NHL Awards: Hellebuyck, Vasilevskiy, Rask named Vezina Trophy finalists

The NHL has announced that goaltenders Connor Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Tuukka Rask have named the finalists for the Vezina Trophy.

The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the goaltender who is “adjudged to be the best at this position” as voted upon by the general managers of the NHL. On Friday, the finalists were announced  – Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins, and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Given the performances of each of the three finalists, there is not much to contest in terms of their nominations. A rundown of their respective seasons can be seen below.

Connor Hellebuyck

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Connor Hellebuyck concluded the 2019-20 regular season with a record of 31-21-5 in 58 games played for the Winnipeg Jets and managed to attain a save percentage of .922%, a GAA of 2.57 and a total of six shutouts, which led the NHL.

Hellebuyck will have his work cut out for him again as the Winnipeg Jets will face the Calgary Flames when the NHL returns to play on August 1.

Andrei Vasilevskiy

In the 2019-20 regular season, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy had 52 games played and posted a 35-14-3 record with 3 shutouts, a save percentage of .917% and a GAA of 2.56. Vasilevskiy was on a roll as he had won 21 of his last 27 starts prior to the NHL’s shutdown.

This is Vasilevskiy’s third straight year as a finalist for the Vezina trophy and now has the opportunity to add a second one to his mantle. The Tampa Bay Lightning will first face the Washington Capitals in the round-robin tournament when hockey resumes.

Tuukka Rask

Tuukka Rask posted a whopping 26-8-6 record for the Boston Bruins and led the NHL with a 2.12 GAA alongside a save percentage of .929% and 5 shutouts to carry the Bruins all the way to the top of the NHL standings.

While Rask does have the benefit of playing in front of one of the best rosters in the league, his play stands on its own and is worthy to be included in talks as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.

Rask is also the 2019-20 recipient of the William M. Jennings trophy, which is given to the goaltender(s) of the team that allowed the fewest goals against. Tuukka Rask and the Boston Bruins will face off against the Philadelphia Flyers in the round-robin tournament when hockey commences.

Predicting the Winner

Connor Hellebuyck finished the 2019-20 regular season with  an immense 58 games played, most likely due to the Winnipeg Jets inability to find a more consistent backup goaltender to alleviate his responsibilities.

With Laurent Brossoit posting a 6-7-1 record, a GAA of 3.28 and a save percentage of .895%, it is no surprise that the bulk of the Winnipeg Jets games played fell upon Hellebuyck. Eric Comrie also did not do much better, going 0-2-0 with a GAA of 4.29 and a save percentage of .864%.

In contrast to the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning rosters, Connor Hellebuyck had his work cut out for him. While the Jets possess some firepower up front in terms of Kyle Connor,  Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele, and Blake Wheeler, the Jets struggled on the defensive side of their game. The Jets lost Jacob Trouba in a trade to the New York Rangers in the offseason and Dustin Byfuglien who opted not to return to the team.

These are factors that should be taken into consideration upon appointing the winner of the Vezina Trophy winner, a trophy Hellebuyck has made a strong case for though it would not be surprising to see Tuukka Rask claim the trophy given his more than impressive season.