As Florida and Nashville prepare to play the first NHL exhibition game of the new season, sportsnet.ca fantasy expert Chris Nichols gets you ready for your draft day with a full week of content.

Monday opens with the Top 60 goaltenders and goaltending tandems. So read, learn and come back Tuesday for a look at some poolie sleepers.

Nichols' Hockey Hearsay feature will resume next week.

For '11-12 SINGLE-SEASON fantasy pools which equally weigh wins, goals against average, save percentage and shutouts.

Follow @Nichols_NHLPool on Twitter for NHL & fantasy news, including starting goalies listed before the first games of the night.

The Top 60 goalies, basically a top-to-bottom based on the known or likely scenarios headed into the season, are ranked based on the above-mentioned categories. Nothing else. Some back-ups actually made it higher than a few starters on the list because even though they’ll see fewer games, their peripherals project to be much more fantasy-friendly and may be able to make more of a positive impact.

The majority of back-ups will be free agent fodder in all but the deepest fantasy leagues, but having a note on each guy might help you pick out potential spot-starters as the season progresses. And hey... whoever says, “No, we’d like fewer guys ranked.”?

As we did last fall, we’re also rolling out pertinent info about each and every tandem in the league. How did the team break down assignments between the starter and back-up last year? How did the team fare in league-wide goals against? And if it matters for your league, what’s the contract status of each and every goalie in terms of contract hit and UFA/RFA dates?

For quick reference purposes, you can also find last year’s NHL leaders in each of the four categories by which we measure the Top 60.

ONLY HALF of the teams in the entire league had a No. 1 goalie that started 55 or more games last season.

In other words, goaltending depth matters both on the ice and in fantasy leagues. Know who’s backing up on every single team and if your situation allows it, try to secure some extra help there. You don’t necessarily need your starter’s back-up if he’s a heavy GP guy, but there are a handful of No. 2 netminders who should be quite valuable as a third goalie on your roster.

Rotisserie league owners are more easily able to use extra bench spots for either the second member of a goalie tandem or someone else’s back-up that you think could be valuable. With firm, annual GP limits on each position, those reserve slots are for insurance purposes anyway. Too many poolies forget that and end up using those extra players almost daily, which pushes their games played pace too far, too fast. Come March, their team crashes back down to earth hard.

Head-to-head formats are generally much less restrictive on games played and favour owners using their bench players in the active slots on nights when the regulars are off to maximize offensive potential, so having to use up extra space for one team's goalies isn't always the best idea.

Nos. 1-10

1. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers: Consistently among best; Richards allows breathing room.

2. Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins: Secure Rask too, but stats too good to pass up.

3. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks: Love him. Hate him. Scoreboard is all that matters.

4. Ilya Bryzgalov, Philadelphia Flyers: Winning team, fat UFA contract... time to deliver the goods.

5. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators: Defensive team + 6-5 goalie with supreme skills = golden.

6. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins: Maturation process, team D focus move him up ranks.

7. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres: Biggest beneficiary of team’s newfound depth is between the pipes.

8. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens: Tremendous poise in the face of hockey hotbed adversity.

9. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings: Terrific stats last year and Kings only improved.

10. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils: Old. Washed up. New coach. Pfft. It’s Brodeur. #Legend

Nos. 11-20

11. Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks: 62-26-11 & 2.36/ .916 w/ SJ & CHI. 13 SO. Impressive.

12. Tomas Vokoun, Washington Capitals: Grab Neuvirth and pile up the wins & solid stats.

13. Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes: Heavy-start guy, high SV% and good wins on mid-level team.

14. Jonas Hiller, Anaheim Ducks: Clean bill of health, but vertigo concerns may scare some away.

15. Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis Blues: GM Armstrong sees him capable of top third of goalies or better.

16. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks: No. 1 on contending team with Keith & Seabrook? Yes, please.

17. Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings: For where you’ll get him – on that team – upside is high.

18. Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators: Stellar post-trade and bad Avs stats were mostly injury-related.

19. Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames: Lots of starts, many wins. Peripherals? All over the board.

20. Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars: 68 starts last year eases IR concerns for now. He deserves good breaks.

Nos. 21-30

21. Dwayne Roloson, Tampa Bay Lightning: 41-year old should out-shine draft position in most cases.

22. Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild: Expect good SV%, mid-GAA and decent wins. Solid No. 2 option.

23. James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs: Eye-opening rookie campaign has fans yearning for more.

24. Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets: Consistency needs to be his mantra for year. He knows it.

26. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins: Should push for 30 starts this season. Strong peripherals.

25. Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche: Grab JSG as handcuff, but Varly has real-deal talent.

27. Michal Neuvirth, Washington Capitals: No way he rolls over for Vokoun. This kid is a fighter.

28. Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks: He was and is exactly what Luongo and team needed.

29. Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets: Two dismal seasons following Calder. End that trend. Now.

30. Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes: Potentially grand theft here on solid defensive team, post-Bryzgalov.

Nos. 31-40

31. Jose Theodore, Florida Panthers: Could be useful as third goalie in H2H leagues to soak up starts.

32. Evgeni Nabokov, New York Islanders: Could easily take over as No. 1. Will he be rusty though?

33. Jonathan Bernier, Los Angeles Kings: Back-up with legit chances to win & not hurt peripherals.

34. Sergei Bobrovsky, Philadelphia Flyers: Start total may not be high, but should be of quality variety.

35. Nikolai Khabibulin, Edmonton Oilers: Oil will be improved, but how good defensively?

36. Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders: Don’t. Just don’t.

37. Johan Hedberg, New Jersey Devils: Teammates love him. Poolies can use him.

38. Ty Conklin, Detroit Red Wings: Good shot at wins with acceptable peripherals.

39. Mathieu Garon, Tampa Bay Lightning: Consummate professional can play as much as needed.

40. Jonas Gustavsson, Toronto Maple Leafs: Monster is legit. Just needs to rediscover confidence.

Nos. 41-50

41. Dan Ellis, Anaheim Ducks: Worried about Hiller’s vertigo? Roto owners can stash this guy away.

42. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Colorado Avalanche: Valuable mentor for Varly. Start number unclear.

43. Martin Biron, New York Rangers: Was truly outstanding last year. Strong spot-starter

44. Jason LaBarbera, Phoenix Coyotes: Could easily play more than 50% of games if Smith falters.

45. Brent Johnson, Pittsburgh Penguins: Free agent add on nights he starts. Could win anytime.

46. Devan Dubnyk, Edmonton Oilers: Ready to jump in if Khabibulin gets injured or stinks.

47. Anders Lindback, Nashville Predators: Best has yet to come from this Swedish giant.

48. Mark Dekanich, Columbus Blue Jackets: If Mason doesn’t smarten up... start-stealer.

49. Ray Emery, Chicago Blackhawks: Moves into 30-range if he beats out Salak. Sleeper potential.

50. Josh Harding, Minnesota Wild: Long, hard road back to good health. Impressed Sunday.

Nos. 51-60

51. Antero Niittymaki, San Jose Sharks: Groin injury surgery could see Greiss as No. 2 for several months.

52. Andrew Raycroft, Dallas Stars: Lehtonen owners always have IR worries in back of mind.

53. Brian Elliott, St. Louis Blues: Must fend off Bishop. Can help meet weekly GP quota.

54. Scott Clemmensen, Florida Panthers: Respectable SV% given the situation.

55. Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres: Ready to stay in the NHL. Bright, young talent.

56. Brian Boucher, Carolina Hurricanes: Consummate pro; should complement Ward well.

57. Chris Mason, Winnipeg Jets: Peripherals should improve, but perhaps fewer starts.

58. Henrik Karlsson, Calgary Flames: Should see a handful of more starts than last year.

59. Alex Auld, Ottawa Senators: Been around the block. Knows his role well.

60. Peter Budaj, Montreal Canadiens: Exponentially better teammate than fantasy asset.

(Ordered based only on last year’s team Conference standings)

Tomas Vokoun & Michal Neuvirth, Washington Capitals: ’10-11 WAS starts (Neuvirth 45; Varlamov 25; Holtby 12); ’10-11 WAS goals against rank (4th; 197); Contracts (Vokoun UFA in 2012 with $1.5M cap hit per; Neuvirth RFA in 2013 with $1.15M cap hit per)

Ilya Bryzgalov & Sergei Bobrovsky, Philadelphia Flyers: ’10-11 PHI starts (Bobrovsky 52; Boucher 29; Leighton 1); ’10-11 PHI goals against rank (11th; 223); Contracts (Bryzgalov UFA in 2020 with $5.67M cap hit per; Bobrovsky RFA in 2013 with $1.75M cap hit per)

Tim Thomas & Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins: ’10-11 BOS starts (Thomas 55; Rask 27); ’10-11 BOS goals against rank (3rd; 195); Contracts (Thomas UFA in 2013 with $5M cap hit per; Rask RFA in 2012 with $1.25M cap hit per)

Marc-Andre Fleury & Brent Johnson, Pittsburgh Penguins: ’10-11 PIT starts (Fleury 62; Johnson 20); ’10-11 PIT goals against rank (7th, 199); Contracts (Fleury UFA in 2015 with $5.0M cap hit per; Johnson UFA in 2012 with $600K cap hit per)

Dwayne Roloson & Mathieu Garon, Tampa Bay Lightning: ’10-11 TBL starts (Roloson 34; Ellis 26; Smith 20; Desjardins 2); ’10-11 TBL goals against rank (22nd, 240); Contracts (Roloson UFA in 2012 with $3.5M cap hit per; Garon UFA in 2013 with $1.3M cap hit per)

Carey Price & Peter Budaj, Montreal Canadiens: ’10-11 MON starts (Price 70; Auld 12); ’10-11 MON goals against rank (T-8th; 209); Contracts (Price RFA in 2012 with $2.75M cap hit; Budaj UFA in 2013 with $1.15M cap hit per)

Ryan Miller & Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres: ’10-11 BUF starts (Miller 65; Enroth 13; Lalime 4); ’10-11 BUF goals against rank (T-14th; 229); Contracts (Miller UFA in 2014 with $6.25M cap hit per; Enroth RFA in 2013 with $675K cap hit per)

Henrik Lundqvist & Martin Biron, New York Rangers: ’10-11 NYR starts (Lundqvist 67; Biron 15); ’10-11 NYR goals against rank (T-5th; 198); Contracts (Lundqvist UFA in 2014 with $6.875M cap hit per; Biron UFA in 2012 with $875K cap hit per)

Cam Ward & Brian Boucher, Carolina Hurricanes: ’10-11 CAR starts (Ward 74; Peters 8); ’10-11 CAR goals against rank (21st; 239); Contracts (Ward UFA in 2016 with $6.3M cap hit per; Boucher UFA in 2013 with $950K cap hit per)

James Reimer & Jonas Gustavsson, Toronto Maple Leafs: ’10-11 TOR starts (Reimer 35; Giguere 26; Gustavsson 21); ’10-11 TOR goals against rank (25th; 251); Contracts (Reimer RFA in 2014 with $1.8M cap hit per; Gustavsson UFA in 2012 with $1.35M cap hit per)

Martin Brodeur & Johan Hedberg, New Jersey Devils: ’10-11 NJD starts (Brodeur 54; Hedberg 27; McKenna 1); ’10-11 NJD goals against rank (T-8th; 209); Contracts (Brodeur UFA in 2012 with $5.2M cap hit per; Hedberg UFA in 2012 with $1.25M cap hit per)

Ondrej Pavelec & Chris Mason, Winnipeg Jets: ’10-11 ATL starts (Pavelec 54; Mason 28); ’10-11 ATL goals against rank (T-28th; 269); Contracts (Pavelec RFA in 2012 with $1.15M cap hit per; Mason UFA in 2012 with $1.85M cap hit per)

Craig Anderson & Alex Auld, Ottawa Senators: ’10-11 OTT starts (Elliott 39; Anderson 18; Leclaire 13; McElhinney 6; Lehner 5; Brodeur 1); ’10-11 OTT goals against rank (24th, 250); Contracts (Anderson UFA in 2015 with $3.19M cap hit per; Auld UFA in 2012 with $1.0M cap hit per)

Evgeni Nabokov & Rick DiPietro & Al Montoya , New York Islanders: ’10-11 NYI starts (DiPietro 26; Roloson 20; Montoya 18; Poulin 7; Lawson 7; Koskinen 4); ’10-11 NYI goals against rank (27th; 264); Contracts (Nabokov UFA in 2012 with $570K cap hit per; DiPietro UFA in 2021 with $4.5M cap hit per; Montoya UFA in 2012 with $601K cap hit per)

Jose Theodore & Scott Clemmensen, Florida Panthers: ’10-11 FLA starts (Vokoun 57; Clemmensen 25); ’10-11 FLA goals against rank (T-14th; 229); Contracts (Theodore UFA in 2013 with $1.5M cap hit per; Clemmensen UFA in 2012 with $1.2M cap hit per)

(Ordered based only on last year’s team Conference standings)

Roberto Luongo & Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks: ’10-11 VAN starts (Luongo 60; Schneider 22); ’10-11 VAN goals against rank (1st; 185); Contracts (Luongo UFA in 2022 with $5.33M cap hit per; Schneider RFA in 2012 with $900K cap hit per)

Antti Niemi & Antero Niittymaki, San Jose Sharks: ’10-11 SJS starts (Niemi 60; Niittymaki 22); ’10-11 SJS goals against rank (10th; 213); Contracts (Niemi UFA in 2015 with $3.8M cap hit per; Niittymaki UFA in 2012 with $2M cap hit per)

Jimmy Howard & Ty Conklin, Detroit Red Wings: ’10-11 DET starts (Howard 63; Osgood 10; MacDonald 9); ’10-11 DET goals against rank (23rd; 241); Contracts (Howard UFA in 2013 with $2.25M cap hit per; Conklin UFA in 2012 with $750K cap hit per)

Jonas Hiller & Dan Ellis, Anaheim Ducks: ’10-11 ANH starts (Hiller 46; McElhinney 16; Ellis 11; Emery 9); ’10-11 ANH goals against rank (19th, 235); Contracts (Hiller UFA in 2014 with $4.5M cap hit per; Ellis UFA in 2012 with $1.5M cap hit per)

Pekka Rinne & Anders Lindback, Nashville Predators: ’10-11 NAS starts (Rinne 64; Lindback 18); ’10-11 NAS goals against rank (2nd; 194); Contracts (Rinne UFA in 2012 with $3.4M cap hit per; Lindback RFA in 2012 with $875K cap hit per)

Mike Smith & Jason Labarbera, Phoenix Coyotes: ’10-11 PHO starts (Bryzgalov 67; LaBarbera 15); ’10-11 PHO goals against rank (13th, 226); Contracts (Smith UFA in 2013 with $2.0M cap hit per; Labarbera UFA in 2013 with $1.25M cap hit per)

Jonathan Quick & Jonathan Bernier, Los Angeles Kings: ’10-11 LOS starts (Quick 60; Bernier 22); ’10-11 LOS goals against rank (T-5th, 198); Contracts (Quick UFA in 2013 with $1.8M cap hit per; Bernier RFA in 2013 with $1.25M cap hit per)

Corey Crawford & Alexander Salak & Ray Emery, Chicago Blackhawks: ’10-11 CHI starts (Crawford 55; Turco 27); ’10-11 CHI goals against rank (12th; 225); Contracts (Crawford UFA in 2014 with $2.67M cap hit per; Salak RFA in 2013 with $612K cap hit per; Emery in camp on tryout basis)

Kari Lehtonen & Andrew Raycroft, Dallas Stars: ’10-11 DAL starts (Lehtonen 68; Raycroft 14); ’10-11 DAL goals against rank (T-16th, 233); Contracts (Lehtonen UFA in 2013 with $3.55M cap hit per; Raycroft UFA in 2012 with $650K cap hit per)

Miikka Kiprusoff & Henrik Karlsson, Calgary Flames: ’10-11 CGY starts (Kiprusoff 71; Karlsson 11); ’10-11 CGY goals against rank (20th; 237); Contracts (Kiprusoff UFA in 2014 with $5.83M cap hit per; Karlsson UFA in 2013 with $862K cap hit per)

Jaroslav Halak & Brian Elliott & Ben Bishop, St. Louis Blues: ’10-11 STL starts (Halak 57; Conklin 20; Bishop 5); ’10-11 STL goals against rank (18th, 234); Contracts (Halak UFA in 2014 with $3.75M cap hit per; Elliott UFA in 2012 with $600K cap hit per; Bishop RFA in 2012 with $600K cap hit per)

Niklas Backstrom & Josh Harding, Minnesota Wild: ’10-11 MIN starts (Backstrom 50; Theodore 29; Khudobin 3); ’10-11 MIN goals against rank (T-16th, 233); Contracts (Backstrom UFA in 2013 with $6.0M cap hit per; Harding UFA in 2012 with $750K cap hit per)

Steve Mason & Mark Dekanich, Columbus Blue Jackets: ’10-11 CBJ starts (Mason 53; Garon 29); ’10-11 CBJ goals against rank (26th; 258); Contracts (Mason RFA in 2013 with $2.9M cap hit per; Dekanich RFA in 2012 with $575K cap hit per)

Semyon Varlamov & Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Colorado Avalanche: ’10-11 COL starts (Budaj 39; Anderson 31; Elliott 12); ’10-11 COL goals against rank (30th, 288); Contracts (Varlamov RFA in 2014 with $2.83M cap hit per; Giguere UFA in 2013 with $1.25M cap hit per)

Nikolai Khabibulin & Devan Dubnyk, Edmonton Oilers: ’10-11 EDM starts (Khabibulin 46; Dubnyk 33; Gerber 3); ’10-11 EDM goals against rank (T-28th; 269); Contracts (Khabibulin UFA in 2013 with $3.75M cap hit per; Dubnyk RFA in 2012 with $800K cap hit)

WINS

Luongo (38), Price (38), Ward (37), Kiprusoff (37), Howard (37), Bryzgalov (36), Lundqvist (36), Fleury (36), Quick (35), Niemi (35), Thomas (35), Lehtonen (34), Miller (34), Rinne (33) & Crawford (33).

GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE

Thomas (2.00), Luongo (2.11), Rinne (2.12), Varlamov (2.23), Quick (2.24), Lundqvist (2.28), Crawford (2.30), Fleury (2.32), Price (2.35), Hedberg (2.38), Niemi (2.38), Boucher (2.42), Brodeur (2.45), Neuvirth (2.45), Halak (2.48) & Bryzgalov (2.48).

SAVE PERCENTAGE

Thomas (.938), Rinne (.930), Luongo (.928), Hiller (.924), Varlamov (.924), Ward (.923), Price (.923), Lundqvist (.923), Vokoun (.922), Bryzgalov (.921), Reimer (.921), Niemi (.920), Fleury (.918), Quick (.918), Rask (.918) & Crawford (.917).

SHUTOUTS

Lundqvist (11), Thomas (9), Price (8), Bryzgalov (7), Halak (7), Kiprusoff (6), Quick (6), Niemi (6), Rinne (6), Brodeur (6), Vokoun (6), Miller (5), Hiller (5), Luongo (4), Ward (4), Crawford (4), Neuvirth (4), Roloson (4) & Pavelec (4).