Goalies Are Voodoo — So Why Is Connor Hellebuyck Still on the Market?

The NHL season is barely underway, and already we’re getting a fresh reminder of hockey’s most reliable truth: goalies are absolute voodoo. Predictability? Good luck. Early-season chaos only amplifies it — teams aren’t fully in sync, systems are still settling, and the position with the most volatility becomes even more unhinged.

Trying to find stable goaltending is part science, part blind luck, and part hoping the universe hands you the right guy at the right moment. Every year, someone unexpected pops out of nowhere. Last season it was Brandon Bussi, a waiver pickup who turned into a monster: 31‑6‑2, 2.47 GAA, .895 save percentage, and then stepped in for an injured Frederik Andersen to help Carolina win the Stanley Cup. He posted a 1.60 GAA, .931 save percentage, and a shutout in the deciding game. That’s not normal. That’s goalie voodoo.

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Shutouts Aplenty

Night one of the NHL season delivered peak chaos. Both goalies in one game nearly posted shutouts — Bussi lost his with five seconds left in overtime, while Jacob Markstrom, coming off a brutal season, locked down a clean sheet for Florida. Jeremy Swayman blanked the Rangers.

Night two? More madness. Arturs Silovs opened his season with a shutout against the Rangers after posting just two shutouts in 38 starts last year and mediocre numbers in Pittsburgh. Again: year‑to‑year, goalies can flip like a light switch.

Sometimes a new opportunity unlocks something and sometimes a new system helps. Sometimes it’s just… randomness. But the contrast between shutouts and blowouts in the first 48 hours of the season was jarring.

Bloated Numbers

Of course, the other side of goalie voodoo is the carnage.

Tristan Jarry nearly single‑handedly sank the Oilers, giving up six goals with a .739 save percentage. Dan Vladar, fresh off a five‑year extension after a breakout season, got lit up for seven goals against Pittsburgh. .816 save percentage — not exactly the debut he envisioned.

Then there’s Darcy Kuemper, hoping for a bounce‑back year. Instead, he ate all eight goals from Colorado and currently sits dead last in the league with an 8.08 GAA and .724 save percentage. Those numbers will improve — they have to — but it’s a brutal way to start.

It’s early, and stats can swing wildly in October, but the sheer range of performances is a perfect snapshot of how unpredictable the position is.

How Has Connor Hellebuyck Not Been Traded

The big question in all of this is how one of the league’s most consistent, bankable goaltenders is still sitting untouched on the trade market. Connor Hellebuyck asked out, teams across the NHL desperately need stability in net, and yet nothing has materialized. Part of it is timing — most clubs are locked into their cap structure and their crease — but finding a goalie of Hellebuyck’s calibre is usually impossible.

He has some say in where he goes, sure, but his camp has made it clear he’s open to more destinations than people think. He wants to win. That’s the priority. The surprising part is that the offers simply haven’t been good enough. Normally, teams would be tripping over each other to land a goalie like Hellebuyck, especially one who’s been elite for nearly a decade. The fact he’s still in limbo only adds another layer to the chaos of the position.

He is signed to a decent deal for what he brings, but there are concerns of his age and his past seasons numbers. However, one would think given his track record teams would be comfortable taking the gamble.

What Does It All Mean

Some goalies simply aren’t NHL caliber. The league is too fast, too skilled, too unforgiving. Others go through long stretches of struggle before figuring it out. Jarry had strong years in Pittsburgh and was having an excellent year when Edmonton acquired him — until everything fell apart.

Others ride the roller coaster. Vladar was fantastic last season as a first‑time starter (29‑14‑7, 2.42 GAA, .906 save percentage) and earned his big contract. Will things unravel now? It’s absolutely possible.

Goaltending is chaos. A goalie can play great behind a terrible team and still get torched. A goalie can play poorly behind a dominant team and still post decent numbers. Context matters. Systems matter. Luck matters. And only a tiny handful of goalies deliver true year‑over‑year consistency.

The old hockey adage still rings true: “Show me a good coach, and I’ll show you a good goalie.” But the unpredictability — the voodoo — is part of what makes the NHL so compelling. Every season delivers a new wave of chaos in the crease, where reputations can crumble overnight and unknowns can suddenly look unbeatable. It’s the one position where logic regularly loses to randomness, where a team’s entire season can hinge on a hot week or a cold month. And that volatility is exactly why we keep watching: because no one, not even the experts, truly knows what comes next.

Next: Oilers’ Eternal Goaltending Saga — And Why Devon Levi Might Finally Be The Answer