It’s August, the National Hockey League’s off-season roster building is largely behind us, and hockey fans are now patiently waiting for training camp and preseason to kickoff.

Which means it’s a perfect time to dust off our summer Talent Tiers series. Here, we will analyze every team’s anticipated depth charts heading into the 2025-26 season through a statistical lens, focusing on recent performance and forward projections.

While these depth charts are still very much subject to change, we have a reasonable understanding across the league of what teams will bring to the proverbial table come October.

The Talent Tiers will start at the goaltending position, from the concerning bottoms of Tier 5, up to the elite units in Tier 1:

And now, thoughts for all 32-teams informing their positional outlook for next season:

Anaheim Ducks (T3) – The end of the John Gibson era went out with a whimper, finally traded this summer to the Detroit Red Wings for draft picks and Petr Mrazek. The trade signals the dawn of the Lukas Dostal era, who played like a top-10 goalie for Anaheim last year in 54 games. Dostal’s statistical trajectory has been fantastic, and there’s reason to believe Anaheim is in a much better spot at the position (certainly, with more clarity) heading into next year.

Boston Bruins (T3) – The inevitable rebuild Boston’s put off for what feels like a decade may have finally arrived, but I’m certain Don Sweeney is looking for an immediate rebound from his goaltending duo in Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo, who stopped just 89.0 per cent of shots last year. It was a concerning drop-off from Swayman behind a weakened Bruins skater group, signed on a lucrative contract through the 2031-32 season.

Buffalo Sabres (T5) – Presumptive starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been a beacon of hope for Sabres fans over the past few years, a promising former second-round pick who looked fantastic two seasons ago. His stop rate plunged to 88.5 per cent last year, nearly nine goals worse than a replacement-level goaltender based on the shot profile faced. Much like Swayman in Boston, the Sabres critically need a bounce-back campaign from their 26-year-old goalie, or they may be hunting for the next solution in net.

Calgary Flames (T3) – A bid for a playoff spot last season was predominantly the result of rookie Dustin Wolf, who appears to be one of the most promising young goalies in the NHL. Wolf played 53 games last year and with the unproven Ivan Prosvetov behind him, I’m inclined to believe that number could increase next year.

Carolina Hurricanes (T2) – Frederik Andersen’s injuries paved the way for 47 Pyotr Kochetkov appearances in 2024-25, and Kochetkov was more than adequate (89.6 stop rate; 10 goals saved versus expected) in those minutes. I assume a platoon between the two this season, who also benefit from playing behind one of the best defensive skater groups in the league.

Chicago Blackhawks (T4) – There’s plenty to dislike about this lineup as the Blackhawks try to pull out of a deep rebuild, but the situation in net is more encouraging. The recently acquired Spencer Knight should win most of the starts, though Chicago’s presumptive backup in Arvid Soderblom looked strong in 36 appearances last year. Both goalies stopped 90 per cent of shots behind a weak lineup a season ago and should provide stability in Chicago’s otherwise talent desert.

Colorado Avalanche (T3) – Finally, goaltending! Colorado’s years-long hunt for stability in net came by way of Mackenzie Blackwood, who was sensational (91.3 stop rate; 18 goals saved versus expected) in 37 games. Colorado’s freakish collection of skater talent has been yearning for a goaltender this competent, and if Blackwood repeats this degree of performance, Colorado is on a........

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