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Top-5 goaltenders in the Western Conference?

August 13, 2019, 12:08 PM ET [13 Comments]
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Todd Cordell

1. John Gibson

Gibson ranks 1st in save percentage and quality start% among goaltenders with 200+ games over the last four seasons. He also matched Andrei Vasilevskiy in 5v5 SV% last year while playing behind a train wreck of Anaheim team. He's the best.

2. Pekka Rinne

Has posted a .918 save percentage or better in three consecutive seasons and is just a year removed from a Vezina.

3. Ben Bishop

The Dallas Stars' now surprisingly stingy defense helped the cause, of course, but nobody has posted a better save percentage than Bishop over the last two seasons.

4. Marc-Andre Fleury

Though Fleury's save percentage dipped from .927 in 2017-18 to .913 last season, it was still an above average number in what was a down year for goaltending league-wide.

5. Antti Raanta/Philipp Grubauer

I'm going to cheat a little bit and double up here. Both Raanta and Grubauer have posted fantastic numbers for years now, although over a smaller sample size than the big-name established starters. This is a big season for both of them.

James Tanner

1. John Gibson - he is statistically the best goalie in the NHL

2. Antti Raanta and Darcey Kuemper - Kuemper's stats were off-the-charts crazy last year. He deserved at least a Vezina nomination. Raanta is crazy talented and if he ever had a healthy season on a good team, he'll dominate.

3. Ben Bishop - I don't ever think he's that good, then I notice the stats and am surprised every time. Did you know he's got one of the highest save percentages of all time? Me either.

4. Jordan Binnington - at the Start of last season, the goalie the Leafs just traded for DAVID CLARKSON was considered a better NHL prospect, so who knows what's going to happen. He won the Cup, so he has to go on this list.

5. Marc Andre Fleury - the fans overrate him, the stats guys never believe in him, but all he does is win (even if he just sits on the bench). The Vegas roster is easily capable of a President's Trophy / Stanley Cup season, so Fleury will probably again defy everything we know and keep winning.

Adam French

1. John Gibson - Not only is he pretty much the best goalie in the West, he might be the best in the game. He was used and abused last season behind the incredibly injured and poorly coached Ducks. For most of the season he was a Vezina contender despite the terrible play of those around him. I expect another big year from him.

2. Pekka Rinne - For a few years it was fun to dump on Rinne, but he's been very good for years now and I think people understand his value. He plays behind a very good defense, but I think he's still an elite goalie...at least he was for most of last year...we'll see if father time finally gets him.

3. Ben Bishop - When healthy, it's hard to argue against Bishop being an extremely competent goalie. He proved in the playoffs what he can do when it counts and was very impressive. Health is a major concern, but behind that young Stars defense he should be a Vezina contender.

4. Devan Dubnyk - I struggled with this one. Dubnyk has seen some of the heaviest usages of goaltenders in the league recently. Playing 60+ games for the past four seasons. That's the most games played in the NHL for goalies over that span at 317gp. His .920sv% is right up there with Carey Price and surprisingly good for how little we hear about him.

5. Jordan Binnington - Sort of like how Matt Murray entered lists like these after his first Cup run, Binnington is a hard sell as a truly elite goalie. He's played so few games that we don't really know how he will perform next season with more attention and scrutiny. I can't however keep him off here because he was so fantastic in this short amount of exposure. Hopefully he isn't Cam Ward.

Honourable Mentions - A Healthy Corey Crawford, Robin Lehner (let's see how that goes), MA Fleury (I'm a hater, sue me) and Philipp Grubauer (Needs to show he can handle more usage to be truly "elite")

Peter Tessier

Taking a look at the west when it comes to goalies, the top five in no particular order.

(5v5 and All strengths min 1500 mins)

Bishop- He doesn't seem to get enough recognition and perhaps that's because Dallas is a team that doesn't get enough recognition. 5v5 .938, all strengths .934 and PK .897.

Gibson- If Anaheim were good would he be the guy we talk about all the time? Imagine if he wasn't a Duck, how would that team look? 5v5 .929 AS .917 and PK .885

Binnington- The Blues won the cup with him and signed him after with only 32 games of evidence. 5v5 .941 (tops in league) AS .927 and PK .870

Kuemper- Despite playing in Arizona he had a season and is solid playing 55 games. 5v5 .926 AS .925 PK .897

Rinne- Rumous of his demise are rather premature. 5v5 .930 AS .918 and PK .862

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