Ranking Metropolitan Division Goaltenders

In 2023-24, the New Jersey Devils employed five goalies to finish 38-39-5 and seventh in the Metropolitan Division.

Despite the best intentions of General Manager Tom Fitzgerald to acquire someone to move the needle, he did not get a deal down at the last NHL Trade Deadline.

However, the gloves came off when the regular season ended, and New Jersey finally acquired a true starter in Jacob Markstrom.

After spending the past 11 seasons in Western Canada, the Swedish netminder is back on the East Coast and joins the Metropolitan Division stacked with Vezina-caliber netminders.

Now, with Markstrom in the fold, where does he rank among other division rivals? Let's look inside the numbers to see if the Devils have one of the better netminders within their market.

Ranking Metropolitan Division Goalies

One of the best netminders in the league is Igor Shesterkin from the New York Rangers. He's already won a Vezina Trophy in four seasons and finished as a Hart Trophy finalist. Replacing Henrik Lundqvist is no easy task, but Shesterkin has handled it well.

Meanwhile, on Long Island, Ilya Sorokin has had a brilliant start to his career, and despite a subpar season in 2023-24, he's still one of the best young goalies in the league. Ultimately, he's tasked with carrying an Islanders team that doesn't score enough to be considered contenders.

Down in Carolina, the Hurricanes survived an entire season without Frederik Andersen, but he was brilliant in the 16 games he played. Had the Danish native not had blood clot issues, there's a chance he would have led them to a division title last year.

After leading a disappointing Calgary Flames team to a near playoff berth, Markstrom was the unheralded MVP of a club that vastly underperformed. Although he has yet to return to his near Vezina-winning form from 2022, his performance is more based on the team in front of him than his abilities to bounce back.

A little further down I-95, the Washington Capitals qualified for the playoffs, riding the hot hand of Charlie Lindgren, who was snubbed for all significant award consideration. The club seems so confident in his abilities that they traded Darcy Kuemper, confirming his status as the number one.

In Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins brought in Alex Nedeljkovic last summer, who almost got them into the playoffs but came up short. They retained his services, which started rumors that Tristan Jarry was available. Hopefully, running back the same combo in 2024-25 will yield different results.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the Flyers imploded down the stretch and scrambled in the crease with unproven netminders after Carter Hart departed. However, help is on the way, with Russian netminder Ivan Fedotov set to become an NHL regular this season.

Finally, Columbus held onto Elvis Merzlikins despite his desire to seek a job with another club. Unfortunately, his performance and contract value ($6 million) make it impossible to pursue a trade partner. Under new leadership, the Blue Jackets may be able to move out of the division's basement.

Overall, here are the rankings of the potential starters for each team in the Metropolitan Division:

1. Igor Shesterkin (36-17-2) .912 SV% & 2.58 GAA
2. Ilya Sorokin (25-19-12) .908 SV% & 3.01 GAA
3. Frederik Andersn (13-2-0) .932 SV% & 1.84 GAA
4. Jacob Markstrom (23-23-2) .905 SV% & 2.78 GAA
5. Charlie Lindgren (25-16-7) .911 SV% & 2.67 GAA
6. Alex Nedeljkovic (18-7-7) .902 SV% & 2.97 GAA
7. Ivan Fedotov (0-1-1) .811 SV% & 4.95 GAA
8. Elvis Merzlikins (13-17-8) .897 SV% & 3.45 GAA

What do you think of these rankings? Would you alter their placements? Let us know in the comments.