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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhen an NHL starter cannot play, the team’s first choice is usually its healthy, available rostered backup. If that goalie is also unavailable, the club may recall a goalie from its minor-league affiliate—if roster rules, salary-cap space and timing allow. An emergency replacement is a separate, tightly regulated option, not a general substitute for a recall.
What “backup goalie” can mean
The phrase can describe three different paths: the team’s regular NHL backup, a goalie recalled from its organization, or an approved emergency replacement. Which is possible depends first on who is available and eligible, then on whether the club can make the necessary roster move and get that player to the game.
NHL rules provide for two goalkeepers in a team’s lineup. If the starter is unavailable before the game, the other rostered goalie is the straightforward choice when healthy and available. If the starter becomes unavailable later, the backup may take over in goal, while the club addresses who can fill the open game-day spot under the applicable rules. See the NHL’s 2025–26 Official Rules, Section 2.
If the regular backup cannot play
Recall a goalie from the organization
A club can consider a goalie with its minor-league affiliate, but a recall must be workable: the player must be eligible, the team must be able to make the roster transaction, and the goalie must be able to reach the arena in time. A recall is not automatic simply because an affiliate has a goalie available.
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Cap and timing constraints have affected real choices. In December 2023, NHL.com reported that Dallas could not recall a goalie from Texas because of salary-cap constraints after Jake Oettinger became unavailable, so the Stars used an emergency backup instead. A separate 2021 Blues case also involved cap constraints affecting a recall. Those incidents illustrate possible constraints; they do not establish any team’s current cap situation. Dallas emergency-backup report; Blues emergency-backup report.
Use an emergency replacement only when policy permits
An emergency replacement is not simply another name for an AHL goalie. Under the NHL/NHLPA policy included in the June 27, 2025 memorandum of understanding, teams submit proposed emergency replacements to NHL Central Registry in advance and need League approval. Eligibility restrictions include having played an NHL game under a standard player contract, having played more than 80 professional games, having played professional hockey in the preceding three seasons, having a conflicting contractual obligation, or being on an NHL club’s reserve or restricted-free-agent list.
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The policy’s late pregame-injury provision addresses a specific circumstance: the team cannot otherwise dress two goalies, and the League determines that a recall cannot arrive in time. The NHL/NHLPA MOU sets out the policy and its limits.
What changes for 2026–27
For the 2026–27 season, NHL.com reported on October 2, 2026, that each team must have an emergency backup goalie on its roster. The listed goalie dresses, practices and travels with the team. This is a season-specific program announcement; check the League’s current policy and the club’s announcement when applying it to another season. NHL’s 2026–27 EBUG list.
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What can influence a team’s choice
- Availability and health: A goalie must be fit to play and available for the game.
- Eligibility: League, contract and roster rules determine which options are permitted, especially for an emergency replacement.
- Roster and cap mechanics: The club must be able to complete any transaction required to bring in a goalie.
- Travel and timing: A potential recall may not solve a late absence if the player cannot arrive before the game.
- Depth and coaching context: Team reporting can show how a specific club views its goalie group and competition. Buffalo, for example, discussed its organizational goalie depth entering training camp in September 2026. That kind of reporting supports club-specific conclusions, not a league-wide rule. Buffalo Sabres goalie-depth report.
- Workload and readiness: Clubs manage goalie rest and workload, and NHL coverage has described three-goalie arrangements. Workload can be useful context, but it should not be treated as the decisive reason for a particular selection unless team-specific reporting supports that conclusion. NHL coverage of goalie rest.
There is no public league-wide ranking formula
Public rules and reporting explain the available paths more clearly than they reveal private team deliberations. They do not establish a standard NHL checklist or ranking model for choosing among candidates. For a specific club, documented health and availability, eligibility, readiness, recall logistics, roster feasibility and workload may help explain the options—but those factors should not be presented as a universal formula. Team-specific comments, such as reporting on Frederik Andersen’s availability before Carolina’s 2026 Stanley Cup Final Game 6, describe that situation rather than an NHL-wide policy. NHL report on Andersen’s availability.
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