Welcome (back) to Hockeyinformer.com for the 2008/2009 NHL season. We'll be here with our daily goalie predictions on who will be in net as well as news and fantasy insight for forwards and defenseman as well.

Just as a summary for those who are new, the links on the left are what you need to use to navigate the page. The "news" tab is where you will find all the fantasy worthy news that we have time to post while the "starting goalies" tab is where you will find what you're really here for: starting goalies for nightly NHL games. We'll usually be posting a preliminary update early morning and then updating throughout the day as more info becomes available right up until about 5 minutes before a game starts. As always, if you'd like to contribute anything, please send it to updates (at) hockeyinformer.com.

Finally, please click the "fantasy pool" link on the left side to sign up for our newest feature. We'll be giving away a prize or two for the winner(s) - I just haven't decided what it will be. Registration is free and open to everyone so I encourage you to sign up as soon as possible. The deadline for registrations is October 12 so hurry and sign up!

Thanks for visiting and enjoy!

Here are Hockeyinformer's goalie rankings for the 2008/2009 NHL season. While we have ranked most of the top goalies in the league, we have also taken the liberty to break them down into tiers as we feel at times it may be important to know which goalies share similar value and which are in a distinctly inferior group.

Tier One

1. Martin Brodeur - You can't go wrong with the perennial All-Star and Vezina finalist .. Turns 36 this year, but is ready to break several records this season the most prominent of which will be to become the league's all-time winningest goalie.

2. Evgeni Nabokov - Was an absolute workhorse last season and contributed his strongest season ever playing an absurd 77 games .. Figures to have a slightly lighter workload, but is number one on a stellar Sharks club.

3. Henrik Lundqvist - Has proved his detractors wrong with three straight Vezina nominations and three straight 30-win seasons .. Only injuries can derail what could be a landmark fourth NHL season in which he hits 40 wins for the first time.

4. Roberto Luongo - Second NHL season in Vancouver started with a bang, but his play following the all-star break tailed off considerably as off-ice issues surely caused a huge distraction .. Is primed for a 'rebound' if you even want to call last year a letdown.

5. Miikka Kiprusoff - Some could argue that he no longer belongs in this upper echelon, given his deteriorating stats since almost winning the Hart three years ago .. However, the flip side of that means that he will come undervalued in a lot of drafts.

Tier Two

6. Jean-Sebastien Giguere - Would easily be a top-three goalie but we're dropping him down a notch due to the fact that his somewhat brittle nature will likely prevent him from appearing in more than 60 games .. If you're looking for someone to help with goals-against-average and save percentage, he's your guy.

Huet was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a second round pick, reports the AP. This deal clouds the goaltending picture in Washington considerably, as Huet will now battle with Olaf Kolzig for starts. It's still unclear who will emerge as the winner, but our opinion is that Huet will probably come out of all this with slightly more value than the aging Kolzig. Brent Johnson meanwhile becomes absolutely worthless as he is now a third stringer. Over in Montreal, Carey Price takes over full-time reigns and is a must-start in almost all fantasy leagues. He'll be backed up by unproven Jaroslav Halak, which should make many Habs fans nervous.

Smith was traded to the Lightning in the blockbuster that sent Brad Richards the other way, reports the AP. Smith immediately becomes the favorite for starts and should be picked up in any leagues in which he is still available. Karri Ramo will be relegated to backup duties while Johan Holmqvist, who was also part of the deal, heads to Dallas to serve as Marty Turco's backup. Bump up Smith's value considerably while Ramo and Holmqvist are now virtually worthless. Turco's value will stay about the same.

Unless you own Vanek, you might not have noticed that he has exploded back into the stratosphere. After months of disappointment, this great buy-low player has finally shaken his label. The window has likely closed to snag him at much of a discount, but it is still worth a shot. Unfortunately, 15 points in 9 games, including two hat tricks, usually wakes up even the most naive of owners. Still, if you stole him low... congrats!

The 2007 #6 overall pick now has 11 points over his current 8-game streak going into tonights game against Colorado. While most 18-year-olds are still playing in juniors, Gagner is charging up the list for rookie of the year candidates. With Horcoff out, he has proven that all he needed was the prime opportunity. He has outperformed even Hemsky during this steak, and his hockey sense is unmatched by most prospects his age. Though heavy on the assists, Sam looks to be a 90-point star in years to come.

The Canucks, Avalanche and Flyers remain in the Forsberg sweepstakes, reports the AP. The center's agent has already notified Detroit, San Jose, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Calgary and Dallas that Forsberg is not interested in joining those clubs. The Canucks are probably still in the running because Forsberg would like to play with longtime friend Markus Naslund and probably the Sedins as well while the Avs and Flyers are at the top of the list due to Forsberg already play there earlier in his career. It remains to be seen how much Forsberg has left in the tank but it's still worth stashing him at the end of your bench just in case things work out.

The Kings have recalled goalie Dan Cloutier from the minors and they have also consequently waived goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin to make room on the roster. Not surprisingly, neither goalie was touched when passing through the league's waiver system but the Kings want to give Cloutier one more chance to show that he has the stuff to be a legitimate NHL goalie. He figures to get some action down the stretch and if he gets on nice streak would be trouble for Jason LaBarbera. Aubin had probably the least amount of fantasy value among all NHL goalies and with this news, his value falls even further if that is even possible.

Souray underwent arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder on Thursday, reports the AP. While an official diagnosis has not yet been released, it is expected that he will be sidelined for the remainder of the year but he'll be fully healthy for the start of next season. The 2007/2008 campaign has been an absolute disaster for the blueliner but he figures to be a top-20 option at the position next year - assuming that his injury woes are behind him.

Crosby skated for the third time since suffering a high ankle sprain, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Before his fantasy owners get excited, Crosby is not ahead of schedule as this skating routine is just part of the rehab process. The young center is still not expected back for another month.