What is happening to NHL goalies this season?

*Photo from The Hockey Writers*

   There's a bit of a situation happening in the NHL this season. There has been a ton of goalies that have been used this season. Like a ton, there shouldn't be this much. For example, the Buffalo Sabres will have to sign a 7th goalie for this season, because the top 5 are currently out of commission. Let's take a look at this high amount of goalie usage in the NHL this season.

   We'll start with the Sabres, because they're the poster child of this. Their top two goalies this season were Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski, with Aaron Dell the 3rd stringer in the AHL. Anderson went down at the start of the season, he's been on IR and hasn't come back. Tokarski has missed 20 games due to a bout with Covid-19. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban are week to week and month to month respectively with injuries. Dell also just got suspended 3 games. That leaves Michael Houser as the only goalie on the roster, who, by the way, they signed just two weeks ago. They'll need to sign a 7th goalie to back up Houser in Buffalo's next game.

   Now, maybe a reason for high amounts of goalies in the NHL is Covid-19. The brutal stretch was in December when it seemed like the whole league had tested positive at one point or another, which brought back the taxi squads, which allow teams to carry extra players with them on a road trip, in case of injuries or positive Covid-19 tests. These positive Covid-19 tests force players to be out for a minimum of 5 days, which can mean at least 3 games depending on the schedule. 

   This requires goalie callups from the AHL, such as the Lightning calling up both Max Lagace and Hugo Alnefelt from the AHL when both Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brian Elliot tested postive. Or, when Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak of the Canucks tested positive, and they had to call up Spencer Martin and Michael DiPetro. Or when Colin Delia and Arvid Soderblom came up to the Chicago Blackhawks when both Marc-Andre Fleury and Kevin Lankinen were out of commission.

   Of course, another reason is good old fashioned injuries. There have been plenty of them, whether it's because of a short offseason that led to shorter recovery times, ramping back up to an 82 game season after only playing 56 last season, or just general lack of proper conditioning, injuries have been running rampant in the NHL this season.

   Take the New Jersey Devils as an example of this category. Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier were the top two goalies entering training camp, and both are now on IR, with Bernier out for possibly the season. They had Scott Wedgewood earlier in the season, but the Coyotes got him on waivers when Blackwood got healthy. Akira Schmid and Nico Daws, rookies from the AHL, have seen time in the NHL, and they traded for veteran Jon Gillies from the St. Louis Blues to try and get a veteran goalie in the room.

   Another example of this is the Montreal Canadiens. We all know about how Carey Price just hasn't come back yet, which had Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault as the top two goalies. Allen is now on IR and out for at least 8 weeks. Montembeault is now also dealing with a wrist injury, so 4th and 5th string goalies Cayden Primeau and Michael McNiven are filling the void between the pipes, which is a far cry from the sturdy tandem of Price and Allen that was fantasized about when Montreal traded for Allen.

   You can also look at teams with a rotating door of backup goalies. Such as the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta have been great when healthy, but they've both been injured, which has had Alex Lyon called up from the AHL, as well as Jack LaFontaine, who they literally signed out of college in the middle of the NCAA season. Or the Boston Bruins, who had Kyle Keyser up from the AHL as a backup when Jeremy Swayman tested positive, only for Swayman to go to the AHL when they signed Tuukka Rask midseason, who's now partnering with Linus Ullmark in the NHL.

   Long story short, there's been a ton of goalie problems leaguewide this season. There might just be more, as there are plenty of goalies dealing with long term injuries right now. Fingers crossed it doesn't get worse.