Darren Eliot, SI.com

In watching David Aebischer this season, one can't help but be impressed. Taking over goaltending duties for the Colorado Avalanche came with three layers of scrutiny. First, he replaces the most decorated goaltender in NHL history in Patrick Roy. Second, he steps into the spotlight for one of the NHL's highest profile and most successful teams. Third, Aebischer is doing this with 69 NHL games to his credit prior to this season.

Aebischer has held up his end of the bargain and seized the opportunity. He leads the NHL in wins with 13 and before you jump to the conclusion that the total has more to do with the team in front of him, consider that his save percentage is a very respectable .918. Most telling, though, is the fact that when Aebischer has stumbled -- and he has had a couple of low moments -- he has rebounded with outstanding follow-up games -- the true mark of a No. 1 netminder.

Certainly, though, Aebischer's exploits put him at the top of another emerging category for goaltenders -- bang for the buck. He is giving the Avs the type of quality goaltending they envisioned and all for the modest salary of $550,000. He is leading an early season trend that runs counter to what has become the model in the NHL -- the No. 1 netminder gets big bucks and plays at least three quarters of the games while the back-up is paid substantially less based on the work ratio.

More accurately, Aebischer and others are demonstrating that the disparity between pay and play is closing between starters and backups. Is Aebischer the next Patrick Roy? No. But his on-ice results this season are closer to Roy's than his salary is to Roy's $8 million price tag from last season. The other highly visible example of getting top value from the back up is in Detroit. Manny Legace has two $8 million men in front of him in Dominik Hasek and Curtis Joseph. While the Wings try to work through Hasek's injury woes and CuJo's next destination, Legace, at $1.1 million, stepped in and did what the other two hadn't -- lead the Red Wings to the top of the Central Division.

The Mighty Ducks' Martin Gerber ($500,000) has as many wins and better numbers that J-S Giguere ($4.5 million). Ty Conklin ($860,000) of the Edmonton Oilers helped the Oilers win five in a row while Tommy Salo ($3.9 million) sidelined due to injury. Same thing in New York where Jussi Markkanen ($642,500) filled in while Mike Dunham ($3.3 million) nursed an ailing groin and led the Rangers to a season-best, four-game unbeaten streak. Currently, Vesa Toskala ($575,000) has the San Jose Sharks rising in the West while starter Evgeni Nabokov ($3.625 million) remains sidelined.

Add in the number of teams relying on two goaltenders more regularly and it seems the value of the "other guys" around the league is on the rise, even if the pay gap remains. The Philadelphia Flyers signed free agent Jeff Hackett to a $3 million contract, and he is splitting time with Robert Esche ($560,000). Same scenario in Buffalo with Martin Biron ($2.2 million) and Mika Noronen ($550,000), Boston with Andrew Raycroft ($550,000) and Felix Potvin ($1.3 million) and Pittsburgh, where the all-rookie duo of Marc-Andre Fleury ($1.24 million) and Sebastien Caron ($650,000) share the load.