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When an NHL starter is unavailable, the team first looks to its healthy, available rostered backup. If that goalie cannot play, the club may recall an eligible goalie from its affiliate, provided roster rules, salary-cap mechanics and travel time allow it. An approved emergency replacement is a separate, tightly limited fallback—not a routine substitute for an AHL recall.
“Backup goalie” can mean three different things
The phrase can refer to the club’s regular NHL backup, a goalie recalled from its minor-league affiliate, or an emergency replacement approved under League policy. Those are distinct roster paths, and which one is possible depends on when the starter becomes unavailable and what the club can legally and practically arrange.
How the decision usually unfolds
1. Use the rostered NHL backup
NHL rules provide for two goalkeepers in a team’s lineup. If the starter is ruled out before the game and the other rostered goalie is healthy and available, that goalie is the natural choice. If the starter becomes unavailable later, the backup may take over as starter; the team must then determine who can fill the open game-day goalie spot under the applicable roster and lineup rules. The 2025–26 Official Rules, Section 2 – Teams, set out the lineup framework.
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If the rostered backup cannot play, the club may look to its affiliate. A recall requires an eligible player and a feasible roster move, and the goalie must be able to reach the arena in time. A recall is not automatic: roster and salary-cap constraints can prevent it, while a late injury can leave too little time for the player to arrive.
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Those constraints have affected real decisions, but historical cases should not be read as a guide to a club’s current cap position. In December 2023, the Dallas Stars used an emergency backup after Jake Oettinger was unavailable; NHL.com reported that salary-cap constraints prevented a recall from Texas. In December 2021, the St. Louis Blues also used an emergency goalie amid cap constraints affecting a recall.
3. Use an approved emergency replacement only when policy allows
An emergency backup goalie (EBUG) is not simply any available local goalie. Under the NHL/NHLPA emergency goaltender replacement policy included in the June 27, 2025 MOU, a club submits proposed candidates to NHL Central Registry in advance and must receive approval. The policy sets eligibility limits: a candidate cannot have played an NHL game under a standard player contract, played more than 80 professional games, played professional hockey in the preceding three seasons, have a conflicting contractual obligation, or be on an NHL club’s reserve or restricted-free-agent list.
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The policy’s late pregame-injury provision applies when the club cannot otherwise dress two goalies and the League determines a recall cannot be made in time. That makes an EBUG a regulated contingency, not a general alternative to bringing up a professional goalie.
What is in place for 2026–27
In an October 2, 2026 report, the NHL said each team must have an emergency backup goalie on its roster for the 2026–27 season; the listed goalie dresses, practices and travels with the team. The NHL’s season-specific list describes that arrangement. It should not be assumed to apply unchanged in another season: check the current policy and the club’s announcement for the relevant year.
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What shapes the choice—and what is not publicly established
A team’s feasible options can depend on several practical factors. Public reporting supports these as relevant context, but it does not establish a single NHL-wide formula or ranking of them.
- Availability and health: The goalie must be able to play and eligible under League and roster rules.
- Roster and cap mechanics: The club must be able to complete any transaction needed to bring a goalie in. The Dallas and St. Louis examples above show how cap constraints have affected particular decisions, not today’s cap circumstances for those teams.
- Timing and travel: A recalled goalie must get to the arena. The emergency policy specifically addresses a late pregame injury when a recall cannot arrive in time.
- Depth and coaching context: Team-specific accounts can describe how a club views its goalie group or the input of its goaltending coach. For example, the Buffalo Sabres’ September 2026 depth report discusses the organization’s goalie options; it does not establish a league-wide decision rule.
- Workload and readiness: Teams manage goalie rest and workload, and some use three-goalie arrangements. NHL.com’s November 2025 coverage describes that broader context, but workload alone cannot be assumed to determine a particular replacement choice.
For a specific game, the useful questions are which goalies were available and healthy, whether an affiliate recall was feasible, whether the player could arrive on time, and what the team actually said about readiness or workload. The public record often explains the permitted pathways more clearly than a club’s private deliberations; claims about a team’s ranking of candidates need team-specific evidence.
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