Goalies

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Connor Hellebuyck, Jeremy Swayman, Thatcher Demko

Hellebuyck and Swayman are the easy and obvious choices here.

Hellebuyck has been one of the best, most consistent and most impactful goalies in the NHL for the better part of the past decade. He is still playing at that level, is showing no signs of slowing down and is a big part of why the Winnipeg Jets are one of the best teams in the NHL this season.

When he is on top of his game, the list of goalies who are better than him can be counted on one hand (while still having fingers left over). He's good. Really good.

Swayman has also emerged as a top-level goalie. The only potential knock against him is that he has never really been a full-time starting goalie in the NHL and plays behind a really good defensive team. The good news in a short tournament is that he will also be playing behind an outstanding defense (especially on this team) and will not have to play a ton of games.

The wild-card pick here is going with Demko over Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger.

Is that an example of recency bias at play? It sure is! But Oettinger has been off his game so far this season and Demko has bounced back in a big way and been a star in Vancouver.

Demko has been an outstanding goalie for most of his career in Vancouver, with the 2022-23 season being what looks to be a significant outlier. Oettinger has the potential to be a game-stealer when he is at his best, and if he bounces back to that level, he might jump back over Demko on our list.

Until then, Demko gets our nod for the third goalie.

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