Welcome to Goalie Week. NHL Social is celebrating goaltending with NHL Goalie Week from Sept. 2-7, reveling in the uniqueness and artistry of puck-stoppers through the decades. Today, in a special version of an NHL.com roundtable, the game’s under-the-radar goalies are identified and celebrated.
Goaltending is such a star-making position. As the last line of defense and in personalized equipment that stands out from the other players on the ice, the goalie often is the focus of any game.
He’s hailed for his contributions to a win and demonized for his faults in a loss.
Yet, somehow, some of these masked men across the League remain under the radar while others become poster boys for the position.
But a lower profile doesn’t mean lesser ability; in fact, often those toiling in the spotlight’s shadows are just as good as the leading men they go up against.
So, NHL.com thought it was time to give some love to the goalies who aren’t as well-known or popular as the giants in the game today and asked nine NHL.com staffers for their opinion on the most underrated goalie in the League.
Here are the answers:
When a management person with Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team mentioned last October that Blackwood was one of the goalies being scouted for the February tournament, I was skeptical. The 28-year-old had four straight seasons (2020-24) with a goals-against average of 3.00 or higher with the New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks. Hardly seemed like a candidate to play for a Canada national team with a legacy of top-end goaltenders like Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Curtis Joseph, Roberto Luongo and Carey Price. But, the Canada executive wondered, how much were those numbers attributed to the teams in front of him? Consider the 2024-25 season. In 19 games with the struggling Sharks he was 6-9-3 with a 3.00 GAA even though he had a respectable .911 save percentage. After being traded to the skilled Avalanche those numbers greatly improved to 22-12-3 with a 2.33 GAA and .913 save percentage in 37 games. Maybe now, with a better supporting cast around him, we are seeing the real Blackwood. — Mike Zeisberger, staff writer