NHL’s Top 10 Goalie Tandems for 2026-27

A top-of-the-line goaltender isn’t necessary to win the Stanley Cup, but reliable play between the pipes can certainly boost your ceiling. Which 10 teams have the best goalie tandems entering the 2026-27 season?

Note: Wins above replacement (WAR) is a metric used to quantify impact. Read more about it here.

10. Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger & Casey DeSmith

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 7.05

Jake Oettinger had his first season below a .900 save percentage (.899), but he put up a 35-12-6 record with a 2.59 goals-against average anyway. The 27-year-old hasn’t put up truly dominant regular-season statistics in some time, yet he has consistently been one of the winningest netminders in the NHL.

Backing him up again is Casey DeSmith, who appeared in 30 games behind Oettinger. The soon-to-be 35-year-old recorded a .907 save percentage, 2.43 goals-against average, and went 15-8-6. He has performed well over the past couple of seasons, but age might be worth keeping in mind at this point.

9. Minnesota Wild: Jesper Wallstedt & Filip Gustavsson

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 7.50

The Minnesota Wild have two starting-caliber goaltenders in the crease after now-sophomore Jesper Wallstedt had an impressive rookie showing. In 35 appearances, he put up a .915 save percentage, 2.61 goals-against average, four shutouts, and an 18-9-6 record. He got the nod in 10 postseason contests, too, despite seeing his workload limited later in the campaign.

Then, there’s Filip Gustavsson, who appeared in 50 regular-season games for the club but lost his job in the playoffs after allowing four goals on 22 shots. The 28-year-old had offseason surgery, so it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for the Wild’s opener on Oct. 1. Free-agent pickup Calvin Pickard will take Gustavsson’s place if he needs more time to recover.

8. Montreal Canadiens: Jakub Dobeš & Jacob Fowler

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 7.63

The youth in this tandem should give some slight pause, but Jakub Dobeš has done wonders behind a shaky Montreal Canadiens defense in the chance prevention department. The 25-year-old was among the best in several major advanced goalie statistics. He posted 29 wins, a .901 save percentage, and a 2.78 goals-against average in 43 games.

Jacob Fowler is only 21, so it’s tough to say if he can follow up his rookie-season act, but he recorded nine wins, a .908 save percentage, a 2.43 goals-against average, and a shutout in 17 contests. Considering his dominance as a prospect in the Canadiens’ system, this stretch was probably legit. Montreal’s netminders may perform above this ranking in 2026-27.

7. Colorado Avalanche: Scott Wedgewood & Mackenzie Blackwood

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 8.90

There’s reason to believe that the emergence of Scott Wedgewood was at least partially a fluke, as you could imagine for a 33-year-old backup turned season-long Vezina Trophy candidate. However, he was coming off a very good 2024-25 stint with the Colorado Avalanche, so this wasn’t totally out of the blue.

Mackenzie Blackwood is more established as a starter and someone you might expect to flourish in Colorado’s system. This tandem may take a step back in the new campaign, but don’t expect it to be by a lot.

6. Boston Bruins: Jeremy Swayman & Michael DiPietro

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 8.09

The Boston Bruins might deserve to be even higher on this list after how well Jeremy Swayman played in 2025-26. He struggled the season prior, his first as a full-time starter, but bounced back to finish third in Vezina Trophy voting. The Bruins had poor defensive marks, yet he recorded a .907 save percentage, a 2.71 goals-against average, and went 31-18-4 in 55 games.

With Joonas Korpisalo being traded in the offseason, the Bruins’ new backup is set to be Michael DiPietro. The 27-year-old has been terrific in the American Hockey League (AHL) but has never gotten an NHL role. He could turn out to be an upgrade over Korpisalo if all goes well.

5. New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin & Joonas Korpisalo

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 7.45

Igor Shesterkin is never really off his game, and the same could be said last season. The New York Rangers’ defense was solid even with Adam Fox’s injury troubles, but the Russian netminder’s .912 save percentage, 2.50 goals-against average, and 25-19-6 record across 51 contests are great marks in today’s game. A midseason injury prevented him from playing more.

Backing him up will be Korpisalo. He hasn’t been able to regain his 2022-23 form—where he put up a .914 save percentage—and has instead put up save percentages in the .890 to .894 range ever since. The Rangers’ defense is better than the Bruins’, so maybe that’ll help. He’s been a solid starter in the past, so there’s a bit of upside.

4. New York Islanders: Ilya Sorokin & Vitek Vaněček

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 8.24

Ilya Sorokin has done his job tremendously behind bad New York Islanders defenses (from a chance prevention standpoint) for years now. In 55 games last season, he had 29 wins and recorded a .906 save percentage, a 2.66 goals-against average, seven shutouts, and was a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy. Most models consider him to be a top-three goaltender in the NHL.

Backup Vitek Vaněček will need to improve his play for this tandem to climb the rankings. His best single-season save percentage since 2023-24 was .890, and that was behind only a slightly below-average defense. He’s shown promise in the past, but he’ll need to help out Sorokin occasionally throughout the new campaign.

3. Washington Capitals: Logan Thompson & Charlie Lindgren

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 10.01

If you’re a believer in analytics, Logan Thompson has a case as the best goaltender in the NHL. He started 58 games last season in a subpar defensive environment and boasted a .912 save percentage, a 2.44 goals-against average, and a 31-21-6 record. He backstopped the Washington Capitals to a 51-win campaign in 2024-25, too, so the 29-year-old seems to be legit.

Backing him up, Charlie Lindgren was exceptional in 2023-24, finishing 12^th in Hart Trophy voting as a 30-year-old despite never having had a starting gig before. Since then, though, he hasn’t been the same—he’s a below-average backup. But maybe he turns back the clock.

2. Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck & Stuart Skinner

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 7.44

After winning the Vezina Trophy in consecutive seasons, 33-year-old Connor Hellebuyck took a big step back in 2025-26. But his track record is elite enough that you can write a one-season sample off. He should be considered the league’s top netminder—or at least second-best—until further notice. Thus, the Winnipeg Jets’ tandem lands at No. 2.

Adding Stuart Skinner to the mix could be a real benefit. His time as a starter for the Edmonton Oilers was hit-or-miss, but he should be a decent backup. Last season was the first time since 2021-22 that he didn’t start 60 or more games between the regular season and the playoffs, and he got the nod in 53 contests. So, a sheltered workload could do him well.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy & Dennis Hildeby

Combined 2025-26 WAR: 9.71

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner gets the No. 1 spot. Andrei Vasilevskiy, even if his advanced metrics aren’t what they used to be, is still high-end. His athleticism is off the charts, keeping the Tampa Bay Lightning in games. He’s able to take on a huge workload, which makes him even more valuable.

Dennis Hildeby will be an interesting backup option. He recorded a .912 save percentage in 20 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they decided to trade the 24-year-old and draft picks for forward Nick Paul.

Goaltending is the most volatile position in hockey, so this list in actual practice may end up looking a lot different than it does now. But the expectation should be for most of these teams to get stellar play from their netminders.

Advanced stats courtesy of Evolving-Hockey (not explicitly mentioned, but used to help compile this list), Hockey Stats