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Photo of Dustin Tokarski

Dustin Tokarski

#34 · Goalie · Free agent, last with the Carolina Hurricanes

Born Sep 16, 1989 in Watson, Saskatchewan, CAN · 6'0", 198 lb · Catches left · Drafted 122nd overall in 2008 by TBL (round 5)

Compare with a similar player

The goalies closest to him in games played in 2021-22. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Anthony Stolarz ANA · 28 GP, 0.917 Antti Raanta CAR · 28 GP, 0.912 Mike Smith EDM · 28 GP, 0.915 Craig Anderson BUF · 31 GP, 0.897 Semyon Varlamov NYI · 31 GP, 0.911

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

010202009-10: 2 games209-102011-12: 5 games511-122013-14: 3 games313-142014-15: 17 games1714-152015-16: 6 games615-162016-17: 1 games116-172020-21: 13 games1320-212021-22: 29 games2921-222022-23: 4 games422-232024-25: 6 games624-25

Games played by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save % Cap hit
2009-10 TBL 2 0000 16 13 3 4.06 0.813 $598K
2011-12 TBL 5 1310 116 102 14 3.45 0.879 $575K
2013-14 MTL 3 2001 93 88 5 1.84 0.946 $575K
2014-15 MTL 17 6640 509 463 46 2.75 0.910 $563K
2015-16 MTL 6 1300 98 86 12 3.18 0.878 $563K
2016-17 ANA 1 0000 5 5 0 0.00 1.000 $600K
2020-21 BUF 13 2820 447 404 43 3.54 0.904 $725K
2021-22 BUF 29 101251 900 809 91 3.27 0.899 $725K
2022-23 PIT 4 1200 117 105 12 3.44 0.897 $775K
2024-25 CAR 6 4201 132 119 13 2.18 0.902 $775K
10 seasons Career 86 2736123 2433 2194 239 3.08 0.902

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save %
2013-14 MTL 5 2300 155 142 13 2.60 0.916
1 season Playoffs 5 2300 155 142 13 2.60 0.916

2021-22 season totals

GP Starts WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save %
29 28 101251 900 809 91 3.27 0.899

Contract

$725KCap hitends in 2022, then UFA
$668KWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$57KValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. He rated at or below a spare-part player, so there is no cost per goal to show. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 59 ranked goalies whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Buffalo Sabres on Nov 4, 2020, as a new contract: 2 years and $1.45M, beginning in 2020-21. It runs through 2021-22, so this is its last season, after which he is an unrestricted free agent. His next contract is already signed: a new contract (two-way) with the Carolina Hurricanes, 1 year and $775K at $775K a season, beginning in 2024-25.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2020-21 $725K $700K $0 $700K
2021-22 $725K $750K $0 $750K

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2025-26 to 2025-26 $775K
Carolina Hurricanes New contract (two-way) not begun 2024-25 to 2024-25 1 $775K $775K
Jul 1, 2023 Buffalo Sabres New contract 2023-24 to 2023-24 1 $775K $775K
Jul 13, 2022 Pittsburgh Penguins New contract 2022-23 to 2022-23 1 $775K $775K
Nov 4, 2020 Buffalo Sabres New contract 2020-21 to 2021-22 2 $1.45M $725K
Aug 20, 2018 New York Rangers New contract 2018-19 to 2018-19 1 $650K $650K
Jan 4, 2017 Anaheim Ducks Extension 2017-18 to 2017-18 1 $650K $650K
Jun 27, 2016 Anaheim Ducks Extension 2016-17 to 2016-17 1 $600K $600K
May 26, 2014 Montreal Canadiens Extension 2014-15 to 2015-16 2 $1.125M $563K
Aug 20, 2013 Montreal Canadiens New contract 2013-14 to 2013-14 1 $575K $575K
Dec 30, 2008 Tampa Bay Lightning Entry-level 2010-11 to 2012-13 signed for 2008-09, slid 3 $2.16M $575K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2021-22 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2021-22 analytics

Rating

-0.3Goals above replacement52nd of 61 goalies
0.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-8.7Goals above averagehis goals saved above expected

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 61 ranked goalies: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. Goals above average is coloured as it is under Shots faced below, where it is taken per 60 minutes.

The goals he saved for his team, compared with a spare-part goalie facing the same shots. A goalie's season is about one-third the goalie and two-thirds chance, so read one year lightly. Provisional: under 40 games it is more chance than player. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-4-202462011-122014-152016-172021-222024-25Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

Shots faced

Expected goals adds up how likely each shot he faced was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. A goalie who lets in fewer than that has saved goals above expected. Only shots taken while he was in net count, and the league's goalies as a whole come out at zero. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones. What these numbers mean

-8.7Goals saved above expectedexpected goals minus goals against
82.3Expected goals againstfrom 1,186 unblocked attempts
91Goals againstwhile he was in net
0.899Save %0.909 expected from his shots

Goals saved above expected, taken per 60 minutes, and save % are coloured by where they rank among the 65 goalies who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. The two goals against tiles are left plain, since they follow how much he played.

Goals saved -0.31 above expected per 60 minutes14th
Shot difficulty 6.9% chance per attempt faced71stA higher bar means his team gives up more dangerous shots.

Each bar shows the share of goalies he is ahead of, among the 65 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest this season.

020406080Game 10Game 20Allowed 91Expected 82.3

The goals he was expected to let in and the goals he did, as the season went on. When the allowed line runs below the expected line, he is saving more than his shots were worth.

Where he was shot at

Every unblocked attempt he faced this season, with his net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result Decision Shots against Saves Goals against Save % TOI
Apr 29, 2022 vs CHI W 3-2 (OT) W 21 19 2 0.905 61:46
Apr 28, 2022 @ BOS L 0-5 L 32 27 5 0.844 60:00
Apr 23, 2022 vs NYI W 5-3 W 22 19 3 0.864 59:43
Apr 17, 2022 @ PHI W 5-3 W 35 32 3 0.914 60:00
Apr 8, 2022 @ FLA L 3-4 L 43 39 4 0.907 59:34
Apr 3, 2022 vs FLA L 3-5 L 40 35 5 0.875 59:19
Mar 28, 2022 @ CHI W 6-5 W 21 16 5 0.762 60:00
Mar 25, 2022 vs WSH L 3-4 (SO) OTL 40 37 3 0.925 65:00
Mar 18, 2022 @ CGY W 1-0 (OT) W, SO 24 24 0 1.000 62:53
Mar 6, 2022 vs LAK L 0-3 L 30 29 1 0.967 59:21
Feb 25, 2022 @ STL L 3-5 L 22 18 4 0.818 59:48
Feb 19, 2022 vs COL L 3-5 L 35 31 4 0.886 58:43
Feb 15, 2022 vs NYI W 6-3 W 33 30 3 0.909 59:44
Feb 10, 2022 vs CBJ L 3-4 (OT) OTL 34 30 4 0.882 60:16
Jan 30, 2022 @ COL L 1-4 L 35 32 3 0.914 57:49
Nov 29, 2021 vs SEA L 4-7 L 31 25 6 0.806 58:40
Nov 27, 2021 @ DET L 2-3 (OT) OTL 41 38 3 0.927 60:11
Nov 26, 2021 vs MTL W 4-1 W 26 25 1 0.962 60:00
Nov 24, 2021 vs BOS L 1-5 25 24 1 0.960 40:00
Nov 22, 2021 vs CBJ L 4-7 12 8 4 0.667 20:55
Nov 18, 2021 vs CGY L 0-5 L 23 18 5 0.783 40:00
Nov 16, 2021 @ PIT W 2-1 W 46 45 1 0.978 60:00
Nov 12, 2021 vs EDM W 3-2 W 35 33 2 0.943 60:00
Nov 8, 2021 @ WSH L 3-5 L 30 25 5 0.833 58:52
Nov 6, 2021 vs DET L 3-4 (OT) OTL 33 29 4 0.879 62:45
Nov 4, 2021 @ SEA L 2-5 L 37 33 4 0.892 58:33
Oct 31, 2021 @ LAK L 2-3 L 34 31 3 0.912 59:25
Oct 23, 2021 @ NJD L 1-2 (OT) OTL 39 37 2 0.949 63:09
Oct 16, 2021 vs ARI W 2-1 (SO) W 21 20 1 0.952 65:00