a 1B workload.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen & Alex Lyon - Buffalo Sabres

If there is one tandem on this list where I could see fantasy managers making a legitimate case for drafting both goalies, it's Buffalo. Luukkonen and Lyon split the workload almost perfectly last season, with each starting 34 games, and both played an important role in getting the Sabres to the playoffs. This wasn't a situation where one goalie was simply keeping the other warm on the bench. They were both legitimate options for Buffalo throughout the season.

I still expect Luukkonen to get the majority of the starts, but I don't think it will be by much. This should be a real battle throughout the season, and Lyon has already shown that he can handle a significant workload when called upon. He also took over during Buffalo's first round playoff series against Boston after Luukkonen struggled, which only adds to the intrigue surrounding this crease.

From a fantasy perspective, Buffalo is going to be a dangerous team again, and that makes both goalies interesting. If you're willing to draft both, this is the type of tandem where you could get legitimate value from each goalie rather than simply owning a backup as insurance. Luukkonen is the goalie I'd expect to lead the team in starts, but Lyon should get enough work to make this one of the rare situations where owning both sides could actually make sense.

Tristan Jarry & Devon Levi - Edmonton Oilers

This is the goalie situation on this list that scares me the most. I simply don't have much faith in either Jarry or Levi right now, and that's what makes this such a difficult fantasy situation to predict. Jarry has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career, but we've also seen some truly ugly stretches, including his struggles after arriving in Edmonton last season. Levi, meanwhile, was the odd man out in Buffalo and now arrives in Edmonton with just 39 NHL games under his belt.

The problem here is that it might not be a case of the best goalie earning the majority of the starts. It could be a case of the goalie who plays the least simply being the one the coaching staff trusts the least. That's a very important distinction for fantasy managers. And now, Frederik Andersen is also in the mix, giving Edmonton three goalies to potentially rotate through once he is healthy. Jarry currently has the inside track, but there is enough uncertainty here that I don't want to make any assumptions about how this crease will look by December.

From a fantasy perspective, buyer beware. Jarry could give you a shutout one night and get shelled and pulled the next, while Levi still has to prove he can consistently handle an NHL workload. Edmonton's offense makes this situation tempting because wins will be available, but I'm not willing to chase those wins when I don't trust the goaltending. If possible, this is a situation I would rather avoid altogether.