Crashing the Crease: Youngsters Knocking on the Door

The NHL is littered with promising young goaltenders. Guys like Jake Allen and John Gibson are already known commodities, but the 2016-17 season promises to produce an usually high number of influential youngsters to join them with an expansion draft looming at season's end. Las Vegas is scheduled to join the league in 2017-18, leaving many teams with decisions regarding their veteran starters in net.

Five up-and-coming young netminders stand out as the most enticing candidates with the potential to take over their teams' respective starting jobs at some point this season: Matt Murray, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jacob Markstrom, Calvin Pickard and Joonas Korpisalo.

Matt Murray, PIT - He played so well early in Pittsburgh's 2016 Stanley Cup run with Marc-Andre Fleury injured that he was allowed to finish the job, but a now-healthy Fleury isn't likely to give up his starting job easily after going 35-17-6 with a 2.29 GAA last season. The offensive support provided by the star-studded Penguins makes life easy for any goaltender, and the 22-year-old Murray seemed to have a slight edge on the No. 1 spot prior to breaking his hand. While he won't be back until November, Murray could still end up supplanting Fleury as the man in Pittsburgh before season's end.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB – The Russian is considered Tampa Bay's goaltender of the future, and that future could be now with the Lightning looking to possibly move on from Ben Bishop in the final year of his $5.95 million AAV contract. The 22-year-old already has 12 playoff appearances under his belt, and wasn't signed to a three-year, $10.5 million extension this offseason to sit on the bench. Expect Vasilevskiy to cut into Bishop's playing time from the get-go, with a very realistic chance of supplanting the veteran should he experience even a minor slip-up.

Jacob Markstrom, VAN – Markstrom has struggled to live up to his potential after being selected 31st overall by the Panthers in 2008, with a 3.00 GAA in 83 NHL games. Still, the only man standing between him and the starting job in Vancouver is 36-year-old Ryan Miller, who won just 17 of his 51 starts last year with a 2.70 GAA. Markstrom should open the season in a timeshare, but could easily seize the No. 1 gig for himself with a hot start. It's too early to give up on the hulking Swede at just 26 years of age, especially given the recent history of late-blooming giants in the NHL.

Calvin Pickard, COL – Pickard has been the Avalanche's backup for the last two seasons, posting a respectable 2.46 GAA and .927 save percentage in 36 appearances. At 24 years of age, he could finally be ready to push Semyon Varlamov for the top job in Colorado, especially with the Russian coming off an ugly 2015-16 campaign in which he posted a 2.81 GAA and .914 save percentage. Varlamov is only 28 himself and had a strong preseason, but will be on a considerably shorter leash this season. If the Avs choose to expose Varlamov in the expansion draft, expect them to give their goalie of the future plenty of reps down the stretch. He's more of a stash than an immediate pickup, but Pickard could pay major dividends in the second half.

Joonas Korpisalo, CBJ – He was reasonably successful in his first taste of the league last season, going 16-11-4 with a 2.60 GAA and .920 save percentage. The 22-year-old netminder will likely start in the minors, but has the potential to take over as the starter later in the season. Starter Sergei Bobrovsky was often injured in 2015-16, and was largely ineffective when he did play. Bobrovsky played well at the World Cup of Hockey this offseason, but the Blue Jackets won't think twice about calling up Korpisalo and handing the gig over to him should Bob falter or get hurt again.

All five of the aforementioned youngsters are capable of playing productively in a major role at some point this season, even if their opportunities don't come right off the bat. Keeping these names in mind could pay major dividends down the road in a unique season that will see teams weighing players' potential future roles in addition to searching for a win-now formula.

Top three trending up:

Carey Price, MTL -- Price's 2015-16 season was ended prematurely by a November knee injury, but the Canadiens goalie managed to put any questions about the injury's long-term effects to rest with a spectacular showing for Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey this offseason. The 2015 Vezina and Hart Trophy winner reestablished himself as the world's best goalie with a 5-0-0 record, 1.40 GAA and .957 save percentage in that tournament. Anyone who took him as the first netminder off the board in drafts should feel confident in that pick as Price's stock continues to trend upward toward its 2015 high.

Sergei Bobrovsky, CBJ -- Bobrovsky is another former Vezina winner who struggled on the injury front in 2015-16, but helped quell concern with a strong World Cup of Hockey. The Columbus netminder posted a .930 save percentage to go with a 2-2 record for a Russian team that did a poor job of limiting high-quality opportunities against. Bob knows that youngsters Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg are waiting in the wings should he slip up, but his strong offseason has helped the fully recovered veteran ensure he receives the first crack at the Blue Jackets' full-time starting gig.

Jaroslav Halak, NYI -- Halak has regained his role as the main man in Brooklyn after injuries limited him to just 36 games last season. The Slovakian posted a 2.15 GAA and .941 save percentage for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey, and that strong performance was enough to assure Islanders brass that he's ready to take back the majority of work from Thomas Greiss. Greiss stepped up in Halak's absence last year, but won't threaten his playing time as long as the veteran performs up to his capabilities.

Top three trending down:

Brian Elliott, CGY -- Elliott posted a GAA of 2.28 or lower in each of his five seasons with the Blues, but maintaining that pace will be a challenge in Calgary. The Flames allowed a league-high 257 goals last season, and would have to shave 70 goals off that mark to match Elliott's worst mark in St. Louis. Those hoping for him to seamlessly transition to this less defensively-sound team without experiencing a decrease in production are going to be sorely disappointed.

Steve Mason, PHI -- Mason was the Flyers' starter during the regular season last year, but a poor start to his postseason opened the door for Michael Neuvirth. Neuvirth gave up just two goals on 105 Capitals shots, bringing Philadelphia back from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 6. The Czech veteran has earned himself more of an even split with that playoff performance, and will at the very least cut into Mason's playing time early. It's possible that Mason will put up similar numbers in a couple fewer starts, but there's a distinct possibility of getting demoted to a backup role, as well.

Mike Smith, ARZ -- He wasn't mentioned among the other young goalies because he lacks their upside, but Louis Domingue will still cut into Smith's playing time quite a bit in Arizona. The Coyotes have a young and mistake-prone core, and aren't married to the idea of giving Smith the majority of reps. The veteran's days as a serviceable fantasy netminder seem over considering that he hasn't had a GAA under 2.50 since 2011-12 and doesn't have the volume to make up for his mediocre rates anymore.