What can last year's Vezina Trophy and Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas do for an encore? The Bruins hope their No. 1 goalie can duplicate or come close to matching his NHL-record .938 save percentage and league-low 2.00 goals-against average. For now, Thomas and partner Tuukka Rask begin the season atop the CBCSports.ca goalie rankings. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
 |
1. BOSTON BRUINS It's hard to argue with two times Vezina Winner Tim Thomas and young stud Tukka Rask. Coach Julien plays them both so they stay fresh and sharp, which illustrates how and why teams need a 1-2 punch in goal |
 |
2. VANCOUVER CANUCKS This is a close second to the Bruins for all the same reasons. Luongo will play a few less games and Cory Schneider is a great luxury for any team. I said last off-season that Goalie Coach Roli Melanson was the best under the radar signing by any NHL team. Last season he proved how and why. |
 |
3. NASHVILLE PREDATORS Pekka Rinne's proven to be a Top 5 NHL goalie with little or no margin for error since the Preds don't really score much. Both he and Anders Lindback are skyscrapers at 6ft 5in. and 6ft. 6in. respectively, but they are just as quick as 5ft. 11in. Jose Theodore. All goalie Coach Mitch Korn has done is make every Preds goalie better. The nice team defensive approach helps |
 |
4. WASHINGTON CAPITALS The Caps have been a spawning ground for young goalies with Semyon Varlamov, Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth. Then Tomas Vokoun fell into their laps, what a steal at $1.5 million! Neuvirth is a terrific young goalie who won the AHL Calder Cup his first two pro seasons. Now you have Holtby waiting in the wings. He sizzled last year and is a great ace in the hole should an injury occur |
 |
5. NEW YORK RANGERS Will this be the year King Henrik gets to wear the Vezina Crown? Lundqvist is one of the league's best and Martin Biron is a veteran who has excelled in every situation. He's been a great influence on Henrik. Goalie Coach Benoit Allaire believes the ideal is a 60-22 game split. |
 |
6. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS Marc-Andre Fleury is a great example of the complete goalie. Great skater with mobility, a solid butterfly base, off the charts athleticism and a great demeanor. Fleury has also improved his puck-handling skills. Brent Johnson, like Biron, has a wealth of experience and can come in and deliver in any situation. This is an excellent tandem and teammates love playing for them. |
 |
7. LOS ANGELES KINGS Jonathon Quick has worked very hard to become a top flight NHL starter. He added a butterfly base to his athleticism and has tremendous flexibility. Jonathan Bernier has great tools to become a star in this league. He's a hard worker in the gym and is physically mature for his age. This is the best young tandem in the NHL. |
 |
8. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS Corey Crawford really impressed last year. The Hawks went the Detroit route and left him to overripe on the farm at Rockford in the AHL. He has a big body, but is mobile and has a good disposition. He impressed in the playoffs last year. They signed Ray Emery and remember that without his amazing play down the stretch after a miraculous medical recovery, the Ducks don't make the playoffs last year. |
 |
9. BUFFALO SABRES Ryan Miller is Ryan Miller - one of the best in the biz! Miller is the closest Sabres fans have and maybe will see compared to Hasek in a Sabre jersey. Jhonas Enroth finally gave the Sabres a backup who can step in and play. He was vital to their playoff birth last year. Don't be shocked if he gets more starts this year. |
 |
10. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS Ilya Bryzgalov has the skills, opportunity and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to be the goalie the Flyers have always coveted. He was excellent in Anaheim and really took off in Phoenix under the eyes of Grant Fuhr and Sean Burke Sergei Bobrovsky had an excellent rookie season last year and he's only 21! The Flyers generally play well defensively and have big guns up front, always a nice luxury for your tenders. |
 |
11. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING What else can we say about Dwayne Roloson, the modern Johnny Bower. He was clearly the missing piece that this franchise searched frantically for since Khabibulin left via free-agency. Mathieu Garon is capable, excellent in shootouts, and that goes a long way in today's NHL. |
 |
12. MINNESOTA WILD Nicklas Backstrom's an excellent goalie, has a sound butterfly game with active hands. Josh Harding came all the way back from ACL reconstruction. Is he ready to take his game to the next level? Both need to be terrific for this team to have a shot at the playoffs. |
 |
13. CALGARY FLAMES Miikka Kiprusoff is and has been the rock for this franchise. He's one of the most entertaining goalies in the NHL and the best Finnish goalie in NHL history. He needs to play less. Big question is what type of team the Flames will be. Defensive? Offensive? Balanced? |
 |
14. MONTREAL CANADIENS Carey Price was an absolute stud last year! He's a prototype: big, strong, skilled, structured, smooth, but most importantly he competed hard on the puck last year as well. Peter Budaj will be a nice compliment and has a great work ethic as well. This team will go as far as Price takes them. |
 |
15. CAROLINA HURRICANES Cam Ward had his best year last season. He was patient, had good structure with good attitude as well. He carried the Canes last season and will have to do it again. Brian Boucher has had many ups and a few downs in his career and could thrive in this role. The Canes need those extra points from the backup this season. |
 |
16. DETROIT RED WINGS Jimmy Howard has really blossomed these last few years. He's added a nice butterfly element to his game. They Wings are hoping Ty Conklin can do what he did as a member of the Wings and Pens, carry the ball when their starters were hurt. If both play the way they can, look for the Wings to make a deep run again this year |
 |
17. NEW JERSEY DEVILS Martin Brodeur has had an unreal career. He had a bad first half, but rebounded well in the second. He'll need to be at his best right from the first game this year if the Devils are to get into the playoff dance. Ander Hedberg's capable, confident and a great pro. Will the Devs finally learn their lesson and play him more? |
 |
18. DALLAS STARS Kari Lehtonen had a big rebound year in Dallas last year. He finally committed himself to conditioning and a prehab routine after battling groin and back injuries. He'll need to be as good or even better this year. Andrew Raycroft was solid and settled into this backup role. This Stars team has been on fire this exhibition season. Can they carry it over? |
 |
19. NEW YORK ISLANDERS Who's on first? Say what you will, they have tons of depth in goal. Rick Di Pietro's said to be healthy and moving better than he has in the last three years. Al Montoya was awesome last year and earned a new contract in the off-season. Evgeni Nabokov finally reported and it's a long road back, but he's looked really good so far. And Kevin Poulin has the chance to play in this league for 10 years. Will anyone play any defense in front of these guys? |
 |
20. ANAHEIM DUCKS Jonas Hiller is an amazing goalie, pure butterfly yes, but active hands with a great glove and he seems healthy. Could his vertigo strike again? Ryan Ellis will need some more starts to stay sharp, which would help considerably if Hiller goes down. |
 |
21. OTTAWA SENATORS Which Craig Anderson shows up? He was outstanding his first year in Colorado and helped carry them to the playoffs in a hard-fought series against San Jose, but he didn't play well there last year and then sizzled in Ottawa after the trade to the Sens. Alex Auld is a veteran now and will do well in this backup role. |
 |
22. FLORIDA PANTHERS Jose Theodore can still bring it! At times he outplayed Niklas Backstrom last year at one-fifth the cost. He's played in different situations, and has tons of experience. Scott Clemmensen has established himself as a solid NHL tender. If the team plays well in front of these guys, the Panthers could impress a few people this year. |
 |
23. ST. LOUIS BLUES I'm a fan of Jaroslav Halak. He's mature, has good structure, plays bigger than his size as well. Watching his amazing run with the Habs in the playoffs two years ago you know this guy can dominate. If he plays the way he can, the Blues might squiggle into the Western Conference postseason dance. Who'll backup this year? |
 |
24. EDMONTON OILERS Nikolai Khabibulin has had a sterling career. Cup Champion, Olympian, World Championships and multi All-Star selections. He'll need to be solid to spectacular for this team to make strides. Devan Dubnyk has become an NHL goalie. He worked on his footwork, playing to his size and he put muscle on his frame. He'll push for the starting job this year. |
 |
25. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS Steve Mason has all the tools to be a star! Will he put it together this season? Mark Dekanich is said to be really talented and should make a smooth transition to the NHL this year. This team should be better. |
 |
26. PHOENIX COYOTES Mike Smith gets another legitimate chance to be a number one. Head coach Dave Tippett and goalie Coach Sean Burke are both familiar with him and think he can be a good number one for them. Jason Labarbera is a good backup goalie. These guys could very well make for a good tandem in the desert. |
 |
27. COLORADO AVALANCHE Semyon Varlamov will get a chance to be the man in Colorado and he has all the skills to be able to do it! J S Gigeure has also had a really good career and now he'll play the role of mentor and leader for this young Avs team. |
 |
28. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS James Reimer made a great first impression last year. He's a good butterfly goalie and has a calm mature way about him. The much-heralded Jonas Gustavsson could benefit from the backup role. If these guys can be sharp all year, could the Leafs challenge for the eighth seed in the east? Just asking. |
 |
29. SAN JOSE SHARKS Antti Niemi and Antero Nittymaki are both coming off surgery, which might not bode well for a team that's trying to go on a Cup run. Thomas Greiss is back in the fold and looks sharp so far, and the Sharks will need him to be until the other goalies are fully healthy. |
 |
30. WINNIPEG JETS This ranking is not an indictment of Ondrej Pavlec by any means! I thought he was amazing for the Thrashers the first half of last season, and often starred by making 40 plus saves per game. Chris Mason is a good goalie, played very well in Nashville and St.Louis, and will be counted on to play better than he did last year. This team isn't strong up the middle, and wasn't committed to defence. That combination always makes things tough on the goalies. |
Kevin Weekes
Veteran goaltender Kevin Weekes brings a wealth of NHL experience to his role as an analyst on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.
