Rankings

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.

Here are Hockeyinformer's goalie rankings for the 2007/2008 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. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks - Finished runnerup for the Vezina and the Hart in his first season with the Canucks and deservedly so as he backstopped the team to a division title while contributing a career high 47 wins...was equally as strong in the playoffs and probably would have garnered top goalie honors had he overcome his slow start last season...that shouldn't be a problem this time around...

2. Miikka Kiprusoff - Calgary Flames - Wasn't as sharp as this season before but was able to manage a second consecutive 40-win season...durable, consistent and still in his prime, he should easily challenge for the Vezina trophy barring disaster...also is usually among the league leaders in all major goalie categories - including shutouts - which makes him arguably the safest pick around...

3. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils - Recorded an NHL record 48 wins and his third Vezina trophy in the last four years, though he seemed wear down over the season's final month and into the playoffs...probably won't play in 78 games like he did last year and with the Devils defense suffering another loss in Brian Rafalski, he'll be hard pressed to match last year's totals...

Tier Two