Top 10 NHL Backup Goaltenders – The Hockey Writers – NHL Goaltending

*Article was updated in May 2026

Backup goalies in the NHL are tragically underappreciated. It’s hard enough for a team to find a starting goaltender that they can rely on game in, game out. It is an outright luxury to have a dependable backup goalie. Top NHL backups need to be able to perform well during their intermittent opportunities, but they also need to be ready to step up for long stretches if their partner goes down to injury. It’s a thankless, tireless, and underpaid position. But the best are some of the most valuable players in the league, and some of the best teams in the league are those that have two fantastic goalies to lean on.

Backup goalies get their position in numerous ways. They might be former starters near the end of their career or future starters getting their first shot in the big leagues. The names on this list come from all backgrounds. Some are even among the top goaltending prospects in the NHL. They have different backgrounds and different futures, but they share one thing in common: they can be relied on in a pinch, and their teams are very thankful to have them.

10) Justus Annunen — Nashville Predators

Did the Nashville Predators get seller’s remorse from sending Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks in 2024? The young netminder was one of the top goaltending prospects in the world and deserved a shot at the spotlight, but he was blocked behind franchise netminder Juuse Saros. So they shipped Askarov off to California after signing Saros to a long extension. But both the franchise and Saros started struggling immediately, and they’ve had two of the more forgettable seasons in Predators history since moving on from Askarov.

So it’s possible that the lack of a young prospect in net made their trade for Justus Annunen more appealing. Whatever the reason, swapping veteran goalie Scott Wedgewood for top young stud Annunen made perfect sense for a franchise in Nashville’s position, and it’s starting to pay off handsomely. This season, Annunen started 23 games and managed a .906 SV%, 2.68 GAA, and 7.3 GSAA, all better numbers than Saros (though, presumably, Annunen drew the easier matchups). Annunen is just 25 and can continue to train under his fellow Finnish mentor, Saros. It’s a great setup for the Predators; one of the few bright spots they have right now.

9) Anton Forsberg — Los Angeles Kings

Though they made the playoffs, it wasn’t a pretty season for the Los Angeles Kings, thanks in part to Darcy Kuemper’s struggles in net. But Anton Forsberg did what he could as the team’s backup. In 36 games, he had a .909 SV% and 2.57 GAA, with 12.5 GSAA. The 33-year-old native of Harnosand, Sweden, is a true journeyman currently playing with his fifth NHL team. He has another season under contract with the Kings, and if things continue to go this well, he could even steal the starter’s net.

8) Jacob Fowler — Montreal Canadiens

Everything is going right for the Montreal Canadiens right now, as they surged into the playoffs on the back of an incredible youth movement. Their tandem in net, 24-year-old Czechian Jakub Dobes and 21-year-old American Jacob Fowler were a big part of the reason why, as, by the end of the season, both had supplanted veteran Sam Montembeault as the team’s best options in net.

Dobes is the clear 1a option right now and took the early starts in the postseason, but Fowler had a fantastic first full professional season out of Boston College, performing exceptionally in both the American Hockey League (AHL) and in Montreal. His .588 QS% and 5.8 GSAA are fantastic for a 21-year-old, and he collected the Canadiens’ only shutout of the season as well. The future is very bright for Montreal and their two Jakes in net.

7) Devin Cooley — Calgary Flames

Devin Cooley has had a long road to a consistent NHL job, but after finding his first consistent gig with the Calgary Flames at age 28, he made the most of it. Though Dustin Wolf couldn’t build on his Calder Trophy runner-up season, and the Flames fell off hard as a result, the tandem was still very strong on paper. Cooley started 26 games with a .731 QS% and 11.5 GSAA, with a .909 SV% and 2.69 GAA to boot. Those numbers would be good for any goalie, but for a goaltender whose first game this season was just the seventh in his career, they are truly impressive.

6) Philipp Grubauer — Seattle Kraken

Well, it’s not what the Seattle Kraken had in mind when they signed Philipp Grubauer to an expensive contract to be their franchise’s first netminder, but the German goalie finally settled in as a terrific backup this season. He had 11.5 GSAA and a .607 QS% in 28 games behind Joey Daccord. It’s the penultimate season on a contract that has been extremely disappointing, but at least this turnaround is some consolation, and maybe they can recoup some assets by dealing him over the summer or at the trade deadline.

5) Casey DeSmith — Dallas Stars

It might not be the hardest job to back up Jake Oettinger behind the stout Dallas Stars’ defense, but Casey DeSmith has made the most of his opportunity over the last two seasons. In 52 starts over that stretch, he’s managed a .911 SV% and 2.50 GAA, and 19.6 GSAA.

The three-year, $3 million contract the Stars signed DeSmith to in 2024 has turned out to be an absurdly good investment. It’s the kind of move that has helped general manager Jim Nill win the General Manager of the Year Award in three consecutive seasons. DeSmith has another season left at this price, and if it’s anything like his first two, he should expect a big pay raise, even at 35.

4) Mackenzie Blackwood — Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche couldn’t have expected what they got from Scott Wedgewood when they swapped Annunen to Nashville for him. But he’s played so well for them this season that he’s stolen the starter’s net right out of Mackenzie Blackwood’s hands and played his way to his first career postseason start at age 33. Far from sulking, Blackwood has been fantastic in his adjusted role, managing three shutouts and 7.5 GSAA in his 36 starts. Four years Wedgewood’s junior, Blackwood most likely remains the long-term answer in Denver. But as long as he’s technically the backup, he is certainly one of the league’s best.

3) Alex Lyon — Buffalo Sabres

It might be controversial to consider Alex Lyon the backup in Buffalo, considering he’s started the lion’s share of playoff games so far and had a much better season. But he’s six years older than Ukko-Pekka Luukonen, who is also in just the second season of a five-year, $23.75 million contract, so it’s clear who the Sabres expect to remain their starter over the long-term future. But Lyon has done fantastically in whatever role the Sabres have asked him to fill in his first season there.

Lyon had a .906 SV%, 2.77 GAA, a .676 QS%, and 10.2 GSAA over 34 starts this season. As mentioned, he also played in the postseason and helped the Sabres not only reach the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, but also advance to the second round. It’s been a fantastic campaign for pretty much everyone in Buffalo, but Lyon leads the pack.

2) Filip Gustavsson — Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild entered the season with a real conundrum on their hands: they had a very good, young goaltender in Filip Gustavsson, and behind him, one of the better goaltending prospects in the world in Jesper Wallstedt. They seemingly answered any questions about the former’s future by signing Gustavsson to a five-year contract extension in October of last season, but Wallstedt made himself undeniable in the 2025-26 season.

Wallstedt has seemingly fully supplanted Gustavsson in net, but it isn’t because of anything the elder Swede did wrong. He’s managed a .903 SV%, 2.69 GAA, and four shutouts. His contract extension hasn’t even kicked in yet, and now the Wild are once again forced to ask who their long-term answer is between the pipes. But as long as they have both Gustavsson and Wallstedt, they unquestionably have the best goalie tandem in the NHL.

1) Jake Allen — New Jersey Devils

Jake Allen has done everything in his career. He was the St. Louis Blues’ starter and presumed long-term answer in net until the meteoric rise of Jordan Binnington. Since then, he’s been a backup in several different spots. But he has now found a steady home at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey backing up Jacob Markstrom for the Devils. He’s played so well, in fact, that he even worked his way into the conversation to play for Team Canada at the Olympics, though he ultimately wasn’t chosen.

Allen deserves to be recognized as the best true backup goaltender in the NHL these days. He’s now 35 and in the twilight of his career, but still playing some of his best hockey. In many ways, Allen is exactly who top teams would want in the backup role: good enough to always be relied upon in an emergency, but unlikely to really challenge for the starter’s net. He epitomizes what it takes to be a great, reliable backup.

Haves and Have Nots

The NHL’s goaltending landscape is diverse. Some teams are searching for any worthwhile solutions. Others have a workhouse and no one to give him a break. The teams that have a strong starter and a reliable backup are truly wealthy in this netminding economy. These 10 backup goalies are the best of the best, and their organizations are very lucky to have them.