As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, the National Hockey League (NHL) has started revealing the finalists for its major awards for the 2024-25 season.
On Monday, the league named the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, presented annually to the NHL`s best goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings, and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina winner, had an outstanding season for the Presidents` Trophy-winning Jets. In 63 games, he posted a 47-12-3 record, a 2.01 goals-against-average (GAA), a .925 save percentage, and eight shutouts. His performance led the league in wins, GAA, and shutouts. He was also second in save percentage, just behind Anthony Stolarz (.926) of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Should Hellebuyck win the award consecutively, he would join an elite group as only the fourth goaltender to achieve back-to-back Vezina wins. The others are Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, and Patrick Roy. Martin Brodeur was the most recent to accomplish this, winning in 2007 and 2008 while with the New Jersey Devils.
The remaining NHL Awards finalists are scheduled to be announced daily through mid-May. The date for the 2025 NHL Awards ceremony in June 2025 is still to be determined.
Vezina Trophy Finalists
The Vezina Trophy is awarded `to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position.`
- Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)
- Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles Kings)
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)
