Which NHL Teams Are Spending The Most On Goaltending In 2024-25?

In hockey, the goaltending position is the most important for a team. It is like a starting pitcher in baseball or a QB in the NFL. A team in the NHL goes as far as their goaltender can take them.

Come playoff time, successful teams are mostly because their goaltender takes over a series. Last year, the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup riding a hot Sergei Bobrovsky. He started in all 24 postseason contests and had a 2.32 GAA in the playoffs.

We look at which NHL teams spend the most on goaltending in the 2024-25 NHL season.

Which NHL Teams Are Spending The Most On Goaltending In 2024-25?

Goaltenders are critical to the success of a team in the NHL.

Before we get to the top 10 list of NHL teams spending on goaltending this season, here are teams ranked 11-32. These rankings are based on all active contracts, including dead money, injured players, etc. Their total cap hit is listed.

• 32. Washington Capitals ($1,866,666)
• 31. Toronto Maple Leafs ($3,266,666)
• 30. Colorado Avalanche ($4,237,500)
• 29. Utah Hockey Club ($4,675,000)
• 28. Edmonton Oilers ($4,700,000)
• 27. Philadelphia Flyers ($4,700,000)
• 26. Calgary Flames ($4,925,000)
• 25. Dallas Stars ($5,000,000)
• 24. Carolina Hurricanes ($5,400,000)
• 23. Minnesota Wild ($6,250,000)
• 22. Columbus Blue Jackets ($6,450,000)
• 21. Nashville Predators ($6,500,000)
• 20. Buffalo Sabres ($6,675,000)
• 19. Vegas Golden Knights ($6,700,000)
• 18. Vancouver Canucks ($6,725,000)
• 17. St. Louis Blues ($6,675,000)
• 16. New York Rangers ($6,941,667)
• 15. Los Angeles Kings ($7,075,000)
• 14. Seattle Kraken ($7,100,000)
• 13. Anaheim Ducks ($7,212,500)
• 12. San Jose Sharks ($7,416,667)
• 11. Chicago Blackhawks ($7,550,000)

Even though the Chicago Blackhawks spend the 11th most on goaltending, the San Jose Sharks rank 12th, and the Anaheim Ducks spend the 13th most on goaltending, these three teams ranked in the bottom five last year in goals allowed per game. San Jose brought in Vitek Vanecek to become the new starting netminder but he has yet to prove he can be a reliable starting netminder. Chicago and Anaheim’s goaltending situation remains the same as last year.

The biggest steal on the list is the New York Rangers. They are spending the 16th most on goaltending but have a bona fide star netminder in Igor Shesterkin. They have a reliable backup as well in Jonathan Quick.

Another team that is not spending much on goaltending but ranked in the top five last year in goals allowed per game is the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Anderson is a solid starting goalie and the Hurricanes have a good defense. They allowed the fewest shots per game last year.

The Dallas Stars are spending the 25th most on goaltending but they ranked eighth last year in goals allowed per game. Jake Oettinger was the starter last year and he had a respectable 2.72 GAA in 53 starts and 54 total appearances. He will remain the starting netminder for Dallas.

Edmonton made it to the Stanley Cup last year but fell short. They are spending the 28th most on goaltending but ranked 10th in goals allowed per game last year. Stuart Skinner started in 57 games and made 59 total appearances last year and posted a 2.62 GAA. He will once again start in the majority of Oilers games this year.

The Washington Capitals are spending the least amount of money on goaltending this season.

Here are the top 10 teams spending the most on goaltending in the 2024-25 NHL season.

Top 10 Teams Spending The Most On Goaltending In The 2024-25 NHL Season

We will now get into the teams spending the most on goaltending this year, with their cap total listed as well.

The Ottawa Senators kick off the top 10 list.

10. Ottawa Senators ($7,750,000)

The Ottawa Senators brought in Linus Ullmark to become their new starting goaltender. He was on the Boston Bruins each of the last three years and he played very well for the Bruins. The Sens hope he can continue to play well. Ottawa is spending 7.22% of their cap on goaltending this year.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins ($7,875,000)

The Pittsburgh Penguins ranked 13th in goals allowed per game last year. Tristan Jarry remains the starting goaltender for the Pens. Pittsburgh is spending 6.89% of their cap on goaltending this season.

8. New Jersey Devils ($7,975,000)

After ranking 26th in goals allowed per game last year, the Devils went out and acquired goalie Jacob Markstrom to become the new starting netminder. Markstrom recently spent four years as the Calgary Flames’ starting netminder and performed well. New Jersey is spending 7.43% of their cap on goaltending this season.

7. Detroit Red Wings ($8,925,000)

The Detroit Red Wings almost made the playoffs last year but goaltending held them back. They ranked 24th in goals allowed per game last season. Ville Husso was the starter last year but injuries derailed his season and he only started in 18 games and made 19 total appearances. He will share duties with Cam Talbot, who Detroit brought in, in the offseason to compete with Husso for the starting job. Detroit will likely ride the hot hand during the season. Detroit is spending 7.83% of their cap on goaltending this season.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning ($10,275,000)

The Tampa Bay Lightning have one of the best goalies in NHL history on their roster in Andrei Vasilevskiy. He has led the league in wins for five consecutive seasons (2017-18 to 2021-22). Vasilevskiy was also one of the main reasons the Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2020 and 2021, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2021 playoffs, while also holding the NHL record for most wins in a single postseason (18 in 2020). Tampa Bay is spending 9.81% of their cap on goaltending this season.

5. Winnipeg Jets ($10,325,000)

Another team with a very good goaltender is the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck is coming off back-to-back impressive years, recording 37 wins in each of the last two NHL seasons. His GAA last year was 2.39, ranking fourth among all netminders in the league. Hellebuyck ranked second last year in save percentage and was tied for second with five shutouts last year. His 37 wins were second in the league last year, trailing only Avalanche goalie Alexander Georgiev. The Jets are spending 10.01% of their cap on goaltending this season.

4. New York Islanders ($11,000,000)

The New York Islanders have two reliable goaltenders on their roster, Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov. Sorokin had a down year by his standards last season and he hopes to bounce back this year. The Islanders are spending 10.18% of their cap on goaltending this season.

3. Boston Bruins ($13,025,000)

The Boston Bruins chose Jeremy Swayman over Linus Ullmark and gave Swayman a big contract. Swayman is one of three NHL goaltenders to earn $10 million in total cash this season. He has been stellar for Boston and is just 25 years old. Swayman has started in 33 or more games in three straight years and has never had a GAA over 2.55. Last year was his highest GAA (2.53) in his NHL career. Swayman ranked eighth among goalies in GAA last year. He ranked fifth in save percentage last season. He was impressive in the postseason last year, starting in 12 games and posting a 2.15 GAA. With Swayman only being 25 years old, the Bruins have a star netminder for the foreseeable future. The Bruins are spending 12.12% of their cap on goaltending this season.

2. Florida Panthers ($14,500,000)

Last year, the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was one of the main reasons. He started in 58 games last year and posted a 2.37 GAA. This ranked third in the league. Bobrovsky ranked eighth in save percentage and tied for first in shutouts (6). He continued to dominate in the postseason last year. He started in all 24 games in the playoffs and posted a 2.32 GAA. Bobrovsky is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner (2012-13 & 2016-17) while playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. In February 2023, he became the winningest Russian goaltender in NHL history. Bobrovsky is one of the best goalies in NHL history and deserves to be paid among the highest paid goaltenders in the NHL. The Panthers are spending 13.53% of their cap on goaltending this season.

1. Montreal Canadiens ($16,465,000)

The Montreal Canadiens are spending the most on goaltending this year because of Carey Price. Price is the fifth highest-paid netminder and has the highest cap hit ($10,500,000) among goalies. His cap hit is the highest because he is still under contract. Price has not officially retired. His contract runs through the 2025-26 season. Montreal is spending 15.46% of their cap on goaltending this season, despite Price not playing and will not suit up this season.