Vezina Trophy finalists announced; former Leafs goalie snubbed in vote
On Tuesday, the NHL announced the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, the annual award given to the NHL's best goaltender of the season.
The three finalists are Igor Shesterkin from the New York Rangers, Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames netminder Jacob Markström. Left off this list in a surprising turn is former-Leaf and now-Hurricane, Frederik Andersen.
All four goaltenders mentioned above played beyond expectations and on most nights, downright insane. The entire NHL is aware of what Igor Shesterkin has done in New York. The 26-year-old put together one of the strongest resumes in recent memory, dragging the Rangers to a playoff spot with a 36-13-4 record, six shutouts, and a ridiculous .935 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Saros earns his first-ever nomination this season, following up on a fantastic pandemic-shortened 2021 campaign by firmly establishing himself as one of the NHL's best.�With a 38-25-3 record and a sparkling .918 save percentage, the 27-year-old started 67 of Nashville's 82 total games, a league-best number at an astounding workload,�leading�the team to a playoff berth.
Jacob Markström got right to work when the puck dropped in October, bringing the Flames back into contention with a stellar season that makes his hefty contract look like a steal. Markström went 37-15-9 with a league-high nine shutouts in 63 games, establishing a fantastic .922 save percentage and becoming Calgary's first bona-fide starter since Miikka Kiprusoff.
Frederik Andersen lands in the honourable mention category for this season in part due to his team's defense-first mentality, and the ludicrous competition/workload of his fellow goaltending adversaries. But don't get it wrong, Andersen will be going into this off-season frustrated and ready to build upon an incredible 2021-2022 campaign that saw him finesse a 2.17 goals-against average, .922 save percentage, and four shutouts on 52 games played - his best stats to date.
All that's left to see now is which of these elite three nominees will take home the hardware? We'll find out in June.
| POLL | ||
10 MAI | 362 ANSWERS Vezina Trophy finalists announced; former Leafs goalie snubbed in vote Who will win the Vezina Trophy in June? | ||
| Markstrom | 116 | 32 % |
| Shesterkin | 204 | 56.4 % |
| Saros | 42 | 11.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
