NHL Fantasy Hockey: Andrei Vasilevskiy tops 2026-27 standard goalie rankings as NHL.com releases top 25 list

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

A new NHL Fantasy Hockey ranking update for the 2026-27 season puts Andrei Vasilevskiy at the top of the standard-league goalie board, with NHL.com naming the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender first among its top 25 fantasy netminders. The same release also identifies the top 10 tandem combinations for pool formats that score shared goaltending production, underscoring that NHL.com’s goal-rankings are built around Fantasy-specific scoring categories rather than solely real-world win counts.

In NHL.com’s standard goalie categories, fantasy value is tied to wins, goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts. NHL.com states that the value for each goalie is quantified using a range of factors, including past regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoffs production, the goalie situation with his team, anticipated start volume, projected goal support (or the lack of it), injury history or concerns, and “sleeper, bounce-back or breakout potential,” along with anticipated regression, age, contract status, and overall upside.

The top 25 list, as published by NHL.com, is led by Vasilevskiy, followed by Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers. NHL.com notes Shesterkin is listed as injured, placing that status within the context of how the rankings take health into account.

Further down the standard rankings, NHL.com places Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild at No. 6 and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins at No. 7. Jacob Markstrom (Florida Panthers) is No. 8, while Karel Vejmelka (Utah) is No. 9. Mackenzie Blackwood is listed at No. 10, and NHL.com’s next tier includes Brandon Bussi at No. 11, Jakub Dobes at No. 12, and Scott Wedgewood at No. 13.

The list continues with Sergei Bobrovsky at No. 14 and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at No. 15. Carter Hart follows at No. 16, Joel Hofer at No. 17, and Linus Ullmark at No. 18. NHL.com then ranks Jet Greaves at No. 19, Spencer Knight at No. 20, and Devon Levi at No. 21.

NHL.com also includes several younger or developing goalies within its top 25, including Yaroslav Askarov at No. 22 and Jacob Fowler at No. 23, followed by Jake Allen at No. 24 and Stuart Skinner at No. 25. Other names flagged as additional options to consider in the same release include Juuse Saros (Nashville), Lukas Dostal (Anaheim), Arturs Silovs (Pittsburgh), Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles), Joseph Woll (Philadelphia), Dan Vladar (Philadelphia), Joey Daccord (Seattle), John Gibson (Detroit), Dustin Wolf (Calgary), Akira Schmid (Florida), Sergei Murashov (Pittsburgh, rookie), and Pyotr Kochetkov (Carolina).

Separate from the standard goalie pool rankings, NHL.com also publishes a top 10 tandem list for Fantasy formats that score team-goalie pairs. For this scoring structure, NHL.com describes a “NHL Fantasy Stars” point system that awards 3 points for a win, 1 point for a team power-play goal, 2 points for a shorthanded goal, minus 4 points for a goal against, 5 points for a shutout, and 1 point for a save.

For those tandem rankings, NHL.com’s top tandem is Colorado’s Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood. The next two slots are Washington’s Logan Thompson paired with Charlie Lindgren, followed by Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt and Calvin Pickard; NHL.com adds a note that Filip Gustavsson is injured in that tandem context. Tampa Bay follows with Andrei Vasilevskiy and Dennis Hildeby as the No. 4 pairing.

The top tandem list continues with Montreal’s Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler at No. 5, Boston’s Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro at No. 6, and New York’s Ilya Sorokin with Semyon Varlamov at No. 7. Carolina’s Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov are listed at No. 8, while Florida’s Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid are No. 9. Utah’s tandem of Karel Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa rounds out the top 10.

Overall, the NHL.com Fantasy Hockey rankings provide a structured starting point for managers setting rosters for the 2026-27 season, clarifying both the categories used for standard goalie evaluations and the scoring mechanics for tandem-based team-goalie formats. For Vancouver-based fantasy players, the release is also notable for how it balances established starters and a range of younger prospects—while explicitly incorporating health and projected usage into the ranking framework.