The midseason Vezina Trophy race features some surprising names
As we have reached the mid-point of the NHL season, this is when things get more fun in terms of sorting out the playoff picture, tight scoring races, and end-of-season awards. The Vezina Trophy has been one of those awards where there haven't been many back-to-back winners. There have been 9 different winners of the award in the last 9 years and we can even go a little further back with 12 different winners in the last 13 seasons with the exception of Sergei Bobrovsky winning it twice - 2012-13 and 2016-17.
This year could follow that trend as the goaltending landscape takes another turn as the previous 3 finalists - Igor Shesterkin, Juuse Saros, Jakob Markstrom - will most likely not be named finalists in 2022-23. Granted, there is still some time for the Vezina Trophy race to change, but in large, when a goalie is playing well over a large enough sample size, you get the feel for who's on and who's not quite playing up to par this season.
Linus Ullmark, Connor Hellebuyck, and Ilya Sorokin currently head the race with their staggering numbers. It could very well be Ullmark's race to lose as he sits with a ridiculous 22-1-1 record with league leading .938 SV% and 1.87 GAA. If that's not enough to convince you, a very popular stat nowadays with goaltenders is GSAA (Goals Saved Above Average), where he leads by a huge margin at 25.4. It helps that the Bruins are 32-4-4 with David Pastrnak leading the way offensively with 32 goals and 58 points in just 40 games but Ullmark has been sensational in his second year with the Bruins and is a huge reason why they lead the league in overall points and are the current favourite to win the Presidents Trophy.
Connor Hellebuyck could be the goaltender to ruin the streak of 9 different winners in the past 9 years, as he previously won the award in 2019-20. He has struggled a little over the last two seasons with a GAA of 2.81, a modest save percentage of .913, compounded with a 53-44-13 record, but he plays the lion's share of games with 111 in the 2 years prior to 2022-23.
This year, Hellebuyck has righted the ship for the Winnipeg Jets as he is 20-9-1 with a .928 SV% and a 2.30 GAA. He is 2nd in wins and save percentage behind only Ullmark, 5th best GAA in the league, has faced the 3rd most shot against with 964 - behind Karel Vejmelka's 984 and Juuse Saros' 997 - and is 2nd in the NHL with 3 shutouts. Like Ullmark is for the Bruins in the Atlantic, Hellebuyck is a huge reason why the Winnipeg Jets are 1 point back of the Central Division lead.
Finally we have Ilya Sorokin. He doesn't have the flashy record or the wins that Ullmark and Hellebuyck possess but he also doesn't have as good a team around him as his counterparts either. He currently holds a 14-13-1 record in 30 games, T-3rd highest save percentage of .924, and 8th best GAA at 2.35. The Islanders are 16th in the NHL in goals scored with 116 compared to the league leading Bruins at 154. Matthew Barzal leads the team with 41 points in 40 games, followed by All-Star Brock Nelson with 38, then there's a steep drop off with Anders Lee at 29 and Noah Dobson at 24.
Sorokin has been the significant reason as to why the Islanders are hanging around a playoff spot as the underrated goaltender has been quietly playing sensational hockey over his 3-year career. He is finally getting the recognition he deserves and has an outside chance of taking home his first Vezina Trophy.
| POLL | ||
10 JANVIER | 166 ANSWERS The midseason Vezina Trophy race features some surprising names If you had to vote right now, who do you think would deserve to win the Vezina Trophy? | ||
| Ullmark | 88 | 53 % |
| Hellebuyck | 32 | 19.3 % |
| Sorokin | 15 | 9 % |
| Other | 31 | 18.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
