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Good morning, hockey fans! I realize this is called “Red Light,” but today we’re going to do what we can to keep that light off. That’s right: This an all-goaltending edition of the newsletter.

We’ll look at some teams whose goalies I’m excited about heading into 2025-26 and a few veteran netminders still looking for contracts who could help the teams I’m less excited about. We’ll also look ahead to which goalies will be looking for contract extensions at some point this year.

Goalies to be excited about

We won’t discuss the established, elite goalies in this section. We all expect Connor Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Sergei Bobrovsky, Igor Shesterkin and Jake Oettinger to be great. These are some teams that I believe could take major steps forward in goaltending statistics this season:

• Calgary — Dustin Wolf’s rookie season was beyond impressive. He immediately showed he has the hockey sense to match his exceptional skating and edgework, and has all of the tools to be a high-end starter. He may be small, but Wolf’s speed and twitchiness may be the perfect combination for today’s NHL. Now entering his second season, Wolf is primed to insert himself into the Vezina conversation.

• Anaheim — Lukáš Dostál was one of the most surprising breakouts in 2024-25, finishing top 10 in goals saved above expected (GSAx) in his first full season as a starter despite playing behind a putrid defense. It could be a flash in the pan, but Dostál’s film says otherwise. His reads are impeccable, which suggests long-term success. With an improved Ducks roster and the potential for better defensive structure under Joel Quenneville, Dostál could be even better this season.

• Vancouver — In a quiet offseason for goalie movement, perhaps the biggest news in the crease this summer was the goalie who didn’t change teams. Some felt Thatcher Demko could be on his way out of Vancouver, but the Canucks put that to rest with a three-year, $25.5 million extension. If I’m picking a team to make the biggest leap in goaltending performance from last season to this year, Vancouver is as good a bet as any. The Canucks finished 22nd in GSAx last season, but with Demko another year removed from his injury and Kevin Lankinen coming off a strong 2024-25, goaltending could be a major strength for a team that could certainly use it.

• Colorado — The stars are aligning for the supremely talented Mackenzie Blackwood. The 28-year-old is a physical specimen in the crease, is hitting the prime of his career and has an incredibly strong team in front of him. Despite the first-round exit, I was thoroughly impressed with Blackwood’s postseason. With a long-term contract befitting of a franchise goalie and a full offseason in Colorado, Blackwood’s ceiling for 2025-26 is Vezina-caliber.

• Chicago — After three straight seasons finishing bottom two in the NHL, is this the year the Blackhawks start trending upward? They have acquired plenty of young, exciting talent throughout the roster, and it’s no different in the crease. Spencer Knight showed a lot of promise in his 15 starts in Chicago following last season’s trade. He and Arvid Söderblom make up one of the youngest tandems in the NHL, with plenty of upside.

• Columbus — It may surprise some to see the Blue Jackets on this list. They finished middle of the pack in both save percentage and GSAx last season, and still have two years left on Elvis Merzļikins’ bloated contract. My excitement for Columbus is fueled by youngster Jet Greaves, who should finally be a full-time NHL player this year after the team traded Daniil Tarasov to Florida. The 24-year-old Greaves is an incredible athlete, has dominated in the AHL and shown well in limited NHL action. He could go from a relative unknown to a household name by season’s end.

(Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)Goalies available for hire

As for the teams still wanting in the crease … Edmonton, anyone? … There are still some potential backup upgrades on the market. We’re only a few weeks away from training camps opening, and these three reliable veterans are still without contracts:

• Alexandar Georgiev. Yes, he’s coming off a rough season. No, he’s not likely to be anyone’s permanent solution in net. But Georgiev is still a solid NHL goalie who has proven he can win behind a strong team (he led the NHL in wins twice from 2022 to 2024 in Colorado). The 29-year-old is undersized, but he’s quick, patient on his edges and can certainly help a team.

• The 28-year-old Ilya Samsonov has followed an eerily similar career path to Georgiev. Both Russians were viewed as high-end backups early in their careers. Both were given the chance to be full-time starters on teams with high expectations but didn’t quite live up to them. Both are still talented goalies who should absolutely be on NHL rosters. In an NHL where goaltending depth is used more than ever, there’s no question that Georgiev and Samsonov are among the top 64 goalies in the world.

• At 37, James Reimer could be eyeing retirement, but if he wants to play, there should be a job for him. He put up respectable numbers in a tough situation last season in Buffalo and looked like he still has the movement to be a trustworthy tandem option for several teams.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see one or more of these goalies signed to PTO deals when camps open in September. It also wouldn’t surprise me if they win the No. 2 job for whatever team takes the chance on them.

(Mike Carlson / Getty Images)Extension watch

In the last 11 months, 11 of the 32 starting goalies received long-term contracts. It started with Jeremy Swayman’s extension in Boston and was followed by a slew of lengthy deals, including Igor Shesterkin’s record-breaking extension in New York. It means that roughly a third of the league has committed to its starting goalie for the foreseeable future.

Which goalies are due for the next extensions?

Five starters’ current deals expire at the end of 2025-26. Sergei Bobrovsky is finally due for a new contract, and coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, his timing couldn’t be better. Bobrovsky will be 37 before the season begins, so it will be fascinating to see how the Panthers handle that situation. They did just sign Brad Marchand until he’s 43.

Jacob Markström, 35, and Filip Gustavsson, 27, are also due for extensions. Both are coming off strong seasons in New Jersey and Minnesota, and should be a priority for their respective teams. Another interesting situation to follow is in Toronto, where 31-year-old Anthony Stolarz needs a new contract. Joseph Woll, 27, still has three years left at a team-friendly $3.67 million cap hit, but Stolarz was clearly the Leafs’ better goalie this season and in the playoffs before his injury.

Finally, the Oilers are reaching a crossroads with Stuart Skinner, whose three-year contract expires at the end of this season. On the one hand, the 26-year-old has the seventh-most regular-season wins and third-most playoff wins of any goalie over the last three seasons. On the other hand, an argument can be made that he’s the weak link on a championship contender that has fallen just short in consecutive years. The direction GM Stan Bowman chooses with Skinner could define his tenure in Edmonton. Many feel the Oilers can do much better than Skinner — and that may be true — but they can also do a lot worse.

💡 Trivia time

Maintaining exemplary statistics year-over-year is difficult for goaltenders. With so many variables impacting their stats (mainly the team in front of them), even the best goalies see their stats fluctuate far more than skaters.

Only three goalies have posted positive goals saved above expected (GSAx) in each of the last six seasons (dating back to 2019-20). Connor Hellebuyck and Igor Shesterkin, who have combined to win four of the last six Vezina trophies, are the first two.

Who is the third? Answer at the end of this story. (Hint: He’s never even been a finalist for the Vezina and played for three different teams during this span.)

Coast to coast

😬 Things are getting a little tense in Edmonton as Connor McDavid reiterated yesterday he’s in no rush to sign a contract extension as he enters the final year of his deal. Chris Johnston dived headfirst into the implications of that approach — and how the situation could affect his teammates. The longer this goes, the more interesting it’s going to get.

💔 Tomorrow marks one year since the tragic deaths of John and Matty Gaudreau. Peter Baugh wrote a well-reported, emotional story on the year of incomprehensible grief — and immeasurable strength — for the Gaudreau family.

🔄 “Yeah, he’s getting traded. It’s obvious.” Those are words of Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund about longtime teammate Rasmus Andersson, who will be a free agent after the upcoming season. That was just one interesting tidbit coming out of the NHL player media tour in Europe.

🧐 Sean McIndoe admits five weird things he does when he watches hockey. Do any of them sound familiar to you, or is he on another planet?

👶 With the draft barely in the rear-view mirror, there’s no rest for prospect expert Corey Pronman, who ranked the prospect pipelines for all 32 teams. If that’s not enough, he further explained his rankings on “The Athletic Hockey Show” podcast. Listen to find out which player he said might be the best prospect he’s ever evaluated.

📬 James Mirtle winds down his summer mailbag series (Parts 1 and 2 are also worth your time) by answering questions about the Oilers and their goalies, the good ol’ no-tax state debate, why teams have so much cap room, and pain in Toronto and Buffalo.

Your trivia answer …

Anthony Stolarz is the only other goaltender with positive GSAx in each of the last six seasons. He played well in a limited role with the Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers before finally getting the starting gig last season in Toronto. All he did was finish second in the NHL with 31.2 GSAx.

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(Top photo: Leah Hennel / Getty Images)