The season has hit its halfway point, drawing attention to the leaders of the 2025 NHL Award races. Of the bunch, the long list of candidates for this year’s Vezina Trophy as ’Goalie of the Year’ seem the least played out. There are plenty of goalies serving as the backbone to their team’s success this season – including repeat Vezina winners, seasoned veterans getting their first bid at the title, and youngsters finally flaunting their talent. It’s a race that will likely be determined by which goalie can best weather the season’s second half. But let’s take a moment to gauge the playing field, and answer the question of which goalie could win the quintessential award.
For the rich mix of names, two-time Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck seems like a clear front-runner. He’s leading the gauntlet, ranked on top of the NHL in games played (34), wins (26), save percentage (.928), and goals-against-average (2.02). Even better, Hellebuyck’s success has coupled perfectly with the Winnipeg Jets’ 3.55 goals-per-game average, third-best in the league, to push the Jets to a tie for the top spot in the entire league. Hellebuyck has, once again, looked unbeatable – continuing his dominance after winning the 2024 Vezina Trophy with 37 wins, a .921 Sv%, and 2.39 GAA in 60 games last year. Another title win this year would make Hellebuyck the first goaltender since Martin Brodeur (2003, 2004; 2007, 2008) and Dominik Hasek (1996 -1999) to win the award in back-to-back years.
But Hellebuyck is facing mounting competition from the names behind him – most notably from Jacob Markstrom, who’s brought solace to a New Jersey Devils crease in need of someone solid. Markstrom has 21 wins, a .911 Sv%, and a 2.19 GAA through 32 games this season. He’s been heavily utilized in his first year with the Devils, and the team is playing to their strengths with him at the helm. The Devils rank sixth in the league with a 26-15-4 record, while allowing the fourth-fewest goals-against per-game (2.53). Markstrom ranked second in Vezina Trophy voting in 2022, after tallying 37 wins and a .922 in 63 games with the Calgary Flames. This season could be his chance to return to those heights, especially if he can mount a strong second-half.
Darcy Kuemper is singing a similar story out West, clawing his way back to Vezina Trophy acclaim with 12 wins and a .919 in his first 20 games with the Los Angeles Kings since 2017-18. Kuemper landed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury earlier in the year, limiting his chance to build a strong case for the title. But he’s returned in full, playing in 10 of Los Angeles’ 15 games since returning from injury and posting a dazzling 8-0-2 record and .937 Sv%. Continued health, and dominant hockey, could quickly push Kuemper into the first top-three Vezina finish of his career.
Behind the veterans are a long list of young and improving netminders leading strong charges. Kuemper’s departure from the Washington Capitals has opened the door for Logan Thompson to step into the spotlight. He’s split starts with Charlie Lindgren, but nonetheless posted an impressive 18-2-3 record, .919 Sv%, and 2.32 GAA through 23 games this season. Thompson is still just 27, and only has one year of experience serving as his team’s full-time starter – when he posted 25 wins and a .908 Sv% in 46 games with Vegas last season. That inexperience could hurt his chances at taking home hardware, but his launch in Washington may make it easier to ignore. The same dialogue largely surrounds Seattle Kraken starter Joey Daccord who – like Kuemper – faced tough battles with injuries but is still thriving in his starting role. Daccord has a .914 and 2.45 GAA in 25 games this season, both in line with his strong first year as Seattle’s starter last season. He’s proving his place, and a strong second-half and award nomination could be enough to stamp it permanently.
The list of contenders drags on out West. Mackenzie Blackwood is turning a new leaf with the Colorado Avalanche – posting a stellar 10 wins and .939 Sv% in
11 games with the club. Rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf has finally won Calgary’s starting role, and managed 14 wins and a .916 in 22 games to push himself into both Vezina and Calder Trophy discussions. But of the Western Conference netminders making claims, few are louder than Filip Gustavsson. Many questioned Gustavsson’s longevity in Minnesota’s starting crease, with Jesper Wallstedt inching closer to a full-time NHL role. But Gustavsson is showing just how capable he is this season. Serving as one of the few routinely-healthy pieces of Minnesota’s lineup, Gustavsson has posted a 18-7-3 record and .918 Sv% – enough to lead Minnesota to a top-five rank in the NHL. How the Wild battle through their laundry list of injuries in the second-half will define how this season goes down in their history books – and Gustavsson’s strong play could be the sole piece that keeps a hot year from falling downhill.
There are plenty of strong contenders for this year’s Vezina Trophy, and it seems the best is yet to come for many of these netminders. All have elevated their teams with consistently strong play. Who do you think will keep it going through the Spring, and take home this year’s ’Goalie of the Year’ award?
Helly and it ain’t even close
I’m with @bigdaddyt on this one too. Clearly, Hellebuyck is head and shoulders above everyone else. When Shesterkin’s on, he’s close, but not this year. It will be a criminal shame if WPG doesn’t get to the finals on the back of CH.
I’m gonna throw you a bit of a curve ball and say Yaroslav Askarov. He’s absolutely hit the ground running and posted .917 on a terrible Sharks team. Still a bit of a small sample size, but he’s the reason they’re losing 2-1 and 3-2 and not 7-1. He’s only gonna get better with Walman back, and Vanecek and Georgiev having career-worst years aren’t going to make much of a case to demote him.
In general though, this season has been a radical shake-up for goaltending in the NHL. It feels like we’re getting a few new names in the “elite” pile when there was some worry we were running out.