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Gillies got the full experience a year ago, playing for two NHL teams (St. Louis and New Jersey), two AHL teams, and even seeing a game in the ECHL. He played 19 of his 20 NHL games with the Devils. He posted a horrific 3-10-2 record, 3.71 GAA, and .887 save percentage. Still, he managed to find a job in free agency, inking a one-year, two-way deal with the college-bound Coyotes. Arizona made no other significant additions at the position, leaving Gillies as the favorite for the backup job to starter Karel Vejmelka. It goes without saying Gillies will have no fantasy value even if he wins the competition.
Teams are required to carry three goalies for the duration of the 2020-21 season. Gillies will help fill that requirement, and it's unclear if he'll serve as much more. Jordan Binnington is the Blues starter, and Ville Husso will get every opportunity to be the No. 2. Gillies should eventually get a chance in the crease, but his leash will be the shortest of the three. The 26-year-old sports a .903 career save percentage in the NHL over 12 appearances.
Gillies lost out on the backup job to David Rittich last year, and then found himself third on the depth chart for the entire season. He went on to struggle with AHL Stockton, posting a 16-18-5 record with a 3.51 GAA and a .889 save percentage in 45 appearances. It appears that Rittich has a strong grasp on the starting job in Calgary, so Gillies will enter training camp competing for the backup role, although he'll have to impress to wrangle that job away from Cam Talbot. In all likelihood, Gillies will once again spend the majority of the 2019-20 campaign in the minors, so he can safely be ignored during this year's fantasy drafts.
Gillies enters the 2018-19 season looking to earn his spot as Calgary's No. 2 goaltender behind Mike Smith. He appeared in 11 NHL games last year and struggled for most of it, posting a 2.88 GAA and .896 save percentage, resulting in a 3-5-1 record. The Providence College standout was better in his time with AHL Stockton, with a .917 save percentage and 2.53 GAA complementing four shutouts. Fresh off inking a two-year extension with the Flames this offseason, Gillies will likely split time at both the AHL and NHL levels. At this point, he's of little use in fantasy leagues.
Gillies immediately signed a three-year deal after garnering Most Outstanding Player honors en route to leading Providence College to the NCAA title. Although Calgary would seem to have a full cupboard of goalies in Joni Ortio, Karri Ramo and Jonas Hiller, none of those options have really proven to be the netminder that the Flames want to hinge their future on. If Gillies can play well right off the bat and grab a share of the starting spot in the AHL, it may not be long before Gillies pushes his way to the parent club.
Gillies will return to Providence College for his junior season, after posting a 2.16 GAA and .931 save percentage over 34 games for the Friars as a sophomore. The 20-year-old earned first-team All-American honors for his efforts, and the former third-round pick could ultimately be a long-term solution in the net for the Flames. He could decide to turn pro after Providence finishes their season, and if he continues to excel in the AHL, an appointment to the big club at some point in 2015-16 wouldn’t seem far-fetched.
