Is he a Goalie or a Horse?

It used to be in the NHL that a team had one goalie and they rode him all season. It has become a lot more common to either split games or give the number one more rest through the long 82 game schedule.

Many H2H leagues only require that you get "X" amount of starts a week. There are also Roto leagues and H2H leagues that give you points for a start in net. Now a goalie like Raycroft in TOR is not going to be a great pick in most fantasy pools, in ones that you just need starts he becomes extremely valuable.

Here is a cold hard list of the work horses of the NHL in net. These are the guys that make back ups think about calling Tonya Harding to see ice time.

Martin Brodeur NJD - This guy is always a #1 fantasy goalie contender.

Miikka Kiprusoff CGY - This guy is always in the same breath as Brodeur.

Roberto Luongo VAN - He gets so many starts they could dress a Sedin twin as his back up.

Andrew Raycroft TOR - Not the stud of the goalies listed above, he still gets a load of starts. He played in 72 of 82 games last season and started 71. The young kids in the prospect pool for TOR are good but should still be a year or two away from getting NHL starts.

Ryan Miller BUF - He did not get as many starts as some of the above, but with Biron out of town look for him to get about ten more starts next season.

Cam Ward CAR - He played in 60 games last season and should start more next.

Marc-Andre Fleury PIT - He played in 67 games last year and as he gets better I think he will play in even more.

Henrik Lundqvist NYR - He could see less starts next year if the NYR try to showcase Montoya. After that it should be back to the lion's share for Lundqvist.

Marty Turco DAl - He has dropped in starts the last couple of seasons, but he is capable of getting 70 any season.

Ray Emery OTT - He only played in 58 games this year, but now he has locked up the starting job he should get 65-70 starts next season.

Kari Lehtonen ATL - If ATL figures out they need to ride him and not mess with his head he could see 70+ starts. He played in 68 games last season.

Dwayne Roloson EDM - At his age he should not be getting all those starts, but if EDM does not get another goalie this summer he could get another 68 next year.

Honorable mentions that could easily go for 65+ starts:

Vesa Toskala/Evgeni Nabokov SJS - If Toskala gets traded both could become a work horse #1 guy.

Tomas Vokoun NSH - This guy is a horse, but injuries and great play by Mason last year could lead to him getting more rest. He could easily get 70 starts any season.

Manny Fernandez MIN - He will need to be traded, but if he is the team that lands him will ride him hard.

Cristobal Huet MTL - A wild card. If healthy and on his game he could be a 70 start guy. However MTL seems to like to create issues in net. Halak or Price could steal time next year.

Martin Biron PHI - I like Niity better, but I think PHI is going to ride Biron. He could get 70 starts unless he struggles and the fans start chanting for Niity and for Biron to be bought out. He is a gamble.

The guys that always seem to breakdown under a heavy load:

Manny Legace STL - Always seems to get hurt leaving managers scrambling to find a replacement.

J.S. Giguere ANH - Dehydration and cramp issues limit him getting the big load of starts. He needs a solid back up to support him.

Rick Dipietro NYI - He has a fire and desire to play all 82 games, but his body seems to top out around 60-65.

Olaf Kolzig WSH - The Caps need him to start 82 but age and injury issues limit his endurance.

Nikolai Khabibulin CHI - No question CHI wants to ride him but he has not gotten over 54 starts the last 3 seasons. Could be a good sleeper though if you want to gamble on him staying healthy.

The goalies I left off the list completely are ones that I think will only see around 50-55 starts next year or split time. Budaj in COL could easily get the bulk of the load but Theo could get starts just because he is there and making 5+ million. Its not exact science as goalies get hurt, have head issues and the next young unknown is always waiting to steal the show. This guide should help increase your odds though.