Do I need a goalie?

[jimc21]

I am carrying Price and Helly. Of course Helly shat the bed last night, so I'm nervous. We have 4 minimum starts per week, so carrying two is always a bit of a risk. I figured that Helly was solid as #1 and that his star is rising. That would give me the quality starts I need alongside of Price. Am I wrong? I have an open roster spot to fill and I could grab a D or a hot F instead of a goalie. But if I need to grab another G, I need to do it now.

Available goalies who have decent TOI are:
Budaj, Ward, Pickard, Smith, Varley, Markstrom and Fleury.

Any of these a compelling add?

Thanks!

[BillyD.]

with 4 starts a week, having 3 goalies is a good idea.
I would go with Fleury (he will give you at least 1 start/week), but if you want an undisputed #1 then you have to go with Smith or Ward.
You can also take the hot G and changing when he gets colder or just picking a G with an easy match-up; using the ww as an extension of you bench when you need the starts is a good strategy.
Unless you have a short limit of moves.

[Eskimo Brother]

I don't think any of those guys are really an upgrade on Helle right now.

[lucafen4]

I prefer starting goalies over platoons/back ups every time and always carry 3G in a start 2... that eliminates Fleury for me based on guaranteed starts - even though he's on the best team. Not everyone will share my opinion on that.

This would leave Smith, Ward Budaj and Varly as options

budaj plays for the best team and is right with league leaders in wins. He's got another two months as starter in his pocket, then he holds no value. If you're willing to roll the dice for the short fix (his #'s are solid) He's the safest add to make.

with your G cats: W, SVP, GAA, SV... Mike Smith is probably the best option. I personally think he's undervalued. he's facing a tonne of shots, but his GAA/SV PCT is also really solid, he's going to give you solid #'s in those three cats. Same or similar with Ward... Varly would be my 4th option.

With Price as your #1 you're going to get a fair amount of W's, Budaj would help you secure that category, but give less help with SVs than Smith. His GAA/SVpct is also very solid - you'll lose him come playoffs though as Quick should be back safely by then.

Ward's injury history always scares me,

I'd prefer to roll with Budaj or Smith IMO....

[jimc21]

Great advice, guys. I appreciate the thoroughness of your logic. I am a little nervous about Helly being my only #2. I dropped Fleury in a fit of rage last week. But then Helly came back to earth and I got a reality check. I might just go ahead and grab Budaj. He's not an upgrade over Helly, just an insurance policy along with him. I can't imagine that Quick will be 100% even when he gets off the IR, and by then the Helly picture will be much clearer. Fleury did have a decent outing this week though... That makes it a tougher choice. Thanks!

[The Bottlenecker]

I prefer starting goalies over platoons/back ups every time and always carry 3G in a start 2... that eliminates Fleury for me based on guaranteed starts - even though he's on the best team. Not everyone will share my opinion on that.

This would leave Smith, Ward Budaj and Varly as options

budaj plays for the best team and is right with league leaders in wins. He's got another two months as starter in his pocket, then he holds no value. If you're willing to roll the dice for the short fix (his #'s are solid) He's the safest add to make.

with your G cats: W, SVP, GAA, SV... Mike Smith is probably the best option. I personally think he's undervalued. he's facing a tonne of shots, but his GAA/SV PCT is also really solid, he's going to give you solid #'s in those three cats. Same or similar with Ward... Varly would be my 4th option.

With Price as your #1 you're going to get a fair amount of W's, Budaj would help you secure that category, but give less help with SVs than Smith. His GAA/SVpct is also very solid - you'll lose him come playoffs though as Quick should be back safely by then.

Ward's injury history always scares me,

I'd prefer to roll with Budaj or Smith IMO....

Budaj is the safest choice for the next couple of months at least.

[stevegamer]

I am carrying Price and Helly. Of course Helly shat the bed last night, so I'm nervous. We have 4 minimum starts per week, so carrying two is always a bit of a risk. I figured that Helly was solid as #1 and that his star is rising. That would give me the quality starts I need alongside of Price. Am I wrong? I have an open roster spot to fill and I could grab a D or a hot F instead of a goalie. But if I need to grab another G, I need to do it now.

Available goalies who have decent TOI are:
Budaj, Ward, Pickard, Smith, Varley, Markstrom and Fleury.

Any of these a compelling add?

Thanks!

If you want quality starts, Fleury was a good drop. Your league counts Wins, but that is his only truly strong category. His save%, while about average on the whole fluctuates, wildly start to start. I like Budaj to help you in all your categories right now, and I also think we have no way of knowing how Quick will come back. Another thing is that Quick is a good, but not elite, goalie, so there's an admittedly remote shot that the injury saps enough of his skill to make this a crease battle with Budaj.

[Sulla]

I think it has to be Budaj as I'm not sure adding Smith or Ward do much to calm the nerves... Fleury is a risk to not start enough in a given week but was strong last outing and I wonder if they ride him a little as her definitely have the best re sale value

[DusterDave]

You should absolutely be carrying three goalies in a minimum 4 start per week league, especially considering Saves is a category. I'd probably pick up Budaj in this situation.