Goaltender Volatility Index (GVI): Update #1

We are back with our 1^st update to the popular GOALTENDER VOLATILITY INDEX (GVI). As a reminder the GVI is a ranking of the NHL’s 32 starting goalies based on a mixture of stats (specifically High danger SV% and Even strength SV%), team structure, and psychology. This ranks the goalies on a numeric scale from 1 (rock solid stable -Helly) to 10 (a jenga tower in a twister – that’s really unstable)

TEAM	GOALIE	GVI	ANALYSIS
WPG	Conor Hellebuyck	1	He’s still as stable as they come. Even though he just returned from a month injury absence, it looked as though he didn’t miss a beat. Expect some heavy usage in the next bit given Comrie’s uneven play
WSH	Logan Thompson	2	LT has finally made a believer of me. Even if I shudder every time I see his name because I drafted Markstrom before him for some strange reason. He’s got 13 wins, 2.09 GAA, and .922 SV%.
TBL	Andrei Vasilevsky	2	Currently on IR with an undisclosed injury, but he could return as soon as this evening. 11 wins, 2.31GAA, & .916SV% has him among the most reliable
NYR	Igor Shesterkin	3	Professor Igor is seeing heavy usage in the Rangers’ net. He has often been the best player on this dismal squad. The team needs to perform better for Igor to reach his ceiling.
DAL	Jake Oettinger	3	Jake the snake has been good, not great (2.54 GAA, .907 SV%) but it really hasn’t mattered as the Stars are a wagon (14 wins). Beware of DeSmith lurking though, as he has been good when called upon.
COL	Blackwood/Wedgewood	4	This situation is seeming more and more like a timeshare depending on who is hot and/or healthy. I would lean Blackwood if I had to pick one
NYI	Ilya Sorokin	4	He’s sizzling of late (5 win streak) and is a huge reason the Isles sit in a playoff spot right now (12 wins, 2.5GAA, .912SV%
MIN	Gustavsson/Wallstedt	4	While you are all likely familiar with the wall of St. Paul’s heroics (4 donuts already), Gustavsson has still seen a regular turn in the Wild net and been serviceable (10W, 2.61GAA, .908SV%)
LAK	Darcy Kuemper	4	Kuemper has been quietly good out west – 2.21 GAA, .916SV%. Unfortunately, the Kings struggle to score sitting 28th in the league with 2.65 goals/game. As a result he’s only at 10 wins
FLA	Sergei Bobrovsky	4	Playing time has been no question in the Cats’ crease thus far. The results have been variable to say the least. 3 Shutouts are great. 13 wins are pretty good as well. A 2.84 GAA and sub 900 SV% are the bad parts
CHI	Spencer Knight	5	Another guy who haunts me, Spencer Knight continues a nice campaign on a surprising Hawks team (15W, 2.52GAA, .915SV%). Can they continue to do this well without Conor Bedard?
BOS	Jeremy Swayman	5	J-Sway is enjoying a bit of a bounce back campaign as the B’s have surprised in the East. He’s 3rd in the league with starts that have a >.900 SV% (76% of his starts)
CAR	Brandon Bussi	5	The Bus Driver is Bussin’ right now. 9 straight wins for the 27-year-old who came out of nowhere. He’s subject to waivers if he gets sent down so he’s the Canes’ starter until he cools down (if ever)
EDM	Tristan Jarry	5	Jarry had been having a nice year in Pennsylvania before he was shipped back to where he played junior hockey. He’s certainly going to receive more run support. The defence in front of him? Best defense is a good offense, right?
ANA	Lukas Dostal	5	Just returned from injury, but had looked good beforehand. 11 wins for Dostal thus far is a nice surprise for a Ducks squad that has been unexpectedly good.
VGK	Hart/Schmid	6	A bit of a goalie carousel right now, but it looks as though the Knights’ brass wants Hart to take the net. Regardless of who is starting, they will be backed by solid defense and offensive support. It’s just a bit difficult to know who it will be on a given night.
CGY	Dustin Wolf	6	Wolfie had a slow start to the year, but he’s been much better of late. Over the last weeks he has 4 wins a 1.61GAA and a .940SV% (& a donut). The Flames will struggle as a team unfortunately.
PHI	Dan Vladar	6	The Flyers have been a bit of a surprise this year, much like Vladar. He has 11 wins so far. He had 12 wins all of last year, so it’s looking good for him to have a career year.
DET	John Gibson	6	Gibby has been sizzling of late – 5 wins and 2 donuts in the last 2 weeks. He’s clearly taken control of the Red Wings’ crease.
UTA	Karel Vejmelka	6	The Vejjy monster has a nice 14 wins for the Mammoth. The ratios are not as good, but still serviceable enough (2.78GAA, .891SV%)
OTT	Linus Ullmark	6/7	It’s been a mixed bag for Ullmark – 11 wins is decent. The 3.05GAA and .877SV% are not so nice. At least you know he’s going to be starting more often than not.
TOR	Dennis Hilldeby	7	The Leafs have not looked like a great team in the early goings of the 25/26 season. The Hilldebeast has looked decent (2.72GAA, .920SV%) in a relatively small sample size (save for that drubbing at the hands of the Oilers the other night). Woll may be returning soon, but Stolarz is still out long term.
SJS	Yaroslav Askarov	7	Askarov has been good on a young Sharks’ team that has struggled to defend at times. He’s at 11 wins with a 3.19GAA & .902SV%. There isn’t much playing time competition from Nedeljkovic.
PIT	Stuart Skinner	7	It looks as though this Pens’ starting goalie job is there for the taking. Skinner had been playing well prior to the trade, but this team is definitely a downgrade compared to the Oliers squad he left, so beware.
NSH	Juuse Saros	8	Juuse is playing well over the last weeks. 4 wins, 2.64GAA and .921SV%. He’s got 11 wins on the year on a Preds team that is starting to live up to expectations.
NJD	Markstrom/Allen	8	While the Devils are a decent enough team (18-14-1), their crease is cause for confusion. Entering the year, Marky was expected to be the clear starter with Allen assuming backup duties. Well it’s played out the other way as Allen has more wins (9 vs 8) and better ratios (2.6/.907 vs 3.56/.874).
SEA	Joey Daccord	8	Daccord has been seeing the lion’s share of the starts in the Kraken net. It hasn’t been pretty with only 8 wins, but the ratios haven’t sunk you at least (2.89, .893SV%). Could lose playing time to Grubauer
VAN	Thatcher Demko	8	Thatch daddy just returned from a month injury absence. He’s great when healthy – but he sure isn’t available everyday. He’s been in only 35 games since the start of last season.
MTL	Fowler/Dobes/Monty	8	What a carousel this is. No clue who may be starting (anyone who looks ready to stop a shot I guess) and the Habs’ defence leaves a lot to be desired. At least their offence is good (3.22GF/GP – 10th overall)
BUF	Alex Lyon	8	Lyon has been serviceable, especially when you consider how bad the team has been in front of him. With 6 wins a 2.81 GAA & .905SV% he is the defacto starter in the Sabres’ crease at present. UPL has been dreadful in comparison
CBJ	Jet Greaves	9	Jet has not been bad in terms of ratios (2.75/.905) but wins have been hard to come by on this Jackets team. His last W came on Nov. 20. That coupled with the presence of Elvis (who has not left the building – still not good though [4.03/.879])
STL	Jordan Binnington	9	It’s been a rough stretch for Binner who only has 3 wins over the last month and an unsightly 3.49GAA and .869SV%. He’s definitely ceding some starts to Hofer as a result.

The only thing that stands between you and the fantasy promise land is half-decent goaltending. The GVI will hopefully help you filter out the fantasy signal from the fantasy noise. With any luck, it will allow you to tread the treacherous goalie waters filled with 6s and 7s. And remember – never trust a goalie. Especially not longer than 7 days.

Doc out