It may be a bold statement, but the days of seeing goalies start 65+ games are over. We've heard it again and again but the NHL is a "copycat league" in much the same way that I am a "copycat writer". The copycat story angle has been done by almost every writer covering hockey year-in year-out. But let's put a different spin on it and examine its impact from a fantasy standpoint, particularly goaltending.

Teams tend to emulate the success of the Stanley Cup Finalists. This year both teams had Vezina calibre goalies that didn't carry the traditional workload one would expect. Boston had Tim Thomas start 55 games between the pipes backed up by one of the top young goalies in the league in Tuukka Rask. In Vancouver, the much-maligned Roberto Luongo saw his workload drop to only 60 starts while future stud Cory Schneider picked up the rest.

In the last five years you could usually count on there being 7-8 goalies starting 65+ games for their club. There were always about 4-5 true workhorse goaltenders who would start 70+ games. Luongo was perennially one of those workhorses. However, given Vancouver's 2010-2011 success, one has to think that 60 starts is more comfortable territory for him.

No goalies that started 65 or more games got their team past the first round of the playoffs. Taking the copycat rule into effect, let's look at how that will affect the guys that you can usually count on for the bulk of the starts.

Cam Ward - Ward started a league-high 74 games in 10-11. He couldn't quite play his team into a playoff berth though. Carolina signed the very capable Brian Boucher to the backup spot this year. Boucher will be able to keep the Canes competitive against weaker teams and allow Ward to rest up for the harder games. While this may mean less starts for Ward, it could help him turn a few of those 10-OTLs into Ws. Expect around 55-60 starts with great peripherals as always.

Carey Price- Price started 70 games for Montreal last year with Alex Auld in the back-up role. He is their "golden boy" and they are trying to mould him into the next Patrick Roy (without the dramatic exit). Budaj is not likely to steal many games from him. Montreal brass tends to buck the trend in the NHL in spite of any outside criticism (See: size wins games). They are not likely to start following the herd now. Price will still be among the league leaders in games played and his stats should be very solid. Be careful late in the season though, as fatigue begins to set in.

Miikka Kiprusoff- Kipper had his least games started last year since the lockout, only getting the nod a paltry 71 times. Calgary has a great young goalie behind him in Karlsson but he cannot develop a rhythm in the few spot starts he received. Calgary is another team that tends to march to their own beat though. While it's possible that they rest Kipper a little more, don't expect to see him less than 65 times this season while he puts up his average numbers.

Ilya Bryzgalov- The Flyers big free agent acquisition has a huge contract to live up to this year. However, don't expect that to mean he automatically starts 70+ games. On what could be a very good Philadelphia team, he is more than capable of being a Vezina finalist. However, the Flyers also have a great young goaltender to back him up in Bobrovsky. Does this sound familiar? Could the Flyers be emulating our two Conference Champions? 55-60 starts for Bryz should be in the cards this season and spectacular numbers across the board.

Henrik Lundqvist- King Henrik has been right up there with Kiprusoff for the last few years in his number of appearances. His #1 position will never be in question as Lundqvist is always at the top of his game. Marty Biron will never challenge for the top spot on the Rangers but he can definitely fill in as needed. Should New York follow the trend or lock up a playoff spot early, expect to see Lundqvist a little less. He should still be good for 65 starts and top-notch peripherals as usual.

Ryan Miller- He may not be a perennial 70-game starter but he has shown he can handle that workload if needed. With the Sabres upgrade from Lalime to Enroth though, that need will not be there. Enroth won't challenge for the #1, but he will allow Buffalo to rest Miller for a post-season run. Miller should get around 60 starts and could have a career season if rested.

Marc-Andre Fleury- "Flower"� has been forced to play a lot of games for the Penguins in recent years but he's never gotten into more than 67. With the recent emergence of part-time pugilist Brent Johnson as a capable goaltender; Fleury will probably not reach that 70 game barrier. He will continue to shoulder the load getting anywhere from 60-65 starts. If the Pens are healthy, expect Johnson to play more late in the season as Pittsburgh waits for the rest of the league to catch up.

Martin Brodeur- The true definition of workhorse. With 12 seasons of over 70 games behind him, Marty has unquestionably been the most reliable fantasy goalie of the last 15-years. But at 39-years-old, those days are over. He is still a great goaltending option, but expect the Devils to let Hedberg handle a good 20-25 games and give the aging Brodeur more time for his afternoon nap and Matlock marathons.

There are many other great young goalies that have the potential to be 70+ starters someday; Rinne, Quick, Halak and Crawford come to mind. However, with the amount of young talent and cheap veterans available, teams are realizing that they don't have to tire their elite goaltenders out.

If you have two starting goalie spots on your fantasy roster, it is far more difficult these days to only carry two goalies. Devoting a bench spot to a third netminder has now become a necessity rather than just a strategy. Many GMs are even carrying four goalies due to the uncertainty that is the role of a starting goalie.

It's more important than ever to focus on goaltending early in a draft. Once upon a time, snagging Brodeur in the first round meant you could wait until the end of a draft to pick your second goalie. Many teams are now filling out their goalies before they could even fill one spot at every position. All because these workhorses are quickly being replaced by the hockey equivalent of the steam engine.

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Follow me on twitter: @bruins42

Without me, it's only "aweso".

14 Team 22-man H2H Keeper League (Keep 15 - 4th Year)

G,A,+/-,PIM,PPP,SHP,GWG,SOG,Hits, W,GAA,SA,SV%,SHO

Dress:
3C,3LW,3RW,1F,5D,2G,5BN,3IR

C - Malkin (RW), Backstrom, E Staal, Stoll
LW - Zetterberg (C), Datsyuk (C), Whitney, Latendresse, Ruutu (C)
RW - Backes (C), Clowe (LW), Perry, Skinner(RW), Frolik (C)
D - Chara, Letang, Shattenkirk, Carle, Girardi, Giordano
G - Rask, Schneider, Fleury

Great read 4T2.

The only prediciton I am not too sure of is the one for Cam Ward. I do agree that with Boucher behind him he can rest more, but I would be more incline to say he'd be looking at 63-67. I know that's a small difference, but I just can't imagine a Hurricanes team not starting Ward for 30% of their games (assuming 57 GS as per your prediciton).

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C - C. Giroux, J. Pavelski, J. Toews, P. Bergeron
LW - D. Sedin, J. Franzen, D. Perron, R. Clowe
RW - C. Perry, M. St. Louis, M. Erat, B. Wheeler, V. Tarasenko
D - K. Yandle, K. Letang, M. Green, S. Salo, C. Ehrhoff, R. Diaz
G - H. Lundqvist, T. Rask, J. Hiller, C. Ward
IR -

2011-2012: 1st Place Regular Season
2010-2011: 1st Place Regular Season
2009-2010: 1st Place Regular Season

you make some good points, 4T2. The one way I see some teams riding their starting goalie 65+ games is when they don't have a reliable/trustworthy backup and the team needs every win it can get just to make it into the playoffs. Teams like Calgary, Carolina, Montreal, Philadelphia, Rangers, Tampa, and NJ (just some that come to mind) don't really have terrific backup goalies and those teams will all be struggling to make the playoffs.

Alternatively, LA, Boston, Vancouver, Buffalo, and Washington all have exceptional backup goalies who can take some of the load off the starters. Plus, those teams will be among the strongest in the league, so they can afford to play their #2 goalie more often than teams struggling for every win.

Detroit, for example, can afford to play Conklin, even if he is a drop off from Howard, because they will once again be among the top teams in the West.

__________________
10 team league, multi-cat, full keeper.

Forwards: J. Toews, J. Tavares, J. Eberle, J. Neal, A. Kopitar, T. Seguin, E. Kane, M. Duchene, J. Benn, M. Ryder, D. Brown, B. Marchand

Defense: A. Pietrangelo, K. Shattenkirk, A. Goligoski, PK Subban, J. Carlson, J. Spurgeon

Goalies: M. Smith, A. Niemi

Bench: R. Clowe, B. Dubinsky, M. Calvert, P. Mueller, D. Clarkson, M. Carle, M. Niskanen, P. Wiercioch, J. Halak, A. Lindback

good read thanks. rep to ya.

__________________
10 team Keeper Roto League
4C-4LW-4RW-6D-2G-5bench-unlimited farm.

C= crosby,m.koivu,malkin,zajak,grabovski,j.jokinen,
LW= ovechkin,nash,s.gagner,dubinsky
RW= downie,hemsky,callahan,voracek,perry,mueller
D= green,doughty,phaneuf,wisniewski,girardi,karlsson
G= rask,lundqvist,ward,price

FARM=kreider,grachev,petrov,enroth,kuznetsov,ennis ,rundblad,bjugstad,radulov,montoya, adam,t.erixon,cowan,s.elliot,j.faulk,cormier,petro v,orlov,stone,eakin,grigorenko,silfverberg,brodin, atkinson

--G,A,P,PPP,SHP,GWG,PIMS,+/-,SOG,hits,FOW,blocks-Wins,GAA,SV%,saves,SO

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

I know where you are coming from and I wouldn't be surprised to see him inch up to the 65 mark. A lot of it depends on the play of Boucher and the team in general. Obviously if the Canes are fighting to make the playoffs down the stretch, Ward will get the nod most nights. Boucher is capable of getting hot though and stands a better chance than most backups of stealing a few games in a row. He still holds the modern day NHL shutout record of 5 in a row. While he won't steal the #1 job by any means, he could end up getting Ward benched for consecutive games now and then.

Thanks dude, glad you liked it.

Calgary and Montreal definitely belong in the group you've mentioned.

Carolina, Philly and NYR all have steady backups in my opinion. They may not steal many games for their teams, but they will definitely keep them in the game.

Tampa Bay and New Jersey both have goaltenders who are far too old to carry a 65+ game workload. Roloson in particular has only started 60+ twice in his very long career.

That's just my take on those teams.

Great point about Detroit. Plus Conklin can really play well in a limited role.

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

__________________
Follow me on twitter: @bruins42

Without me, it's only "aweso".

14 Team 22-man H2H Keeper League (Keep 15 - 4th Year)

G,A,+/-,PIM,PPP,SHP,GWG,SOG,Hits, W,GAA,SA,SV%,SHO

Dress:
3C,3LW,3RW,1F,5D,2G,5BN,3IR

C - Malkin (RW), Backstrom, E Staal, Stoll
LW - Zetterberg (C), Datsyuk (C), Whitney, Latendresse, Ruutu (C)
RW - Backes (C), Clowe (LW), Perry, Skinner(RW), Frolik (C)
D - Chara, Letang, Shattenkirk, Carle, Girardi, Giordano
G - Rask, Schneider, Fleury

yeap, good points again, 4t2, especially about the ages of Brodeur and Roloson limiting their games-played. I guess my general point is that although I really like what you've written, I think there will still be a lot of teams playing their starters to the max if they are bubble teams, unless of course they have a very good backup, such as a Schneider, Bernier, Enroth, Rask, etc. (who could all be starting goalies in the NHL).

__________________
10 team league, multi-cat, full keeper.

Forwards: J. Toews, J. Tavares, J. Eberle, J. Neal, A. Kopitar, T. Seguin, E. Kane, M. Duchene, J. Benn, M. Ryder, D. Brown, B. Marchand

Defense: A. Pietrangelo, K. Shattenkirk, A. Goligoski, PK Subban, J. Carlson, J. Spurgeon

Goalies: M. Smith, A. Niemi

Bench: R. Clowe, B. Dubinsky, M. Calvert, P. Mueller, D. Clarkson, M. Carle, M. Niskanen, P. Wiercioch, J. Halak, A. Lindback

That's a very good point. Any team that is on the bubble, especially late in the season, will be playing their starter's as much as they can handle. I just feel that you will not see near as many 70 game starters as teams will probably get their backups in earlier in the season to avoid fatigue.

2010-2011 saw only 3 goalies play in 70+ games whereas the previous seasons since 06-07 were 4/6/4/6. A former 70+ game starter is probably not going to dip below the 60-65 mark. A few 65+ game starters may dip to 55-60. I think the number of 65 game starters will stay roughly around that 7-8 mark due to the offset there.

I like the points you have raised though and I would have went into more detail along those lines but I felt the article was getting a little long as is.

__________________
Follow me on twitter: @bruins42

Without me, it's only "aweso".

14 Team 22-man H2H Keeper League (Keep 15 - 4th Year)

G,A,+/-,PIM,PPP,SHP,GWG,SOG,Hits, W,GAA,SA,SV%,SHO

Dress:
3C,3LW,3RW,1F,5D,2G,5BN,3IR

C - Malkin (RW), Backstrom, E Staal, Stoll
LW - Zetterberg (C), Datsyuk (C), Whitney, Latendresse, Ruutu (C)
RW - Backes (C), Clowe (LW), Perry, Skinner(RW), Frolik (C)
D - Chara, Letang, Shattenkirk, Carle, Girardi, Giordano
G - Rask, Schneider, Fleury

and on this, which is the main point of your article, I completely agree

a lot of teams realize that it is a long season, especially if you go deep in the playoffs

__________________
10 team league, multi-cat, full keeper.

Forwards: J. Toews, J. Tavares, J. Eberle, J. Neal, A. Kopitar, T. Seguin, E. Kane, M. Duchene, J. Benn, M. Ryder, D. Brown, B. Marchand

Defense: A. Pietrangelo, K. Shattenkirk, A. Goligoski, PK Subban, J. Carlson, J. Spurgeon

Goalies: M. Smith, A. Niemi

Bench: R. Clowe, B. Dubinsky, M. Calvert, P. Mueller, D. Clarkson, M. Carle, M. Niskanen, P. Wiercioch, J. Halak, A. Lindback

4T2's towel rack is quickly becoming one of my favourite articles on the site.

Keep it up man.

__________________
Twitter: @TK12555

Thanks dude, I just wish I had more time to make it a weekly or at least bi-weekly feature.

__________________
Follow me on twitter: @bruins42

Without me, it's only "aweso".

14 Team 22-man H2H Keeper League (Keep 15 - 4th Year)

G,A,+/-,PIM,PPP,SHP,GWG,SOG,Hits, W,GAA,SA,SV%,SHO

Dress:
3C,3LW,3RW,1F,5D,2G,5BN,3IR

C - Malkin (RW), Backstrom, E Staal, Stoll
LW - Zetterberg (C), Datsyuk (C), Whitney, Latendresse, Ruutu (C)
RW - Backes (C), Clowe (LW), Perry, Skinner(RW), Frolik (C)
D - Chara, Letang, Shattenkirk, Carle, Girardi, Giordano
G - Rask, Schneider, Fleury