The Goalie Conundrum
Not a lot of spots for excess goalies to go
The goalies shown in this list are ones who will at this point have ratings next season and are under contract for next season as well.
Colorado Avalanche
Cam Talbot
Philipp Grubauer
Alex Lyon
Alex Nedeljkovic
Landon Bow
Choice is fairly obvious here. Cam Talbot will likely be protected. Grubauer had an excellent season as a backup last season but has taken a step back this year. Grubauer, with a very discounted salary the next 4 seasons, will get taken in the expansion draft so Bryce does have some decisions to make. The other 3 all have sub .900 save percentages in the AHL so are likely safe right now.
Chicago Blackhawks
Scott Darling
Daniel Altshuller
Kent Simpson
Michael Hutchinson
Chicago has some flexibility. Darling has been hot garbage this season but, based on how goalie ratings work, will still be a serviceable cheap backup next year. Hutchinson is having an excellet season in the AHL but at 27, and with potentially a solid group of goalies available, will likely be safe as well.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Thomas Greiss
Nick Ellis
Brandon Halverson
Signing Greiss to a 2 year deal has turned into a massive mistake. Greiss is one of the worst goalies in the NHL this year and with a big salary, won't be picked when exposed. Halverson looks like a bust and Ellis is a serviceable AHL'er. Columbus definitely has a goalie protection spot open for the draft.
St. Louis Blues
Matt Murray
Reto Berra
Alex Stalock
Matt Murray will be protected. Eric loves him like he loves Ben Roethlisberger. Slightly complicating things though is Alex Stalock who has a .917 save percentage in 17 games this season and is signed to a long term cheap deal. Even Reto Berra has had a strong, albeit, short NHL stint this season. St. Louis is another team with some decisions to make.
Boston Bruins
Andrei Vasilevski
Pretty cut and dry here. Vasilevski is the only goalie that stands to be rated next season.
Montreal Canadiens
Sergei Bobrovksy
Jordan Binnington
Steve Mason
Another easy one here. Rumpy's favourite goalie is having another solid season and will be protected. Mason continues his decline and will stick Montreal with his bad contract for one more season. Binnington is having a solid AHL season.
Vancouver Canucks
Antti Niemi
Casey DeSmith
Linus Ullmark
Thatcher Demko
Canucks will protect Demko. They acted early and moved Jarry out before all hell breaks loose. Ullmark is having a solid AHL season. DeSmith had a cup of coffee in Pittsburgh but isn't a risk to be picked and Niemi is Niemi so there's that.
Washington Capitals
Brian Elliott
Keith Kinkaid
Adin Hill
Elliott is having an ok season in the NHL and would probably be worth using the protection spot on if he had a lower salary. His high salary likely leaves him safe in unprotected. Anthony's favourite goalie, Kinkaid, is not having a good season so far but can be signed long term for a cheap rate so may be worth being the goalie protected.
Arizona Coyotes
Martin Jones
Ondrej Pavalec
Maxime Lagace
Martin Jones is the easy choice here. Pavalec and Lagace have some value and are risks to be selected. Pavalec has been good in a backup role for New York and Lagace got a lengthy stay with Vegas during their goalie injury crisis.
New Jersey Devils
Curtis McElhinney
Devan Dubnyk
Mike McKenna
Dubnyk is having another good season and has a cheap salary so he'll be seeing the protection slot here. McElhinney has some value as a solid backup with a very cheap salary so he may be at risk of being picked in the draft.
Anaheim Ducks
Garret Sparks
John Gibson
Mackenzie Blackwood
Again a clear choice as Gibson will be protected here. Unless there's a Leafs homer at the helm of an expansion team, Sparks should be safe and Blackwood is exempt so fairly cut and dry in Anaheim.
Calgary Flames
Michael Leighton
Tristan Jarry
Kevin acquired Jarry earlier this year with an eye to the future. With both main roster goalies heading to UFA, Jarry will be protected and be a big pieces of the team next year. Leighton is an AHL journeyman at this point having only played 6 NHL games in the last 6 years.
Philadelphia Flyers
Marc Andre Fleury
Mike Condon
Pheonix Copley
When Fleury has been healthy, he's been excellent and will be protected here barring a trade which is unlikely at this point. Anthony has been trying to trade Condon but may find that difficult. Condon has some value although his performance so far this season has been subpar. With a new contract needed at a higher than backup wage, he may go unpicked.
Carolina Hurricanes
Jake Allen
Troy Grosenick
Zane McIntyre
Allen is the easy choice here. Allen is having another decent season and will be the key to Carolina's success next year. Grosenick and McIntyre have sup .900 save percentages in the AHL so they will be safe from expansion.
New York Islanders
Tuukka Rask
Robin Lehner
The Isles inexplicably acquired Tuukka Rask tonight now giving them an issue going into expansion. One would assume Rask will be the pick since they just gave up a lot to get him but Lehner will definitely be selected in the expansion draft.
Winnipeg Jets
Carey Price
Jacob Markstrom
Kasimir Kaskisuo
Malcolm Subban
Normally goalie riches would be a blessing but not this season. Jordan has to decide who he wants to keep, likely Price, and who he can try and get assets for as Markstrom and Subban will definitely be picked in the expansion draft. Subban has been excellent for Vegas this season.
Los Angeles Kings
Ben Bishop
Antti Raanta
Eddie Lack
Bobrovsky is the easy.. oh wait, no. Bishop and Raanta are having fairly similar seasons but Raanta is cheaper and signed longer so he'll be the pick. Rumpy will have to make a decision on Bishop at some point though as he will be picked if left exposed.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Anders Nilsson
Mike Smith
Parker Milner
Ville Husso
Vitek Vanecek
Mike Smith is having another unspectacularily solid season. He should be the pick here with a cheap salary despite his age. Nilsson is not having a great season in Vancouver and is in line for a significant raise. He's still has a decent shot to be selected however. Husso and Vanecek are decent prospects and could potentially be selected depending on the GM.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Al Montoya
Calvin Pickard
Cory Schneider
Dustin Tokarski
Garret doesn't have quite the mess on his hands as his brother. Schneider is the obvious selection here. Montoya has been a reliable backup but concussion issues have limited him this year and will likely keep him safe with other better choices out there.
Edmonton Oilers
Jack Campbell
Jared Coreau
Scott Wedgewood
Wedgewood has seen signicant playing time behind Raanta in Arizona this year and will be the choice here. His stats aren't great but left unprotected, he will likely be picked as he's still quite young for a goaltender.
Florida Panthers
Darcy Kuemper
Laurent Brossoit
Pekka Rinne
David Rittich
A shocker in Florida where Rex is going to leave a mess behind for the next GM. Rinne is the likely choice to be protected but he's older and expensive. Rittich has taken over the backup role in Calgary and has excellent numbers. Kuemper continues to be a solid backup goalie. Brossoit has been the worst of the 4 but the Oiler homers will be out in full force. Potential is there to lose all the goalies that are unprotected.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Jonathan Quick
Joonas Korpisalo
Quick is the likely choice here. He's having an excellent season and is the best choice to help the Penguins reach their goal this season and next. That'll likely come at the risk of losing Korpisalo though as he's proving to be a reliable backup at this early stage in his career.
Nashville Predators
Jimmy Howard
Roberto Luongo
Eddie Pasquale
Richard Bachman
Tyler faces a tough choice. Luongo has been the guy in Nashville for the past few seasons but he's hurt in the NHL. Howard, with similar stats, is cheaper and his playing more. Do you risk leaving Luongo exposed in the hopes of only having 1 year left on his contract will leave him unselected? Tough call.
New York Rangers
Frederik Andersen
Aaron Dell
Dan Vladar
Kristers Gudlevskis
Marek Mazanec
Andersen is the easy choice here. The Maple Leafs starting goalie is signed long term for a low salary and is having another solid NHL season. Larry will have to decide what to do with Aaron Dell though as he is having an excellent season as a backup and is signed cheaply for the next couple of seasons. He's a guarantee to be selected if left exposed.
Detroit Red Wings
Connor Hellebuyck
Kevin Boyle
Had this all written up and Nolan goes and solves his problem for next year by moving Rask for Crawford. Hellebuyck is the very obvious choice now.
Buffalo Sabres
Anton Forsberg
Petr Mrazek
Jon Gillies
Specer Martin
Forsberg is having the better season between himself and Mrazek. Both, along with Gillies are still young and have potential. Forsberg is the likely choice but at least Mrazek is potentially picked if available.
Ottawa Senators
Braden Holtby
Adam Wilcox
Antoine Bibeau
Not a tough call here. Holtby will be protected. The other 2 are serviceable AHL'ers but not at risk of being selected.
San Jose Sharks
Eric Comrie
Michal Neuvirth
Semyon Varlamov
Charlie Lindgren
JF Berube
Another tough call for the rebuilding Sharks here. All 5 goalies have seen NHL time this season. Varlamov is the best and has rebounded in Colorado this season. Lindgren debuted for Montreal and was excellent while Price was hurt and Neuvirth has continued to be a solid goalie in Philadelphia.
Dallas Stars
James Reimer
Chris Driedger
Tom McCollum
Reimer has taken over the starting roll in Florida after Luongo went down and is doing a good job so far. He's the easy choice here as the other 2 are career AHL'ers at this point.
Minnesota Wild
Juuse Saros
Louis Domingue
Christopher Gibson
Saros will be the chosen one in Minnesota Finnish nationality aside. Domingue may be at risk of being selected though as he's been a decent backup in the past.
Sooo as you can see, there are a lot of goalies out there with very few available chairs for them to sit in. Columbus is really the only team with a clear cut spot for a goalie. There may be opportunities in some spots like Washington and Chicago but that's all up in the air.