CoreNHL's 10 Best Goalies From The 2024-25 NHL Season
CoreNHL's Michael Ostrower put together the model's 10 best goalies from the 2024-25 NHL season in terms of value brought per game
Note: There is a slight weight adjustment for goaltenders with higher ice time
Honorable Mentions
Anthony Stolarz, Darcy Kuemper, Casey DeSmith, and Filip Gustavsson
10. Lukas Dostal
Lukas Dostal: 23-23-7, 3.10 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO
Lukas Dostal broke out for the Anaheim Ducks in 2024-25.
He faced 31.08 shots against per 60 minutes, eight of which were high-danger, ranking above the 95th percentile among all NHL netminders in each category.
Despite the intense workload, he held his own, finishing in or around the top ten among most GSAx models.
Just 25 years old at the start of the 2025-26 season, the Ducks may have a long-term starter on their hands.
9. Karel Vejmelka
Karel Vejmelka: 26-22-8, 2.58 GAA, .904 SV%, 1 SO
Karel Vejmelka was a very solid goaltender for the Utah Hockey Club in 2024-25.
In 58 games, he conceded three or fewer goals on 46 occasions, including 15 games with one goal or fewer, and 27 games with two goals or fewer.
His season was highlighted by a 50-save, 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 13, but his solid play was a constant throughout the year.
8. Sam Montembeault
Sam Montembeault: 31-24-7, 2.82 GAA, .902 SV%, 4 SO
Much like Dostal, Sam Montembeault had a long season in net, as the Montreal Canadiens defense conceded 2.89 xG per 60 minutes with the 28-year-old in net, the second-highest among all NHL netminders.
Despite this, Montembeault led the Canadiens to the playoffs behind his 62 games played, the third most in the league.
7. Igor Shesterkin
Igor Shesterkin: 27-29-5, 2.86 GAA, .905 SV%, 6 SO
The 2024-25 season was a disaster for the New York Rangers, and it would have been even worse if not for Igor Shesterkin.
His six shutouts were the second most in the league, and he kept his team in the playoff race until it was too late.
Now at the start of an eight-year, $11.5 million AAV deal, the Rangers will need Shesterkin to shine through as one of the league’s best goalies once again.
6. Ilya Sorokin
Ilya Sorokin: 30-24-6, 2.71 GAA, .907 SV%, 4 SO
Despite some New York Islanders fans thinking otherwise, Ilya Sorokin is an elite goaltender, and his 2024-25 season was no exception.
Fresh off major back surgery, Sorokin was forced to work overtime following Semyon Varlamov’s lower-body injury sustained on Nov. 29.
From that point on, Sorokin appeared in 47 games — more than any other goaltender during that span — and still managed to steal games as the Islanders pushed for a playoff spot.
While some fans point to his 19 games allowing four or more goals as the reason for the team’s struggles, the reality is that he often faced both a high volume and high quality of shots in those outings.
With a full offseason of rest, the Islanders must improve their play in front of Sorokin to avoid wasting another year of his prime.
5. John Gibson
John Gibson: 11-11-2, 2.77 GAA, .912 SV%, 0 SO
Just like Dostal, the Ducks did John Gibson no favors in net, allowing 7.98 high-danger shots, 30.53 total shots, and 2.85 expected goals against per 60 minutes, all of which placed him among the top five most-challenged netminders league-wide.
Despite this, Gibson had a career resurgence, giving GM Pat Verbeek options in the crease heading into 2025-26.
Gibson, who turns 32 in July, has two years remaining at a reasonable $6.4 million AAV cap hit, but there is no place for him in Anaheim’s long-term plans following Dostal’s breakout.
With the Edmonton Oilers linked to Gibson in trade rumors, it is easy to envision the two sides working out a deal, but these reports have been going around for years, so it is unknown if a deal would even happen at this point.
After all, Anaheim is hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and relying on Dostal — who has played more than 20 games just twice in his career — to carry the load may be a risky decision.
4. Logan Thompson
Logan Thompson: 31-6-6, 2.49 GAA, .910 SV%, 2 SO
Logan Thompson was a Vezina Trophy contender until a rough February through March stretch.
From the start of the season through January, Thompson had a 2.28 GAA, .919 SV%, and 27.78 GSAx.
He then had a 3.20 GAA, .876 SV%, and -2.91 GSAx until sustaining an injury that ended his regular season on April 2.
Thompson’s end-of-season struggles were understandable; he had never been a team’s starting goaltender before, only ever splitting minutes with Adin Hill on the Vegas Golden Knights.
Set to begin the first season of a six-year, $5.85 million AAV deal, the Capitals will need Thompson to resemble his first-half form, not the version they saw from February through March.
3. Dustin Wolf
Dustin Wolf: 29-16-8, 2.64 GAA, .910 SV%, 3 SO
The Calgary Flames were patient with Dustin Wolf’s development, and it looks like it will pay off.
In his first season as an NHL regular, Wolf dominated, leading the Flames to 66 of their 96 points in the standings.
He finished the year as the Calder Trophy runner-up, falling to Lane Hutson who won the award after tying Larry Murphy for the most assists ever by a rookie defenseman with 60.
At just 24 years old, expect to see Wolf’s name atop this list for a while.
2. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Andrei Vasilevskiy: 38-20-5, 2.18 GAA, .921 SV%, 6 SO
People tend to forget about Andrei Vasilevskiy because he has been such a strong goaltender in Tampa Bay for so long, but it is important to recognize the Lightning would not have been a playoff team without him.
He finished the season with the most games played (63) and TOI (3743:04) among all NHL goaltenders, and he did so with six shutouts, 23 games conceding one or fewer goals, and only 10 games conceding four or more goals.
He was in net for 81 of the team’s 102 points in the standings, including 38 of their 47 wins, showing just how valuable he was.
1. Connor Hellebuyck
Connor Hellebuyck: 47-12-3, 2.00 GAA, .925 SV%, 8 SO
Surprise! Connor Hellebuyck is really good at hockey.
In 2024-25, he led the league in shutouts (eight) and conceded one or fewer goals in 27 of his 63 games while conceding four or more goals just eight times.
Among almost all public sources, he ranked at or above the 97th percentile in GSAx and GSAx per 60 minutes while owning the lowest GAA and second highest SV% in the league.
No doubt about it, Hellebuyck is a generational talent.
You can check out more of Michael’s work at The Hockey News, follow him on X (michaelost13), Instagram (CoreNHL) or contact him directly at Michael.ostrower@gmail.com
