*This article was most recently updated in Feb. 2024
These days, there’s sometimes a fine line between NHL starters and their backups. Take Detroit Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon for example. Up until he got pressed into duty to start off the Florida Panthers’ near-miracle run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, he hadn’t gained any traction in the NHL at all.
Now, with Red Wings teammate Ville Husso out, he’s passed over James Reimer to become the temporary starter. He’s been so effective, having earned a 14-6-2 record overall, with a 2.54 goals-against average (GAA) and .921 save percentage (SV%), that he may even steal the starter’s job altogether once Husso returns.
Now, Lyon didn’t make this list of the best backups in the NHL today. Without the prolonged track record, he just misses the cut. Taking into account the level of success each has enjoyed up to now in their respective careers, their overall potential, stats and cost-effectiveness, here are the top five backups in the NHL:
5. Alex Nedeljkovic (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Another goalie who’s blurred the lines significantly is Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic He had coincidentally overstayed his welcome with the Red Wings to the point he ended up playing more games in the American Hockey League than the NHL in 2022-23, despite having earned a nomination for 2021 Calder Memorial Trophy while with the Carolina Hurricanes.
That small-sample-size success prompted Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman to roll the dice on, trade for and extend Nedeljkovic. While it didn’t work out with Wings, the Penguins rolled the dice on him anew, inking him on the cheap to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. He’s since begun stealing starts from incumbent Tristan Jarry. With an 8-4-3 record, 2.63 GAA and .917 SV%, he may be out of his hair by July 1 though, having earned another chance as a starter elsewhere.
4. Jonathan Quick (New York Rangers)
Speaking of goalies who have found new life as a backup, Jonathan Quick probably epitomizes the trope better than anyone. He’s now a decade removed from his second of two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings (winning the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy after the first). After a few more seasons at the relative statistical top of the league, Quick’s play began to drop off some. It got so bad, with Quick sporting an .876 SV% last season with the Kings, that they felt the need to trade him at the deadline to the Columbus Blue Jackets, without an heir apparent to take the reins.
True, the Kings got fellow unrestricted free agent Joonas Korpisalo back in exchange. However, he himself was hard to see as a legitimate starter (which, his new team, the Ottawa Senators, are just now discovering somehow), having never played more than 37 games in a season.
The hole in net forced the Kings into signing journeyman Cam Talbot, which has undeniably worked out for the best. Meanwhile Quick landed with the Rangers, to back up 2022 Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Quick has outplayed him, having earned a 12-4-2 record thus far, with a 2.27 GAA and .919 SV%.
Even though Shesterkin has a mediocre 2.78 GAA and .902 SV%, it’s hard to say there’s a goaltending controversy afoot, though. At 38 years old, Quick’s best seasons are obviously behind him, but it is encouraging to see he has something left in the tank, having accepted a different role than the one to which he had grown accustomed.
3. Charlie Lindgren (Washington Capitals)
At one point in the not-too-distant past, Charlie Lindgren was the odd man out with the Montreal Canadiens. It should be pointed out Lindgren was also once seen, at least potentially, as Carey Price’s heir apparent, before Cayden Primeau took hold of the unofficial title (only to eventually give way to Samuel Montembeault).
Related: Canadiens Goalie Montembeault a Starter in Principle Not Practice
The Canadiens acknowledged as much when they made Lindgren a regular on the taxi squad during the 56-game 2020-21 NHL season. Someone had to fill the role, but Lindgren only ended up making three total appearances that season, all in the AHL. The Canadiens made it clear they didn’t see a need to invest in his development any more… or a future for him as a Hab. Their loss.
As an unrestricted free agent, Lindgren signed with the St. Louis Blues for 2021-22. He impressed over a small five-game sample size, eventually earning a three-year deal with the Capitals. Now with some semblance of job security, Lindgren’s making the most of the opportunity, especially in his second season on the job.
Lindgren currently has a 10-7-4 record with a 2.58 GAA and .915 SV%. In comparison, Capitals starter Darcy Kuemper is 11-12-3 with a 3.17 GAA and .894 SV%. Any talk of Lindgren developing into the starter for the Canadiens was obviously premature, then. However, he’s definitely in the process of proving the doubters at the opposite extreme, the Habs themselves included, wrong.
2. Casey DeSmith (Vancouver Canucks)
Similarly cast off by the Montreal Canadiens (and Penguins before them), Casey DeSmith has turned a less-than-ideal situation into arguably the most ideal one, bar none.
For some context, DeSmith had been seen as the Habs’ third-best goalie (perhaps unjustifiably) after his offseason acquisition. Then, the Canadiens flipped him, opting to go with a trio of Montembeault, Primeau and Jake Allen.
Now, instead of languishing low on the depth chart of a team well outside the playoff picture to start the 2024 calendar year? He’s the Vancouver Canucks backup to Thatcher Demko, on one of the best teams in the league. To top it all off, he’s also posting some of the best numbers of his career.
DeSmith is 7-3-5 with a 2.74 GAA and .906 SV%, as if anyone should be surprised. In a relatively small time, DeSmith, who debuted with the Pens in 2017-18, has established himself as a reliable No. 2. At 32, he’s likely won’t hit the career-high 38 appearances he made in 2022-23 again (when his stats dropped off), as his role is effectively cemented at this juncture. At least he’s in the process of recementing it as one of the better backups in the league. There’s definitely nothing wrong with being one.
1. Semyon Varlamov (New York Islanders)
New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov had been a top backup in this league, even when he counted $5 million against the cap. There’s little reason he wouldn’t remain in the running, now that he’s re-signed for $2.75 million per season, albeit through 2027 (when he’ll be 39).
Varlamov had signed his $5 million-per-season deal ahead of the 2019-20 season, but that was before Ilya Sorokin’s early 2021 debut. Over the following three seasons the two goalies reversed roles to the point Sorokin has become an elite starter, with exception to his performance thus far in 2023-24.
As a result, Varlamov’s amount of games played has understandably decreased. However, he’s still contributing, with a 6-6-4 record, 2.90 GAA and .912 SV% this season, outperforming Sorokin for all intents and purposes. While you shouldn’t necessarily count on that continuing into the long term, it’s a safe bet Varlamov will remain a great backup for the foreseeable future, arguably the best in the league.
