Fantasy hockey managers sometimes hesitate to select players coming off down seasons. While this is true, players around the NHL often have bounce-back seasons, which should carry over to 2024-25. Due to this, let’s discuss three bounce-back candidate goalies who are worth taking a shot on this season now.
Bounce-Back Goalies for 2024 Fantasy Hockey
Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
The 2023-24 season was a down year for New York Islanders star Ilya Sorokin. The 29-year-old posted a .908 save percentage and a 3.01 goals-against, which are both the worst of his four-year career. In addition, he lost the Islanders’ starting job during the playoffs to veteran Semyon Varlamov. In his lone playoff appearance, Sorokin allowed three goals on 14 shots before being pulled. Yet, while it was a challenging year for Sorokin, he is a prime bounce-back candidate.
When playing at his best, Sorokin is one of the NHL’s top goalies, and he can get back to that form. For example, in his two previous seasons for the Islanders, he had a .925 SV% and a .924 SV%, respectively. Due to this, it would not be shocking in the slightest if he has a bounce-back campaign for the Islanders from here.
Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings
Earlier this offseason, the Washington Capitals traded Darcy Kuemper to the Los Angeles Kings for Pierre-Luc Dubois. This change of scenery could do Kuemper justice, as he had a disastrous 2023-24 season. In 33 games for the Capitals this past season, he had a 13-14-3 record, a .890 SV%, and a 3.31 GAA. Yet, when looking at his past success, he is another clear bounce-back candidate.
In the first 11 years of his NHL career, Kuemper had a .900 SV% or better in each of them. In addition, just back in 2021-22 with the Colorado Avalanche, he helped lead them to the Stanley Cup. He can be a real difference-maker when playing at his best, so fantasy hockey managers should take a chance on him as a bounce-back candidate. It doesn’t hurt that he has a strong blueline in front of him in LA, too.
Ilya Samsonov, Vegas Golden Knights
Speaking of clean slates, Ilya Samsonov received a much-needed one this summer after joining the Vegas Golden Knights. The 2023-24 season did not treat the 27-year-old kindly. In 40 appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he had a solid 23-7-8 record but also a poor .890 SV% and 3.13 GAA. In addition, he found himself placed on waivers in January, so it was far from a good year for him. However, he can potentially have a bounce-back year in 2024-25.
Just back in 2022-23 with the Maple Leafs, Samsonov broke out in a big way. In 42 games with the Leafs, he recorded a 27-10-5 record, a 2.33 GAA, and a .919 SV%. With numbers like these, he proved to be a strong starter for Toronto. Therefore, he could be a bounce-back candidate worth taking a gamble on once the big-name goalies are off the board.
It will be fascinating to see how these bounce-back goalie candidates perform next season. Sorokin, Kuemper, and Samsonov all have the potential to turn things around, but time will tell if that does in fact come to fruition from here.