Goaltending has been a shot in the dark the first half of the season. Locks like Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur took a while to find their groove while guys like Pascal Leclaire and Martin Biron have been pleasant surprises. UPDATE! sorted through the rest of the crowd to let you who you should give up while their value's high and who you should keep on your radar:


Let's start off with two goalies with great trade value who should be traded off: Ty Conklin and Pascal Leclaire . Conklin is the obvious one — he's on fire with a seven game winning streak. In fact, his record is a perfect 7-0-0 with two shutouts. He's been incredible, stepping in when Marc-Andre Fleury went down in early Dec., but that's exactly why he should be traded. Conklin is filling in, not replacing Fleury.

Don't think for a minute that he'll see ice time down the stretch or that he'll see even half the starts when Fleury gets back into his groove. Conklin has never seen such high fantasy value in all his career, so now's the time to move him. The longer you wait, the less you'll get. Find someone desperate (other than you, obviously) and take them for all they'll give.

Leclaire is like Conklin in that he's never had this kind of fantasy value before. To be honest, I don't know if he ever will again. Columbus is an iffy pick the last half of the season, and Leclaire is not to be trusted. He's had a mediocre Dec. and his play has dropped off substantially after his blazing hot start.

He won't receive the vast majority of starts down the stretch, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a 50 / 50 split between him and Fredrik Norrena. Get something for him now while he's of value before you start to lose Fantasy games.

There's always goalies you can trade (like the safe bets I've listed below) but why would you want to? If you have the goalies to spare, you can always ship off a guy like Martin Brodeur or Rick DiPietro, so why mess up a good thing?

Then there are those who would have been good trade bait earlier in the season like Cam Ward or Nikolai Khabbibulin, but the time to trade on them is not now. You'll never get fair value for these struggling keepers and it's likely they'll see a return to form in the coming weeks. Oh, and by the way, aren't you happy you waited it out with Miikka Kiprusoff? I know I am. Things are turning around...he's still not the same old Kipper, but I think he'll start smelling blood once the playoff race heats up.


Now to sift through all the controversies. I hate goaltending duos. Let it be known right now: there's only one quality duo in the entire NHL and, no, it isn't Andrew Raycroft / Scott Clemensen. You can find the best in D-town. Hockey Town is home to two of the NHL's oldest veteran goaltenders, and they are sharing the starts, wins and stats that come with playing behind that amazing defense and lights-out offense. Dominik Hasek is still the No. 1 but Chris Osgood, after an incredibly surprising first half, has played inspired. If you have one of these guys, the smart bet would be to make a play for the other. That way you are guaranteed starts with one of the best tandems the league has ever had.

If only these other teams were as lucky as Detroit...

Comment: Neither Kari Lehtonen nor Johan Hedberg seem to want the starting job in Atlanta. Both will have enough bad games down the stretch to push the other in net. This is a duo you want to stay away from. It's going to be almost evenly split right down the stretch, with Lehtonen taking the lead by a slim margin. They are too inconsistent for you to want either on your team and are not worth doubling up on.

Comment: It looked like there'd be a controversy here a few weeks ago, but nope. None. There's no situation here. With Manny Fernandez out for the season, this is Thomas' team. Sure, there's Alex Auld but...consider that for a second. Alex Auld. Exactly. There's no situation here now that Thomas is healthy and slowly regaining his form.

Comment: This was more of a controversy earlier in the season but it looks like Peter Buddha Budaj has solidified the starting position. Theodore will jump in at any sign of struggle (I'm sure there's a stipulation in that ridiculous contract that says so), but he's is not worth a spot on your squad right now. Budaj hasn't won a game since Dec. 23, so this potential controversy might get some attention sooner than later.

Comment: Quite possibly the worst goaltending duo in hockey? Nah, we'll save that for Los Angeles. Edmonton's not-so-dynamic duo of Mathieu Garon and Dwayne Roloson won't do much for your fantasy. Why do you have them on your squad? After struggling near the end of Dec, Garon looked like he might fall back into the secondary role but he's once again secured his spot ahead of the aging Roloson with three wins in his last four games. Garon even earned owners a shutout in his last start. I fully expect Garon to finish the season as Edmonton's go-to guy in net while Rollie will see more action down the stretch (but not enough to warrant a spot on your roster).

Comment: I'm putting Dallas up here simply because there are so many Turco haters in Fantasy Land. Turco is Dallas' man and Mike Smith is not. Anyone who thinks Marty Turco is going to lose his job is a fool. Now, don't count out the idea of Turco getting traded but, even then, he's still a valuable fantasy option.

Comment: It must suck to be a hockey fan in L.A. Wow, this is some bad keeping. Jason LaBarbera (8-15-2) and J.S. Aubin (5-6-2). Enough said on this point. There's no controversy here: just a brutal starter and a mediocre backup. The only controversy is that you have LaBarbera on your team.

Comment: I think the controversy that was Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom back in Dec. isn't over yet. Backstrom is the number one guy in Minnesota, but Harding could become a viable fantasy option once Feb. rolls around so keep your eyes on him.

Comment: This is one of the most painful duos in fantasy. It's not because Cary Price and Cristobal Huet are bad (they are great options); it's because they don't rotate. Coach Guy Charbonneau likes to roll with one or the other for extended stretches. Price will get five-plus straight starts while Huet rots on the bench and then it will switch up. If you have both guys and are keeping your ears to the ground then you have one fantastic fantasy duo on your squad. If you aren't paying attention every game, however, you might be missing out on some quality stats.

Comment: This is a flip of the Minnesota controversy. Dan Ellis, the backup, is now looking primed to take over the starting roll. Ellis has been the Pred's number one in Jan. while Chris Mason hasn't seen action since allowing five goals on Dec. 29. I have Mason as my third goalie in one of my pools and I have faith that he'll be seeing the majority of the starts again by Feb.

Comment: It looked like Ray Emery was going to find himself out of Ottawa only a few weeks ago. Temper tantrums, selfishness and a poor work ethic all were coming to a head, and the media feasted on it. Then, all of a sudden, the season's biggest surprise in net (Martin Gerber) had two absolute stinkers back-to-back, and Ray Emery stepped in to stop bleeding. It's hard to peg what's going to happen in Ottawa, but I think you'll have to give the nod for Gerber to continue being the number one in Canada's capital city. But keep your eyes trained on Gerber's numbers this half. If he struggles (and the odds are 50 /50) Emery will have no problem stepping in and reclaiming the starting job.

Comment: The goaltending circus in Tampa Bay heated up in the New Year with Marc Denis essentially playing himself out of the NHL. Young rookie Kari Ramo has been hot and cold in net but is still challenging Johan Holmqvist for the starting position. Watch for Holmer to get the majority of starts as we get into Feb.; Torts only has so much patience for young, unproven talent. Ramo will see time but it won't be enough to give up a spot on your roster.



Pay attention to: Cam Ward's struggles in Carolina, Vesa Toskala's return, Ryan Miller / Tomas Vokoun / Nikolai Khabbibulin's recent meltdowns.

You're safe if you have these guys: Roberto Luongo, Miikka Kiprusoff, Martin Brodeur, J.S. Giguere, Henrik Lundqvist, Rick DiPietro, Evgeni Nabokov (possibly the most underrated goalie).

BIGGEST SURPRISES:
— Martin Gerber's first half. It wasn't even so much that he just sat back while the offense scored. He played really well.

— Pascal Leclaire's four September shutouts.

— Martin Brodeur's first month scares. How many poolies were shaking their heads wondering if the most clutch goalie in the world had lost his mojo?

— Ilya Bryzgalov's effect in Phoenix (above .500, 12-9 with him in net).

— Miikka Kiprusoff's early (and occasionally continuing) struggles.

— Cary Price's flashes of brilliance.

— The tiny helmets in Detroit. Chris Osgood / Dominik Hasek.


BIGGEST DISSAPOINTMENTS:
— Ray Emery's antics, actions and play.

— Andrew Raycroft. We knew he wouldn' be good. But...wow. This makes you wonder if the Calder trophy is even worth anything.

— Marc-Andre Fleury. He'll get a bunch of wins but it's not like he deserves them. Give me a pair of fat pads and I can win with that team's offense in front of me.

— Ryan Miller. I wish I could put the entire Buffalo team on here but, alas, this is a goalie column.


FINAL WORD:
Keep an eye on Jaroslav Halak. He's the third wheel in Montreal's goalie triangle and he is one tasty bit of trade bait for some struggling squads. I would not be surprised to see him end up in Los Angeles or Colorado. Either team would be a great fit and he would run with the starting roll.

J.P. Del Monte is UPDATE! National Hockey League editor.